Edith Douglas spent 11 days cruising the Mediterranean on the luxury liner - but she has no hesitation in saying the highlight of her trip was the evening when she and fellow passengers were entertained by Kyle.

Edith was accompanied by her sister, Marion Ridout from Arbroath, and boarded the cruise liner at Southampton on July 20.

As one of the last cruises the ship will make before it is turned into a floating hotel in Dubai, Edith and Marion were more than half way through the cruise when Kyle ensured their voyage was made even more memorable.

Edith explained: "We were sitting in the grand lounge on Saturday, July 26, somewhere between Monte Carlo and Barcelona. I noticed that, on the evening's programme of entertainment, there was the name Kyle Esplin.

"I told my sister there were Esplins from Forfar who were musical, and couldn't believe it when Kyle came on stage and said "Hello, I'm from Forfar in Scotland!

"I couldn't help it but I screamed out loud!"

Edith explained Kyle completely wooed the audience as he performed a full set of musical numbers, including those from his C.D. "From Memphis 'n Back".

He had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand as he displayed his natural musical talent, from boogie woogie to a classical number.

Edith continued: "My sister and I went to all the shows on the cruise. We saw the Cunard Singers and Dancers, Syd Little, but Kyle was the best by far. I may be a little bit biased."

Congratulate

Edith couldn't resist the opportunity to personally congratulate Kyle for his performance and met up with him later.

"What was more amazing was that he told us he is only 26 and has never had a piano lesson in his life.

"From the minute he started performing he took the grand lounge by storm.

"He was wonderful. The audience rose to applaud him during the middle of the show. He was, by far, the best act on the cruise and I was extremely proud of him."

We managed to track Kyle down in Venice last week, after he enjoyed a brief visit "home" to Forfar.

He spoke to us via e-mail before joining the Queen Victoria for another cruise. He remembered meeting Edith on the QE2 and that she had said she was from Forfar.

Kyle, the son of Joss Esplin and Sandra Wright, said: "I've also had people from Forfar say "hello" while I've been performing on a cruise in the Caribbean, and a few other times on cruises around Europe and the Mediterranean, once previously on the QE2."

He spoke fondly of his two performances on board the QE2's Mediterranean cruise last month, where he met Edith.

"It really was a great cruise. I was on board just five of the 11 days. I flew from Tromso, Norway to Lisbon to join the QE2 and do a couple of shows.

"The shows went down a storm with standing ovations at both performances."

Special place

Cunard is a special place for Kyle as he met his wife Svitlana while performing on the Queen Mary 2 on its maiden voyage from New York to Southampton in 2004. It was a tandem ocean crossing with the QE2 sailing alongside.

The couple have now been married for two years.

He continued: "Svitlana is a classical pianist from Kiev, Ukraine and was performing on the QM2 when we met.

"Since the QE2 will be de-commissioned in November and goes to become a floating hotel in Dubai, it was my last trip on the QE2, so we made sure it was a special night.

"The resident eight piece band backed me up through my set of piano boogie woogie stylings, bluesy ballads and even a rocked up version of Mozart.

"I've performed on the QE2 a few times each year for the past few years. I've also performed on its world cruise over the last three years, on the Queen Mary 2 maiden world voyage in 2007, and the new Queen Victoria's maiden world voyage this year. I'm on the Queen Victoria now, cruising Italy.

"Last year I flew completely around the world in one week to do a show on the Queen Mary 2's maiden world cruise! I was in Jamaica, and flew to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to join the QM2, was on board for three days, did my show, then disembarked in India and flew to Barbados!"

Kyle added Edith was correct in stating he is only 26, he's never had any piano lessons, he taught himself to play and has never used sheet music.

"I must say the music department in Forfar Academy would often frown upon my methods of learning and unusual techniques I would come up with on the piano, but I was always focused on what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it.

"I've only ever worked on stage and it's taken me to almost every part of the world, from Sydney to Rio de Janeiro, St Petersburg to Hawaii, Las Vegas, New York, Memphis, Montreal, Manila, Chile. I always tell the audience I'm from Forfar in Bonny Scotland!

"I still call Forfar home, but I just don't see too much of it these days."