Trainspotting Live Event – Leith Theatre: Not Quite the Shot in the Arm the Legacy Needed 

I was lucky enough to be there at the start of the Trainspotting cinematic journey.

My mates and I sat behind the book’s author, Irvine Welsh, at the Cameo cinema in Edinburgh for the world premiere. Everybody in attendance was hoping that the adaptation of the most revered novel of its time would meet our expectations. Then we headed into the night, dying to tell anyone we encountered that, thanks to a bunch of lowlife junkies, all our lives would never be the same again.

You could argue that there’s nothing much else to get from the film thirty years on.

But this was a showing of the recent 4K restoration, at the Leith Theatre as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2026, with the likes of Welsh, members of the crew and some of the iconic cast giving us a live commentary.

While it seemed like a good idea on paper, the night didn’t go quite to plan.

Proceedings started well. DJ Nasty P whipped the crowd into a frenzy with a selection of tunes lifted straight from an indie disco from the 1990s. Everywhere you looked, everyone had an orange bucket hat with ‘Choose Life’ on it that had been given out by organisers. From those as close to the stage as possible, as if they were at the Barras barriers, to others paying extortionate prices for a can of beer at the bar.

The stars were introduced to the stage by host Robbie Collin, and each one was provided the type of reception usually reserved for Gods.

We were going to watch the film, and whenever someone on stage wanted to talk about the scene, the volume would be lowered to allow us to hear their observations.

The concept was a bit clunky, with even Ewan McGregor joking at one point that they should be quiet and watch the film.

Also, there was no discussion of the soundtrack expertly put together by Tristram Penna. Tracks like ‘Lust For Life’, ‘Temptation’ and ‘Born Slippy’ are themselves characters that have left as much of an impact on popular culture as Renton, Spud and Begbie have.

Unfortunately, as the night went on, both the film’s dialogue and the observations of those on stage were drowned out by the chatter from the audience.

It wasn’t a total disaster, and there were a few interesting insights. Costume designer Rachael Fleming told us that the colour of the T-shirt Sick Boy wore when he and Renton were discussing the merits of Sean Connery was picked because it was the same colour as a poppy seed.

Production designer Kave Quinn explained the process behind the scene where Renton was swallowed by the floor, particularly tricky for a low-budget movie.

There was also a buzz to see Ewan McGregor and Bremner back together with Kevin McKidd. The three of them sat at the side of the stage, hugging each other and enjoying the film as much as anyone in attendance.

As the movie finished with that famous Underworld anthem, you could see what they were trying to achieve with the event, to give the brand a much-needed shot in the arm.

Trainspotting has taken a bit of a battering recently as the musical won’t leave London after low ticket sales and poor reviews stopped it in its tracks.

What they should do is give us a documentary on the original movie from all of those involved. And put on a tour of the film in clubs for a boisterous crowd who want to cheer Ewan McGregor as he struggles in the Worst Toilet in Scotland.

Photo credit: Tracy Cameron