The National:

This week's Behind the Headlines comes from Editor Laura Webster - to receive this newsletter direct to your inbox every week, click here.

Good evening! I hope you’re very well – sadly I’ve been in bed with Covid for days, so I can’t give you a thrilling update on what’s been happening in the newsroom this week. I can, however, tell you that I used the time wisely, finishing our brilliant columnist Lesley Riddoch’s latest book Thrive. It was a great read, full of fascinating details about how our Nordic neighbours run their countries and solve problems. I highly recommend it.

As I’m desperately looking forward to recovering and getting back out and about next week, I’ll use this week’s Behind the Headlines to give you some insight into what we’re doing for next week’s Believe in Scotland and Yes for EU rally. The march and rally in Edinburgh, the first major grassroots independence event to be addressed by Humza Yousaf in his capacity as First Minister, is expected to be an exciting day with a whole host of great speakers lined up. That includes the absolutely legendary Brian Cox. Our journalists are just about bouncing off the walls with excitement at the prospect of seeing the actor speak, and maybe getting some interview time with him …

The National: Scottish actor Brian Cox is to appear at a Yes rally in Edinburgh in early September

So next Saturday we’ll have two reporters covering the big event. We’ll be livestreaming along the march route from Johnston Terrace to the Scottish Parliament, speaking to activists from across the Yes movement. We’ll have photographers there, and will be publishing photo galleries online on the day and in the paper on Sunday. Make sure you check out the website to spot yourself in the photos, and buy a copy of the Sunday National as a souvenir of the event.

We’ll also be talking to speakers at the event (the list includes the likes of Independence Minister Jamie Hepburn, National columnist Kelly Given, Claude Detrez of Europe for Scotland, and singer Iona Fyfe, as well as those key in organising it like Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp).

READ MORE: Believe in Scotland to host Edinburgh rally alongside Yes for EU

And if you can’t make it to the rally yourself, we’ll be bringing some of the major highlights to you across our social feeds and here on our website.

In the run up to the rally we’ll also have all of the information you need on the route, plus interviews with and op-eds from some of the key figures involved.

We’re really looking forwards to this one and I encourage you to come chat to our journalists Judith Duffy and Abbi Garton-Crosbie if you spot them on the day.

I’m away now to focus on my recovery so we can bring you lots of brilliant coverage next week. Speak soon!