Succession star returns to his spiritual home at the festival fringe

Actor Brian Cox has enjoyed many great roles over his 50-year career, from Shakespeare’s King Lear on the London stage to Logan Roy in the hugely successful American TV series Succession.

My particular favourite was his portrayal of serial killer Hannibal Lecter.

He played the role in the 1986 film Manhunter, several years before Sir Anthony Hopkins made the part his own in the 1991 movie Silence of the Lambs. I thought Cox made a far better villain. A fervent supporter of Scottish independence, Cox even had a part in Braveheart, Hollywood’s homage to William Wallace, and his first film role in 1971 was as the Russian revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky. But his new role is perhaps one of his most important. Cox has just been appointed a patron of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

I can think of no-one better. I disagree fundamentally with his stance on independence, but as an actor he has few rivals and he is a fervent supporter of the arts in Scotland. As a young man, back in 1965, he was a founding member of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company and is currently an honorary patron of the Kings Theatre modernisation campaign.

A decade ago I shared a stage with Brian Cox in a debate about whether Scotland should leave the UK. We were on opposite sides of the argument, but despite our political differences he was charm personified. As we left the venue in Glasgow, I asked him why, if he was so passionate about Scotland, he no longer lived here, choosing instead to make his home in New York. “It’s the damp,” he laughed. “It’s bad for my arthritis”.

I can sympathise. As each year passes, my joints stiffen ever more and the long wet winter months. But I can think of nowhere better to live than Edinburgh, even if I could afford a penthouse in Manhattan. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Brian Cox decided to come back home and spend the rest of his life where his heart clearly lies, he has previously described Edinburgh as his “spiritual home” and for that I suppose we should be grateful.