At the 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival, Charles and Graham take the opportunity to interview documentary filmmaker, author, curator and former EIFF director, Mark Cousins and talk to him, in particular, about his latest book, Dear Orson Welles and Other Essays, a series of ‘conversations’ with the artists, poets, directors, and filmmakers who have most influenced and inspired him, from Orson Welles to Tilda Swinton.

Mark Cousins is a documentary filmmaker, author and curator. His films have dealt with subjects such as neo-Nazism, childhood imagination and the cinema of Iran. His feature The First Movie won the Prix Italia. His most recent film, The Story of Film: An Odyssey took six years to make. As an author, he has published several books, including Imagining Reality, The Faber Book of Documentary (as co-editor), the acclaimed book The Story of Film, published in Europe, the United States and Asia, the collection of essays on cinema: Watching Real People Elsewhere. Mark also famously took the Edinburgh International Film Festival to Sarajevo during that city's siege. He was co-artistic director of Cinema China, and of the Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams, part of his ongoing collaboration with Tilda Swinton. They recently devised a cinema in Beijing and did A Pilgrimage, in which they pulled a cinema across Scotland. He is honorary doctor of letters at the University of Edinburgh. In the past, Cousins directed and presented the BBC's Scene by Scene, which ran for five years, screening career interviews with, among others, Martin Scorsese, Jane Russell, Paul Schrader, Bernardo Bertolucci, David Lynch, Roman Polanski, Jeanne Moreau and Rod Steiger.

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Graham discusses the decline of main stream films since the 1970s after having recently watching Woody Allen's Manhattan (1979) and John Landis's Animal House (1978).

Coming up at the 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival what are Graham and Charles looking forward to?

Charles reflects on Banksy’s latest artwork series, the coverage it has attracted across the media and what the street art might mean.

Finally, Graham also discloses his idea for a play, though not entirely serious about writing it.

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Graham and Charles are looking forward to the 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Graham previews a new exhibition at Red House Art Gallery in Harrogate by Dan Baldwin

Charles highlights the York Purple Signs campaign, and especially their posters trying to establish behaviour patterns in relation to drink. Go Steady! We’ve got enough history. Respect your bar staff. Gratitude not Attitude.

Graham is super excited to preview some of his upcoming talking events (including a new Vinyl Session) coming up in the autumn.

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Graham takes pleasure in hearing some unexpected hits from the current Deer Shed Festival in North Yorkshire including Simon Armitage and The Coral.

Charles reflects on enjoying the sculpture park at Thirsk Hall, as well as the Himalayan Gardens near Ripon. Newby Hall and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Graham discusses great essay writers: How recent collections by the late Joan Didion and the late Christopher Hitchins compare to the late 'Gonzo journalism' writer Hunter S Thompson.

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Graham spoke to bestselling crime author Mark Billingham at the world's greatest crime writing festival in Harrogate last week, the Theakston's Old Perculier

Charles reviews Shed Seven in Museum Gardens, York. Futuresound’s three day festival with a homecoming celebration for the band - though they never left York.

Graham discusses rock archaeology with reference to the sound equipment used by Pink Floyd for their famous gig at Pompeii which was on display at the recent North West Audio Show in leafy Cheshire.

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Graham discusses the brilliant new book, Ways of Art by the Sunday Times art critic, Laura Freeman. Ways of Art tells the story of art collecting legend Jim Ede, the creator of Kettle's Yard in Cambridge

Charles reports on Bomb Squad's latest exhibition in York, Rise of the Vandals, which took place over three weekends at 2, Low Ouse Gate. The exhibition occupied three floors of the building and featured artists such as Inky, and DJ Soda.

Graham reveals some positive news about this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival in August.

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Graham and Charles interview Pete Oxley, the guitarist and bandleader behind, Hejira - a group that celebrates the music of Joni Mitchell and is definitely not a tribute band. Their setlist is drawn from Joni Mitchell's live album, Shadows And Light. Comprising highly experienced jazz musicians, Hejira is fronted by the brilliant Hattie Whitehead.

Graham gets excited about the news that there is a new film in the works by indie darling, Richard Linklater celebrating the films and directors and actors behind them of the French New Wave, inevitably called Nouvelle Vague.

Charles and Graham choose some of their highlights from this year's Glastonbury festival and discuss the sets by headliners and musical icons on smaller stages, alike.

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