Talk of the Town: Collie has leading role in tail telling

AN unusual casting call has gone out – for a four-legged performer.Collie owners are being asked to put their pets forward for the "lead role" in a stage show to feature at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe next month.

Doggie auditions are being held for the world premiere of a stage adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith's The World According to Bertie.

Producers want an "Edinburgh-based black and white Border collie" to play Cyril in the show, adapted from the Capital novelist's popular 44 Scotland Street series.

The auditions will take place on Sunday at 4pm in Adam House, Chambers Street, where the show will also be staged next month.

Cricket hero Rahul was destined to be lording it

SCOTTISH fans rejoiced this week at seeing Rahul Dravid finally get his name on the celebrated Lord's honours board after a long-awaited Test century at the home of cricket for India against England.

However, we wonder how Dravid will eventually be remembered while pondering that he spent part of 2003 based at Raeburn Place as the Scottish team's "overseas professional" as permitted by international rules? The man from Indore may be the first and only batsman to score a century in all ten Test playing nations and his 200-plus catches at that level are unprecedented.

But might Dravid's REAL claim to fame be that he remains entrenched atop the all-time Scottish batting averages at 60 runs per innings with 210 of his 600 runs from 12 innings compiled in Edinburgh?

Not for sticky fingers

WHEN entrepreneur Fraser Doherty set up his SuperJam business at the age of 18, it seemed like an unusually traditional career path for one so young.

So we're pleased to see Fraser is now appealing to the younger generation with the launch of his SuperJam Home Baking iPhone app.

The app features a range of cake recipes for cakes, biscuits, tarts, puddings with photographs guaranteed to make your mouth water. Just don't put any hot jammy spoons on the iPhone by mistake.

It gets earlier every year

ONLY 149 sleeps until Santa pops down our chimneys . . . so hardly worth the occupants of a top-floor flat on the corner of Salisbury Place bothering to dispense with the Christmas tree that continues to adorn their window . . . as it has done for all of this year.