Astronaut Tim Peake praises ‘visual feast’ of Edinburgh Hogmanay film

A film celebrating Edinburgh’s historic cultural ties to Hogmanay has been praised as a ‘visual feast’ by British astronaut Tim Peake.

The 48-year-old said the video, which uses hundreds of drones to light up the night sky, was where “poetry, art and culture meet science and technology.”

“Thank you for creating this visual feast for us to marvel at, enjoy & reflect on,” he told organisers.

The film features spectacular footage created to accompany a new three-part poem, Fare Well, by Scots Makar, Jackie Kay, the final part of which declares “good riddance to the last page torn from this scunnered year".

Ms Kay, responded to the praise on Twitter, writing: “Thank you Tim - it was a joy for me the day that poem met drone! “Who would have thought it possible?!”

A swarm of drones was programmed to create a giant handshake for the film, which is expected to have been seen by millions of people around the world by New Year’s Day.

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