Henley Literary Festival are busy finalising the programme for this years festival that is running from 1-9th October and has announced the first 10 names of this years very busy programme and releasing the full line up of over 100 events in the next few weeks.

Here’s a sneak peak of some of the names confirmed for this autumn.

Astronaut Tim Peake, one of only seven Britons ever to go to space, visits with a special all-ages event around his first non-fiction book for children The Cosmic Diary of Our Incredible Universe.

The Salt Path writer Raynor Winn, whose online event in 2020 was the Festival’s most popular adult event ever, joins in-person for the first time with Landlines.

International bestseller Robert Harris joins us after previous sell outs with his new book Act of Oblivion and exciting new talent Salma El-Wardany joins us in a debut panel.

For the first time the festival welcomes a Spice Girl with Mel C to discuss her autobiography Who i am which will follow the journey from her bedroom in north-west England to global recognition with the group.

National treasure and funny man Lenny Henry will also make his festival debut coming with his Boy with Wings series for the younger festival goers.

Clinical psychologist and Tik Tok sensation Dr Julie Smith will be talking to fellow author Bryony Gordon about her Sunday Times best seller book Why has nobody told me this before?

BBC Historian and curator Lucy Worsley will be joining the festival again to discuss her biography of Agatha Christie.

From working cross-party on reform of the European Union to taking to the stage at Wembley as a key figure in the Leave campaign Andrea Leadsom‘s story tracks the pleasures and pitfalls of a career in politics and she will join the festival days before the Conservative party conference.

Events will take place at the Baillie Gifford Marquee, the historic Kenton Theatre and Henley Town Hall, with almost all of them available online via live streaming.

Tickets will be available from 11th July for Friends of Festival and general sale from 18th July. You can join to become a friend for just £35 and you will get priority booking and get your hands on tickets before general sale.

For more information visit Henley Literary Festival