Sir Billy Connolly to be handed lifetime achievement award at the Edinburgh TV festival
August 23, 2021, 10:48 am

Sir Billy Connolly

According to the Sky News, Scottish comedian Sir Billy Connolly will be handed a lifetime achievement award at the Edinburgh TV festival, as the event kicks off in the Scottish capital.

The Sky News reported, Sir Billy will be given the gong for his contribution to the industry, and be interviewed by his wife, the performer and writer Dr Pamela Stephenson Connolly, where he will look back at his illustrious career, which includes comedy, music, TV and film.

It added that at the event, which starts today, screenwriter Jack Thorne will deliver the MacTaggart Lecture while author Neil Gaiman will be in conversation with director Douglas MacKinnon.

Thorne, who is best known for his work on productions like His Dark Materials and Enola Holmes, as well as the smash-hit play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, will talk about the "glaring problem" of the way in which disabled people are treated in the TV and film industry.

The Bafta award-winning writer, who has cholinergic urticaria, which makes sufferers allergic to their own body heat, says he will use his spot to highlight the representation of disabled people on screen.

The MacTaggart lecture has been an important part of the festival since 1976, with the likes of journalist Jon Snow, actress and writer Michaela Coel and Alan Partridge co-creator Armando Iannucci all having given the speech in recent years.

Hollywood's in-demand man Lin-Manuel Miranda, actress Whoopi Goldberg and climate activist Greta Thunberg will all also appear at the virtual festival, while comedian London Hughes will give the Alternative MacTaggart lecture.

Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings will also appear at the festival, albeit in Spitting Image puppet form, as well as the traditional appearances by the main TV channels.

The festival will run until 26 August.

Source: skynews

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”