Henley Literary Festival returns with over 130 events
Image: Scarlett Page
Vaccine-creators, multi-million-selling novelists, historians, Harry Potter and Hamilton actors, podcasters, political leaders, Children’s Laureates and stars of stage, screen and social media will be among the speakers at this year’s Henley Literary Festival. Supported by Baillie Gifford, the festival will take place from 2nd– 10th October 2021
Henley Literary Festival returns this October in-person and online with over 130 events for adults and children including Jeffrey Archer, Joanna Lumley, cricketing hero Michael Holding, Tom Allen, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Michael Morpurgo, food writer Grace Dent, Nikesh Shukla, Elizabeth Day, Twitter poet laureate Brian Bilston, Candice Brathwaite and Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio,
Tickets will go on sale to Friends of the Festival on 12th July and on general sale on 19th July, initially on a limited distanced basis at the venues – a large marquee in the grounds of Phyllis Court, Christ Church, Henley Town Hall and the River & Rowing Museum – with the ability to change to reflect developments over the next few months. Following the success of the online Festival in 2020 over 50 events will be streamed live.
Festival director Harriet Reed-Ryan said: “We are thrilled to have such a brilliant line-up for this year’s Festival and look forward to seeing both audiences and authors again, as well as reaching viewers across the country and beyond online. At the moment, we are planning a Festival that could happen now – so we will go on sale with socially distanced audiences, but we will continue to review the government guidelines on a regular basis to ensure we are completely COVID safe when the Festival begins. None of this would be possible without the generous support and our wonderful headline sponsor Baillie Gifford. We also welcome back Laithwaite’s as the sponsor of the Town Hall.”
For 15 years, the Festival has covered many different topics, but in a unique event this October, two of the leading scientists behind the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine, Dame Sarah Gilbert and Dr Catherine Green will share the inside story of this era-defining achievement. Health, both physical and mental, will also be covered by doctors Rachel Clarke, Alex George, Lucy Pollock and Emma Hepburn.
Speakers from the entertainment world attending include singers Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Tracey Thorn, Oscar-winner Hayley Mills, Harry Potter star Evanna Lynch and Hamilton Olivier-winner Giles Terera as well as comedians Tom Allen, Ruby Wax, Robert Webb, Jack Dee and Mel Giedroyc. There will be plenty of opportunities to discuss current affairs and politics with Ed Miliband, William Waldegrave, Alan Johnson, Vince Cable, Theresa May’s chief of staff Gavin Barwell and Ed Balls appearing on the line-up alongside broadcasters Jon Sopel, Fortunately hosts Fi Glover and Jane Garvey, Simon Mayo, Tom Bradby, How To Fail podcaster Elizabeth Day, James O’Brien and John Simpson.
After John Grisham’s appearance last year, the title of bestselling ever author at the Festival is taken by Jeffrey Archer, with an estimated 300 million sales. Other novelists featured include Alexander McCall Smith, Women’s Prize nominee Brit Bennett, Jill Mansell, Costa-winner Monique Roffey Bennett Sebastian Faulks, Rodham writer Curtis Sittenfeld, Kate Mosse, Jane Fallon and debut authors Naomi Ishiguro, Neema Shah and Salena Godden.
Speakers with local connections include Dame Stephanie Shirley, BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood, Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood, Royal expert Ingrid Seward, scientist Richard Fortey and novelists Susanna Beard. James Scudamore, Rachel Edwards and Jenny Quintana. History will be covered by Max Hastings, Jeremy Paxman, Lucinda Hawksley and more.
In a unique post-Festival pop-up event, national treasure Joanna Lumley comes to Henley on 28th October to talk about her new book A Queen for All Seasons in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next year.
Events for younger readers include the much-loved former Children’s Laureates Michael Morpurgo, with a special event surrounding Carnival of the Animals, and Chris Riddell, who also designed this year’s programme front cover, as well as Rob Biddulph, who kept audiences entertained during lockdown with his #DrawWithRob illustrations and returns to Henley after achieving a Guinness World Record. All the family are welcome at events with broadcaster Clare Balding with her first non-fiction children’s book Fall Off, Get Back On, Keep Going: 10 Ways to Be at the Top of Your Game and Stuart Lawrence, brother of Stephen Lawrence, offering inspiring words for young people as he discusses Silence is Not An Option: You Can Impact the World for Change.
For a full list of confirmed speakers visit the Henley Literary festival website.
Henley Literary Festival will take place from Saturday 2nd October – Sunday 10th October 2021.
Friends of the Festival tickets go on sale at 10am on 12th July and on general sale on 19th July. It costs £35 to be a Friend of the Festival.
Friends memberships and tickets will be available to buy from the Festival website www.henleyliteraryfestival.co.uk or by calling the box office on 01491 575948
