This year, the biggest arts festival in the world is on hold. But this programme captures the spirit of Edinburgh and brings highlights of new shows and events from the Fringe, the Book Festival and the International Festival, which are happening within the limits of the Covid lockdown. Presented by Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Lolly Adefope, it tells stories of how creatives have worked under lockdown and managed to create shows to entertain us.
The programme draws on archive to tell the extraordinary story of how a city became host to the largest, most accessible, creative arts festival in the world. There is dance from Scottish Ballet, Bernadine Evaristo from the Book Festival, the cast of Normal People from the TV Festival, comedy from the Stand in Edinburgh, where they have perfected a technique for online heckling, and famous names tell stories of what the Edinburgh Festivals mean to them, including Evelyn Glennie and Fiona Shaw.
The show kicks off with a dramatic light festival across Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Festivals: The Show Must Go On, Saturday, August 29, 11.15pm, BBC TWO.