By Kathleen Speirs

ONE of Scotland’s most popular actresses has poured praise on Greenock’s flagship £10m Beacon Arts Centre.

Blythe Duff has been busy rehearsing in the waterfront venue with The National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) over the past few weeks in preparation for their upcoming international tour of The James Plays.

The famous Taggart star, who received acclaim for her role as DI Jackie Reid in the long-running detective series, has also told the Tele why Greenock has such a special place in her heart.

In an exclusive interview, Blythe said: “The Beacon is a fantastic venue.

“You don’t have many theatres where you can look at beautiful scenery outside then go and be absorbed inside, and the café is also quite special.

“It’s an incredible asset to Greenock and is perfectly titled – it sits just like a beacon on that water and seems to blend in with the outlook over the Clyde.

“It is such a treasure of a facility and we are all delighted to have this space to work in and get the show up and running.”

Blythe and her colleagues have been hard at work rehearsing for a trilogy of plays that follow the lives of King James the first, second and third over a period which spans 50 years.

The tour is visiting many cities across the UK as well as Australia and Canada and Blythe says she’s enjoyed working in Inverclyde as the cast and crew get ready for the run, as she has a close connection to the arts ‘doon the water’.

She even brought her daughters along to the theatre to watch a sneak preview of her new show.

Blythe said: “Greenock and Inverclyde has a soft spot in my heart because I very often go across to the Isle of Bute and just now with the change to the ferries I’m heading down to Gourock so I’m in the area quite a lot.

“Greenock has always had such a strong tradition of theatre, I played in the old arts guild years ago and I loved it.

“There was part of me that was really sad when I found out it was no longer going to be the main stage of Greenock but I think we now need to realise that audiences now are much more sophisticated and they expect more from a theatre. Greenock has had the courage and forthright to actually say we need a theatre that befits the town which is really important for the Scottish theatre community and the community in general.

“I think they should be really proud of what they have brought to Greenock and I applaud the town for keeping culture alive in that location.”