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I am delighted to welcome you to The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival 2024, the 75th to be held in this lovely town. An especially celebratory programme to mark our anniversary looks back at our history and forward to another 75 years of welcoming the best writers from all over the world to Cheltenham.
A wonderfully rich and diverse collection of hundreds of events lies between these pages and in October our buzzing Festival Village will be full of excited book lovers – we can’t wait.
As we think, read, talk and laugh together over ten extraordinary Autumn days, we celebrate the power of words to connect communities and inspire change.
Whether you want to drop into a free VOICEBOX or Huddle event, explore The Wild Wood, browse the gorgeous bookshops or meet your favourite author – you can be assured of the warmest of welcomes.
Nicola Tuxworth Head of Programming Cheltenham
Literature Festival
Look out for these icons throughout the brochure Workshop
along event, bring a sketchbook and pen or pencil
Guest Curators
Our Guest Curators are a unique and treasured part of the Festival team –bringing fascinating insights, new perspectives and inspiring energy to the programme.
Ann Morgan
Literary Explorer in Residence
In 2012, Ann Morgan challenged herself to read a book from every country, recording her quest in the non-fiction book Reading the World. Her debut novel, Beside Myself, has been translated into eight languages and her latest novel is Crossing Over @ayearofreadingtheworld
Rónán Hession
Acclaimed Irish writer and musician Rónán Hession, also known as Mumblin’ Deaf Ro, is the author of three novels, including his most recent book, Ghost Mountain His curated events focus on international fiction and showcasing diverse literary voices.
@mumblindeafro
Virginia Nicholson
Virginia Nicholson has written seven books of social history, most recently All the Rage, a history of beauty and the female body. She is the great-niece of Virginia Woolf and president of the Charleston Trust.
@vncourthouse
Danielle Jawando
YA Book Prize winner, author and screenwriter, Danielle’s coming-of-age novels spotlight important issues for young people. Her curation explores themes and ideas around writing for change and the profound impact stories can have on the world.
@danielle_jawando
Joelle Taylor
Award-winning poet, playwright, author and editor. Joelle’s most recent collection C+NTO: & Othered Poems won the 2021 T.S. Eliot Prize and the 2022 Polari Prize for LGBTQ+ authors. Her debut novel
The Night Alphabet, has been adapted into a play for this year’s Festival.
@jtaylortrash
Look out for our guest curators throughout the programme.
75 Years of Literary Greats
This year is the Literature Festival’s 75th anniversary, celebrating decades of excellence and global influence since its inception in Cheltenham in 1949.
Starting with just a handful of events in
Town Hall, a venue still in use today, the
was one of the first in the world to
writers and readers – an idea that soon spread
A special series this year focuses on our history, our place in the community and, with new technology in mind, examines where the next 75 years might take us.
Look out for other 75th anniversaries being marked this year – from the founding of NATO to the publication of George Orwell’s 1984
By purchasing food and drink on site, you’re supporting Cheltenham Festivals as a charity
With thanks to our event supporters
A Great Day Out
Make a day of it and enjoy story sessions, live music, debates and captivating talks. Indulge in a tasty morsel, grab a drink, find a cosy corner and lose yourself in a book – there’s something for everyone to enjoy and discover.
Food and Drink
Grab a morning coffee and pastry in our Feast Cafe, choose from a selection of hot and cold treats from our street food vendors to refuel between events, or unwind with a drink from the Festival bar to round off your day.
The Nook On Five
Join us at Cheltenham’s spectacular rooftop restaurant for a special series of events and unique dining experiences.
Dunkertons Taproom
Treat yourself to a cider and tuck into a delicious meal from a host of street food vendors while enjoying a vibrant discussion, lively quiz or captivating cabaret.
The Hush
Looking for a peaceful space to retreat from the Festival bustle? Grab a bean bag and unwind with a variety of activities designed to refresh and rejuvenate your mind and body.
Supported by The Methodist Church
The Huddle
Whether you’re after stimulating talks during the day or fancy great entertainment and music in the evening, visit The Huddle for a host of free events celebrating writing from close to home and around the globe.
The Snug
New for 2024, The Snug is a welcoming space; the perfect book lover’s retreat. Join book clubs, swap recommendations, immerse yourself in crafts and friendly post-event conversation. The Huddle and The Snug are supported by Benefact Group
Help us to keep at least 25% of our activities free
There are so many ways to support our vision for a world in which everyone can explore and create culture, from Memberships and Patronage to Partnerships and donations Scan the QR code to find out more
With thanks to our event supporters
Look out for more information in our free programme, announced mid-September
Make sure you grab a copy in print, online, or via the Cheltenham Festivals app
Come together and enjoy the best of Times in Times Square
Savour the best of the Sunday Times Wine Club Join us for ‘Wine Hour’ at the Headline Bar in Times Square, for special guest conversations and complimentary wine tastings, daily 5-6pm.
Take some time away from the hustle and bustle with the Times Literary Supplement or your latest book find. Unwind in this contemplative corner of the Festival and leave feeling refreshed and inspired.
Continue the conversation in Times Radio’s Speakers’ Corner. Sit back, relax, read your complimentary newspaper or chat over a glass of wine, with Times Radio playing in the background.
Delve into the most popular books of the last half-century. Read reviews of the titles on The Sunday Times Bestsellers List from the past 50 years.
Look out for more details in our free programme mid-September. Make sure you grab a copy in print, online or via the Cheltenham Festivals app.
Proud to support The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival.
Situated at the heart of the Festival Village and with the very best selection of new books alongside classics and bestsellers, our Waterstones Bookshops are curated especially for this year’s Festival and the visiting writers. Browse the bookshelves between your Festival events, meet your favourite authors and celebrities and get your books signed.
Don’t forget to stop by the Waterstones Children’s Bookshop where you can browse the latest releases and family favourites. If you’re not sure what to try next, ask the booksellers for their top recommendations.
You can also find us in Cheltenham Town Hall’s Drawing Room where you can browse a selection of Festival titles and have your books signed after events.
20% of each book purchased at our Waterstones bookshop is donated to Cheltenham Festivals
VOICEBOX amplifies young voices, turns up the volume on big issues and creates change.
Exploring everything from new writing and pop culture to politics, wellbeing and society, drop in to free events in the VOICEBOX space throughout the Festival.
Featuring short talks, chats and debates, workshops, music and spoken word, VOICEBOX is home to unmissable experiences and one-off moments.
With previous speakers including Tom Daley, Francis Bourgeois, Dominique Palmer, Ellie Middleton and Alex George, we’re creating bold content alongside young people in our community and beyond.
Be part of the conversation as we create change from the ground up and explore the issues you care about.
Look out for the full line-up from September and pick up the VOICEBOX Zine in print, online and on the Cheltenham Festivals app.
cheltenhamfestivals.org/VOICEBOX
comedy debate action
Free Activities for Families
As well as weekends packed full of ticketed events for children, there are plenty of free activities to discover on site.
Story Shack
The Den
Fun and Games
Sharky and George
Join in the fun with games and hilarious competitions including rocket balloons, parachute games, strawberry bootlace races and Sharky’s Footstep. Say hello to Elmer, The Gruffalo and Supertato at various times throughout the day.
Story Shack
Roll up to Story Shack for stories galore from around the world and beyond.
Mural Artists
Look out for our giant books painted by artists in The Wild Wood.
With thanks to our event supporters
Adventure Trails
The Clockwork Conspiracy Mystery Trail
A thrilling treasure hunt full of cryptic clues and secret codes. Inspired by Sam Sedgman’s The Clockwork Conspiracy
Bing’s Leaf Hunt
Take part in Bing’s Leaf Hunt spotting trail around The Wild Woods.
Pick up your trail sheets from The Den.
Waterstones Children’s Bookshop
Discover the ticketed Family Programme from page 69
Waterstones Children’s Bookshop
Meet the author for a short story session suitable for young families in the Waterstones Children’s Bookshop.
Arts and Activities
Drop into The Den for hands-on creative activities, from dragon decorating to book cover designing. Take a selfie in our dressing up corner.
Book Quiz
Bring your brains along for our booktastic book quiz for all the family.
Children’s Book Swap
Bring your old favourites and find some new ones on Sunday 13 October, 11am–3pm.
Look out for more information in our free programme, announced mid-September. Make sure you grab a copy in print, online, or via the Cheltenham Festivals app.
Picnic Tent
PAGES PINTS From to
Experience the Perfect Pairing of Literature and Cider at Dunkertons Park Taproom
Treat yourself to a cider and tuck into a delicious meal from a host of street food vendors while enjoying exclusive readings, a lively quiz, or captivating cabaret at our scenic Cotswold taproom. It’s the perfect haven for book lovers and cider enthusiasts alike.
Dunkertons Cider, Dowdeswell Park, London Road, Cheltenham, GL52 6UT
Title page Festival Programme
Spotlight on talent development
Spotlight is our year-round talent development programme offering a wide range of opportunities for all ages to engage with literature, providing an invaluable platform for new talent and supporting writers and performers throughout their career.
New Voices
Look out for our New Voices series highlighting the hottest emerging writers throughout the programme.
Proof Parties
Introducing upcoming novelists before they’re even published, with Cheltenham audiences being among the first to take away their novels in proof form.
Lit Crawl
Saturday 5 October
A diverse programme of events showcasing up-andcoming authors, performers, poets and comedians in exciting formats and spaces around Cheltenham.
Look out for the Spotlight icon throughout the programme.
Find out how you can help us continue to support emerging artists on pages 48 and 94.
Friday 4 October
The Election Generals
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£12
£15
In a year when 1.5 billion people across the globe went to the polls, join Broadcasting House presenter Paddy O’Connell , former BBC Political Editor John Sergeant and former Cabinet Minister Nicky Morgan as they look at the year in politics and draw on their long experience to debate the twists and turns ahead.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 1.30–2.30pm LC01
Supported by Oldham Foundation and Willans LLP Solicitors
Great Britain?
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12
£15
With the UK more divided than ever, is Britain going backwards? Hashi Mohamed talks to politician and economist Torsten Bell , campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa and others to examine how Britain has lost its way, how we might get our country back on track, and how we can build a future worth fighting for.
Debating twists and turns of the year in politics
The Election Generals
Fragile Beauty: Elton John and David Furnish
Attivo Garden Theatre
£12
A treasure trove of over 300 iconic images, Elton John and David Furnish’s unparalleled collection contains images by some of the most prominent names in photography. To tie in with the dazzling V&A exhibition, Curator Lydia Caston and V&A Head of Photography
Duncan Forbes share their behind-the-scenes insights.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LA08
Supported by Attivo
Buy books by your favourite Festival authors from our online Waterstones bookshop
With thanks to our event supporters
A Floral Feast
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£12
Carolyn Dunster is a planting designer and author who demystifies the idea of eating flowers, with a remarkably diverse and enticing range of blooms, leaves, flowering herbs and edible seeds that are a joy to nurture and that will take food to new culinary heights. She takes you on a plot-to-plate journey and introduce you to a world of visual and edible delights. EVENT
EVENT CODE 2–3pm LL20
Robyn Davidson
The Hive
£12
In 1977, Robyn Davidson set off with a dog and four camels to cross 1,700 miles of Australian desert to the sea. Tracks, her account of the journey, became an international bestseller and a life of travelling followed. In a UK first, Robyn talks to Sam Baker about the forces of love and loss that have propelled her nomadic existence.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2.30–3.30pm LT02
How the East Made the West
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12 £15
What if history has got the story of the West wrong? Esteemed historians William Dalrymple, Nandini Das and Josephine Quinn, in conversation with Peter Frankopan, consider how the spread of ideas and culture from India across ancient Eurasia – and between societies mingling across the ancient world – shaped Western civilisation.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3.30–4.30pm LH05
The Story of a Heart
Attivo Garden Theatre
£12
The first of our organs to form, the last to die, the heart is both a simple pump and the symbol of all that makes us human. Doctor and journalist Rachel Clarke and eminent heart surgeon Stephen Westaby share the fascinating history of heart surgery and the remarkable innovations that have made heart transplant and organ donation possible. Chaired by Julia Wheeler
Dark Comedy, Deep Divides
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£12
Hugo Rifkind, author of Rabbits, and Jonny Sweet , debut author of The Kellerby Code, delve into their darkly funny novels in conversation with Caitlin Moran . Sinister secrets, class divides and the quest for belonging sit at the heart of both these novels.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LR34
Supported by the British Academy With
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm X04
Perfect for fans of Saltburn
Dark Comedy, Deep Divides
Creative Writing Workshop: Writing for Children
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£45 Ticket includes tea, coffee and refreshments.
Are you interested in writing for children? Come to this friendly workshop with Annalie Grainger and Lucy Cuthew, both lecturers at Bath Spa University on the MA in Writing for Young People. They will cover everything from finding your voice to developing your story, with lots of tips on how to build characters and develop narratives that child readers will love.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–6pm W01
The Art of Food Writing
The Hive
£12
From Elizabeth David and Claudia Roden to Rachel Roddy and Nigel Slater, cookery writing has evolved to become a literary genre in its own right, a portal to other cultures and private lives. Food journalist and broadcaster Tim Hayward and publisher Juliet Annan talk to Guest Curator
Virginia Nicholson about their love of reading about someone else’s love of food.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4.30–5.30pm LL12
Bryony Gordon: Mad Woman
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Bryony Gordon returns with the highly anticipated follow-up to Mad Girl
Eight years on, Mad Woman explores Bryony’s evolving journey through mental health, perimenopause, parenting, and her most challenging realisation: that our idea of what makes us happy is actually making us profoundly sad. She talks to Claudia Hammond
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LQ02
With thanks to our event supporters
Lynda La Plante
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
From her early days in Liverpool, her unexpected acceptance into RADA, beginning her scriptwriting career with Widows and Prime Suspect to becoming a BAFTA award-winning writer and producer, Lynda La Plante’s life is stranger and more outrageous than her plots. She talks to Julia Wheeler about life, loves, sexism, innumerable obstacles and the inspiration behind her captivating stories.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.15–7.15pm LE05
Supported by Cunard Image:
Countryside Connections
The Hive
£14
Explore the rich tapestry of family life and the beauty of the English countryside with authors Bobby Palmer (Small Hours) and Fiona Williams (The House of Broken Bricks) They talk to Sarah Shaffi about hope, belonging and the profound healing power of nature.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.30–7.30pm LR21
Michael Lewis: Going Infinite
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14 £17
Michael Lewis has uncovered some of the biggest stories of our times. The author of blockbuster bestsellers Moneyball and The Big Short, made into an Oscar-winning film, returns with Going Infinite. Charting the meteoric rise and fall of crypto king Sam Bankman-Fried, Michael shares the epic story of high-frequency trading and crypto mania that he witnessed first-hand.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.30–7.30pm LC04
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
Make a day of it and enjoy all our free programme has to offer, announced mid-September
Make sure you grab a copy in print, online, or via the Cheltenham Festivals app
Italian Supper Club
The Nook On Five
£60 Ticket includes a twocourse dinner and a drink. Welcome to the Tyrrhenian Sea, home to la dolce vita, sundrenched islands and simple trattorias. Amber Guinness, chef and host at The Arniano Painting School in Tuscany, invites you to journey with her down the Italian coast. Over a delicious Mediterranean supper she shares the history, stories and flavours that have shaped her food philosophy, with Julia Leonard
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7.30–10pm LDF12
A Childhood in Care
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Award-winning presenter and journalist Ashley John-Baptiste grew up in the British care system, living with five different families. Lola Young, one of the first Black women in the House of Lords, spent her childhood moving between foster care placements. They talk to Sam Baker about a system that often made them feel invisible and their determination to defy the odds.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LM10
William Hague and Anthony Seldon
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£17 £20
In this special edition of The Times and The Sunday Times podcast: The Story, the former foreign secretary William Hague hosts a fascinating discussion about the office of Prime Minister with historian and political biographer, Anthony Seldon. Almost 100 days since his huge victory, how is Keir Starmer performing, and how have previous incumbents fared?
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8.30–9.30pm LC38
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio, and supported by Oldham Foundation
Gay Bar: Why We Went Out
The Hive
£14
Authors Paul Burston and Jeremy Atherton and poet Joelle Taylor take us on a time-traveling, transatlantic bar hop through pulsing nightclubs, after-work dives and gay cafes. They explore why, in the era of Grindr and same-sex marriage, gay bars are closing at an alarming rate and ask what these spaces mean to people, how they are changing and what we stand to lose when they close their doors.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8.30–9.30pm LL11
Want early access to your Festival favourites?
Become a member and receive priority booking
See page 48
Rockonteurs: I Was There
Town Hall, Main Hall £14 £17
A podcast about the real stories behind real music, Rockonteurs presenters Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt are joined by Alan Edwards, the godfather of music PR, whose stellar list of clients ranges from David Bowie to Amy Winehouse via The Rolling Stones, Blondie, Prince and The Spice Girls. They discuss Alan’s new book, I Was There: Dispatches from a Life in Rock and Roll
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8.30–9.30pm LE35
Alan is such a wonderful storyteller
Debbie Harry’s review of I Was There: Dispatches from a Life in Rock and Roll
With thanks to our event supporters
Image: Cebo Luthuli
Image: Janie Airey
Unwind Your Mind
Katy Hessel
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
Katy Hessel ’s The Story of Art Without Men has turned the limelight on women artists and cracked open the art history canon. As part of the Festival’s 75th anniversary celebrations, the art historian, curator and broadcaster shares her pick of unmissable women artists and artworks that have shaped art history since 1949. In conversation with Jo Baring
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LA01
Hugo Rifkind Canters Through the News
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15
£18
What’s been happening this week? Join Times Radio presenter Hugo Rifkind and his guests, comedian Geoff Norcott and campaigning MP Jess Phillips, as he broadcasts live from The Forum stage and takes an entertaining canter through the week’s news and culture.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LC35
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
With thanks to our event supporters
50 Years of The Sunday Times Bestseller
Lists
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
In 1974 the first Sunday Times bestseller list was printed, and publishers and authors started fighting for a spot on the various top 10s. Robbie Millen and Laura Hackett from The Times and Sunday Times and chair Kate Mosse, multiple Sunday Times bestselling author and Founder Director of the Women’s Prizes for Fiction and Non Fiction discuss the top 100 bestselling books of the past 50 years.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LE33
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
Stories from the Frontline of Beauty
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Who decides what is fashionable? Which clothes, hairstyles and body shape are ‘all the rage’? Social historian and Guest Curator Virginia Nicholson unbuttons the history of women’s relationship with their appearance in the centuryspan between the crinoline and the bikini with Sam Baker
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LL09
Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£31 £35 Ticket includes a copy of Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, RRP £10.99.
Join us for an extraordinary event as the legendary Judi Dench sits down with Brendan O’Hea to discuss her captivating book, Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent From taking a curtain call with a live snake in her wig to cavorting naked through the countryside painted green, Judi shares the unforgettable moments and hilarious mishaps of her Shakespearean career.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12.15–1.15pm LE06
Supported by u3a Cheltenham
Reflections on Gaza
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
As the tragic conflict in Gaza continues to unfold, journalist Masuma Ahuja brings together Palestinian novelist and journalist Ibtisam Azem, Palestinian author Selma Dabbagh and poet and writer Monika Radojevic Through conversation and poetry, they explore the role that artists and writing can play in responding to crisis and shaping our hopes for the future.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12.30–1.30pm LC40
Image: Lily Bertrand-Webb
Image: Sarah Jane Field
Image: Edward Reeves
The Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence:
Alan Hollinghurst
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14 £17
Winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Award and Booker Prize Alan Hollinghurst joins an elite list of winners in receiving The Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence 2024. Author of The Line of Beauty and The Swimming-Pool Library discusses his literary career and new novel, Our Evenings, with Robbie Millen
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LR64
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
Coming of Age in a New China
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Sharing the coming-ofage stories of women born in China in the 1980s and 1990s, journalist Yuan Yang provides an intimate portrait of a society about to change beyond recognition. Through the lives, dreams and diaries of four ordinary women over six years, she examines the identity of modern Chinese society at a time of rising state censorship and suppression with Clare Clark
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2.15–3.15pm LC05
The Times Debate: Trump: The Sequel?
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
With less than a month until the US presidential election, foreign policy expert Robin Niblett, chair of Republicans Abroad Sarah Elliott, Times columnist Danny Finkelstein and Conservative Home founder Tim Montgomerie debate the likely result, and global consequences. Beyond the rhetoric, what might President Trump do in a second term? Chaired by John Pienaar
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2.30–3.45pm LC02
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
Alice Roberts: Crypt
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14 £17
What can we learn about the living from the dead? Alice Roberts shows how the study of burial rites can provide a deeper understanding of the past. Using pathology and archaeological research to explore changing methods of honouring the dead, she tells a story of Britain from 1066 to the present day.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LH06
Supported by Benefact Group
Keepers of the Flame
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Who controls the literary estates of ‘national treasures’?
Guest Curator Virginia Nicholson is Virginia Woolf’s great-niece. John le Carré’s son Nick Harkaway manages his literary legacy and returns to the world of George Smiley in his novel Karla’s Choice Literary agent Becky Brown represents authors including A.A. Milne and Douglas Adams. They talk to Clare Clark
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LD14
Who controls the literary estates of ‘national treasures’? Keepers of the Flame
Creative Writing Workshop:
Writing a Memoir
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£45 Ticket includes tea, coffee & refreshments
Join author Peter Godwin for an insightful creative writing workshop on crafting a memoir. Learn essential techniques for researching your story and structuring your narrative effectively, including valuable tips from Godwin’s experience to transform your personal experiences into compelling prose.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–6pm W02
With thanks to our event supporters
Image: Dave Stevens
Lionel Shriver
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Known for her sharp wit and bold exploration of complex issues, we’re delighted to welcome back the bestselling author of We Need to Talk About Kevin, Lionel Shriver Her latest novel, Mania, delves into censorship, imagining a world in which calling someone ‘stupid’ becomes illegal. She talks to Georgina Godwin .
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4.30–5.30pm LR66
Sinister Secrets
The Hive
£10
Do you dare step into the darkness? Join dark academia writer Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, gorgeously twisted modern fairy tale writer Krystal Sutherland and supernatural thriller writer Rosie Talbot as they discuss the buried secrets, revenge and pacey plots that make for perfectly gripping YA Halloween reads.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5–6pm LF28
Journey through the most stunning gardens of Venice and the Veneto
Monty Don and Derry Moore: Venetian Gardens
Monty Don and Derry Moore: Venetian Gardens
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
Few world cities hold the romance and historical sweep of Venice. Thousands visit every year – but away from the usual tourist haunts, there are over 500 magnificent hidden gardens. Join Britain’s pre-eminent gardener Monty Don and acclaimed photographer Derry Moore on their historic journey through the most stunning gardens of Venice and the Veneto. Chaired by Tim Hubbard
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5–6pm LL15
Supported by Pegasus Homes
Want early access to your Festival favourites?
Become a member and receive priority booking
See page 48
Lit
Crawl is back
to take over the streets of
Cheltenham
FREE with no ticket required A riotous evening of the written and spoken word – all completely free thanks to sponsorship from Cheltenham BID.
Lit Crawl is part of Cheltenham Festivals’ Spotlight talent development programme, featuring a diverse programme of events showcasing up-and-coming authors, performers, poets and comedians in exciting formats and spaces. Drop in for one session or crawl your way through the whole evening of events. This is literature done differently. Look out for the full Lit Crawl line-up from mid-September on the Cheltenham Festivals app.
With thanks to our event supporters
Andrew Hunter Murray and Daisy Buchanan
Parabola Arts Centre
£14
Join us for an hour of literature and laughter with two exceptional authors in conversation with Olivia Petter. Andrew Hunter Murray’s A Beginner’s Guide to Breaking and Entering sees unofficial house-sitting turn deadly when a break-in goes wrong. A rule-following young widow faces transformative challenges at a chaotic wellness retreat in Daisy Buchanan’s hilarious and heartfelt, Pity Party.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LR54
Plan your visit to the Festival on the Cheltenham Festivals app
Scan the QR code to download it
The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Kate Summerscale, the UK’s bestselling true-crime writer, returns with her most modern case yet. The Rillington Place murders were the most notorious of post-war Britain, stirring up an unprecedented tabloid frenzy and paving the way for our modern obsession with true crime. Blending her award-winning storytelling with extensive archival research, Summerscale offers fresh perspective on a case that gripped the nation.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LE50
The New Cold War
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
The contest between the US and China will shape our century. One of the world’s leading strategic thinkers Robin Niblett shares his sobering analysis of this developing Cold War, along with fresh thinking on how to stop conflict becoming catastrophe. Chaired by China Dialogue founder Isabel Hilton
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LC08
There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine
Butter, Asako Yuzuki
The Sunday Times Must Reads: Asako Yuzuki
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
The Sunday Times Deputy Literary Editor Laura Hackett talks to author Asako Yuzuki about the cult Japanese sensation, Butter. Inspired by true events, food unites a journalist and a female chefturned-murderer in this thrilling novel that explores misogyny, obsession, beauty standards and culinary pleasures in contemporary Japan.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.30–7.30pm LR48
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio. Presented in collaboration with the Japan Foundation and supported by The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation
Image: Junya Inagaki
Image: Robin Christian
Empireworld
The Hive
£14
Sathnam Sanghera’s Empireworld traces the lasting impact of the British empire around the globe. He talks to fellow Times columnist Hugo Rifkind about how deeply British imperialism is baked into our world, from the creation of tea plantations and the imperial connotations of royal tours, to nearly one in three of us driving on the left side of the road.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8pm LH17
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
Caitlin Moran: What About Men?
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
So, what about men? Why do they only go to the doctor if their wife makes them? Why do they never discuss their penises with each other –but make endless jokes about their balls? Is their fondness for super-skinny jeans leading to an epidemic of bad mental health? Speaking with Adam Rutherford, Caitlin Moran covers it all.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8pm LL03
Kate Mosse
Parabola Arts Centre
£14
Explore tales of adventure, courage and historical intrigue set across 17th and 19th century Southern Africa. Master storyteller Kate Mosse talks to Erica Wagner about her latest epic novel The Map of Bones, the sweeping conclusion to The Joubert Family Chronicles
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LR56
Supported by Cunard
Jess Phillips: Let’s Be Honest
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
From culture wars to clickbait, it’s fair to say that politics has lost some of its integrity, with calamitous consequences in nearly every sector of public life. We deserve better. Campaigning MP Jess Phillips joins us to share her rallying battle cry for bringing truth back to politics.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LC49
Craig Brown: The Queen
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Everyone was caught in the orbit of Queen Elizabeth II. Idi Amin confided in her. Jackie Kennedy resented her. Virginia Woolf compared her to a caterpillar. Upon her death, Jeanette Winterson dressed in black for the announcement. Described by Barry Humphries as ‘the most screamingly funny living writer’, Private Eye diarist Craig Brown discusses his biography with Andrew Hunter Murray
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LM03
Richard Ayoade
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
Richard Ayoade’s (awards pending) new book is a quest to rescue Harauld Hughes – the mythical mid-century playwright – from obscurity. Startled by his uncanny resemblance to the author’s photo, Ayoade began a heroic journey that takes us deep inside the most furious British writer since the Boer War.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 9–10pm LE02
Supported by Hazlewoods
Win a trip on board Queen Mary 2’s Literature Festival at Sea
Cunard is offering the chance to win a Balcony Stateroom for two on this special Transatlantic Crossing, departing New York to Southampton between 8–15 December 2025.
or visit cunard.com/CLFwin
Brensham Trilogy: Literary Walking Tour
£15 Meet at Rails Meadow Car Park, Tewkesbury.
Author, conservationist and founder of Cheltenham Literature Festival, John Moore is best known for his Brensham trilogy. Set in and around Tewkesbury, it paints a nostalgic yet unsentimental picture of a lost rural world. Join The John Moore Society and partners as they bring the books alive through a literary walk interspersed with readings. Visit johnmooresociety.org
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10am–12pm LN08
The Sunday Papers with Hugo Rifkind
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
Start your Sunday the right way with your host Hugo Rifkind and special guests Isabel Hilton, Nicola Tuxworth and Robbie Millen Together, they run through the Sunday papers and pick out the stories that matter and the ones that really don’t, but that promise to make you smile anyway.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LC16
The End of Empire
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15
£18
One of the most significant and rapid changes to the post-1945 world has been the breakup of European colonial empires. Authors Sathnam Sanghera and David van Reybrouck , and Simukai Chigudu, whose parents were involved with the African nationalist movements, talk to Georgina Godwin about the pain and process of rebuilding a nation and navigating the legacies of colonial rule.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LH09
Supported by Flanders Literature as part of Flip Through Flanders
How to Build Impossible Things
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Mark Ellison is often described as the best carpenter in New York City and the man who builds impossible things – projects of astonishing craft and beauty for clients including the late David Bowie and Robin Williams. In conversation with Julia Wheeler he reflects upon an unexpected career and on building a life worth living, on your own terms.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10.30–11.30am LL02
The Times Live
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Join The Times Executive Editor Jeremy Griffin and leading journalists Danny Finkelstein, Hugo Rifkind, Kate Mansey and Alice Thomson as they debate the hot topics of the day, including the leading articles from Monday’s edition of The Times
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LC15
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
Richard Osman
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£17
£21
The No. 1 bestselling author of The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman, returns to Cheltenham with the first book in his brand-new series. With The Guardian’s Marina Hyde, Richard talks about We Solve Murders, featuring Steve and Amy, an iconic new family detective duo with a thrilling new murder to solve.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12.15–1.15pm LR11
With thanks to our event supporters
Image: Conor O’Leary
Rory Cellan-Jones and #SophieFrom Romania
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14 £17
Bright-eyed, big-eared and trembling, rescue dog #SophieFromRomania arrives in a van in December 2022.
Former BBC journalist and award-winning podcaster
Rory Cellan-Jones talks to Paddy O’Connell about the journey of her adoption as he and his wife Diane work to win Sophie’s trust and navigate his Parkinson’s diagnosis.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LE40
Change and Choice: 75 Years of Women’s Lives
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Women’s lives have changed immeasurably since 1949. What has been the impact on women themselves and on wider society? In this special anniversary event, we join campaigning peer Floella Benjamin, broadcaster Mary Ann Sieghart and our Guest Curator and social historian
Virginia Nicholson to ask: how far have we come?
Chaired by Georgina Godwin.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LH01
Buy books by your favourite Festival authors from our online Waterstones bookshop
The Sunday Times Debate: 100 Days to Save the NHS?
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
How can we bring the NHS back from the brink? An ageing, unhealthy population, disaffected workforce, unprecedented waiting lists, shocking scandals and ballooning costs all add up to a daunting, urgent set of challenges for any government. Matthew Syed, Rachel Sylvester and Siva Anandaciva debate the fresh thinking needed to save this troubled institution.
Chaired by Ben Taylor
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2.30–3.45pm LC06
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
Some Like It Cold with Elle McNicoll
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£10 This event is Relaxed. Elle McNicoll talks with author and creator Beth Reekles about her new cosy YA romance, her prequel to A Kind of Spark, transposing her book from page to screen, experiencing fandom and normalising neurodiversity. A pioneer for representation in books, Elle explores the need for change from shame, pity and tragedy to new stories, and the joy of writing about falling in love.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2.30–3.30pm LF37
Being Human in the Age of AI
Parabola Arts Centre
£14
What is unique about the human mind, and can machines match it? Are we in danger of technology outpacing human understanding? Ethicist Shannon Vallor, journalist Madhumita Murgia and others explore how AI is reshaping society, ethics and human identity.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LC19
Supported by the British Academy
With thanks to our event supporters
America: Small Towns, Big Issues
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Simon Parker cycled more than 4,000 miles across the heartlands of the USA ahead of the election, meeting ‘real’ people off the beaten path of mainstream media –religious leaders, drug users, Native Americans, veterans, environmentalists, cowboys, librarians and more. He talks to BBC journalist and host of the Americast podcast, Justin Webb, about getting under the skin of small-town America.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LT03
Supported by Peter Stormonth Darling Charitable Trust
Afternoon Tea with Persephone Books
The Nook On Five £45 Ticket includes afternoon tea with a glass of fizz. Cult indie publisher Persephone Books is dedicated to reviving neglected (mostly women’s) 20th century writing, each covetable title bound in slate-grey with vibrant vintage endpapers. Over a delicious afternoon tea, novelists Amanda Craig and Rachel Joyce and publisher Francesca Beauman trace the post-war experience through the pages of Persephone and share some of their favourite titles.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5.30pm LDF16
If you could put two characters from classic literature together to create a brilliant relationship, who would you choose?
Kindred Spirits?
Kindred Spirits?
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
If you could put two characters from classic literature together to create a brilliant relationship, who would you choose? Everyone’s favourite classic literature debate returns with a new theme. Reigning champ Katherine Heiny* joins us live from New York to defend her crown against Andrew Hunter Murray, Alexander Armstrong and Michael Rosen in a fiery bookish battle hosted by Caroline Hutton
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4.30–5.30pm LD01
*This participant will appear digitally.
Supported by Cunard
Love, Loss and Occasional Wars
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Award-winning Zimbabwean memoirist and foreign correspondent Peter Godwin presents his stunning new book, Exit Wounds. With tenderness, humour and candour, he considers the relationship between son and mother, brother and sister, husband and wife, and the struggles of émigrés and exiles to belong. He is joined by his sister, the broadcaster Georgina Godwin
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5–6pm LM08
Acts of Creation: Art and Motherhood
The Hive
£14
The motif of mother and child is enduring in art history, yet we rarely encounter art about real motherhood. Hettie Judah ’s Acts of Creation considers maternal experiences across time and culture through art. Claire Kilroy ’s novel Soldier, Sailor explores the clash of a mother’s love with the seismic change in identity. They discuss motherhood, creativity and identity with Grace Banks.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5–6pm LA05
With thanks to our event supporters
Image: David Levene
Image: David Scheinmann
Bob
Mortimer
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£17 £21
We’re delighted to welcome back everyone’s favourite terrible fisherman and lover of pies, Bob Mortimer. He talks about his new novel,
The Hotel Avocado with actor Sally Phillips who narrates the audio edition. The sequel to The Satsuma Complex, this is Bob at his wonderfully whacky and charming best.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5–6pm LR41
Supported by Benefact Group
Remembering Hardship and Faith
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
In their moving memoirs, Tracy King and Suzanne Joinson recount their council estate upbringings, with faith filling gaps left by hardship. Tracy confronts the loss of her father and mother’s conversion to born-again Christianity, while Suzanne navigates her parents’ involvement in The Divine Light Mission cult.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LQ05
The Alternative Book Club
Parabola Arts Centre
£14
An unconventional comedy night about books where there is absolutely NO required reading. Prepare to be entertained – and informed – by phenomenal line up of award-winning comics Samira Banks, Andrew Hunter-Murray and Pierre Nouvellie, who will be dissecting anything lit: from John Milton’s Paradise Lost to Kim Kardashian’s Selfish and everything in between. Hosted by Shirley Halse
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7.30pm LP09
New Voices:
Sinéad Gleeson and Elizabeth O’Connor
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Dive into two haunting debuts set on remote islands. Sinéad Gleeson’s Hagstone explores the darker side of human nature, faith, folklore and the feminine. Elizabeth O’Connor ’s Whale Fall tells a story of belonging and betrayal in a world on the brink of tumult. With Clare Clark.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8pm LR46
Supported by Culture Ireland
Why Am I Like This?
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
Fresh from the release of her brand-new book Why Am I Like This?, host of the Good Influence podcast Gemma Styles talks to Laura Whitmore about stress, loneliness and insecurity in the digital age. Together, they explore the often-overlooked mental health issues of women and how we can use curiosity and compassion to foster connection and peace.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.30–7.30pm LQ01
Out! Tim Shipman and Rachel Sylvester
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
In the hotly anticipated final book of Tim Shipman’s epic quartet on the fall-out from the 2016 EU referendum, the chief political commentator for The Sunday Times covers the Johnson era through to Rishi Sunak. From the centre of the action, he shares his barely believable account of the most dramatic years in modern British politics with Rachel Sylvester
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8pm LC34
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
With thanks to our event supporters
It’s a Rum Thing
The Nook On Five
£70 Ticket includes a two-course dinner with rum cocktails.
From its origins in the West Indies and its seafaring associations, rum is now distilled all over the world and its popularity is experiencing a new rise. Over dinner and rum cocktails, global rum ambassador Ian Burrell guides us around the Caribbean (and beyond) to reveal the variety, complex history and distinct flavours that rum has to offer.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7.30–10pm LDF11
Meet the Literary Editors
The Hive
£14
What does a literary editor do all day? Literary Editor of
The Times and Sunday Times
Robbie Millen and his deputy Laura Hackett provide a behind the scenes insight into life on the books pages and share what we should all be reading this autumn. In conversation with Caroline Hutton
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7.30–8.30pm LR40
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
Elif Shafak
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Spanning centuries and continents, Elif Shafak ’s newest release takes us from the streets of Victorian London to modern-day Turkey, where three lives are connected by a single drop of water. Hear Elif, shortlisted for prestigious awards including the Booker and Women’s Prize for Fiction, in conversation with Sam Baker
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LR20
Mike Batt
Parabola Arts Centre
£14
Mike Batt shot to fame as lead singer and creator of The Wombles group in the 1970s. But the multi-Ivor Novello Award winner has written and produced music for many artists, including Art Garfunkel, Cliff Richard, and Katie Melua, and has conducted many of the world’s great orchestras. He talks to Pete Paphides about his memoir, The Closest Thing to Crazy
Richard Coles
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
Retired reverend, broadcaster, writer, former Communard, and all-round national trinket, Richard Coles returns to Cheltenham with his latest cosy crime novel, Murder at the Monastery. He’ll be chatting to Clare Clark about his new book and his life in retirement in East Sussex with his two dachshunds Pongo and Daisy.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 9–10pm LR16
Supported by Cunard
The Scribbled Self
Curated by previous participants of our Beyond Words project, which put a writerin-residence in the Gloucestershire Hospital Education Service A guide to writing for wellbeing for young people
Watch out for Scribbled Self events taking place in VOICEBOX during the Festival. Learn more at cheltenhamfestivals.org/ the-scribbled-self
With thanks to our event supporters
REFUEL INQUISITIVE MINDS
Celebrate 75 years of The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival at The Queens Hotel, right at the heart of the literary action in the Montpellier District.
Meet a host of famous writers, new authors and high profile speakers before enjoying mouth-watering dishes in Victoria’s, indulgent afternoon teas, and the best cocktails in town.
Monday 7 October
Breakfast with The Times: Behind the Headlines
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Ticket includes a tea or coffee and a pastry.
Make an informed start to your day. Grab a coffee and a pastry and join Sunday Times Editor Ben Taylor, Chief Political Commentator Tim Shipman and Deputy Literary Editor Laura Hackett as they take us through the big stories of the morning.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9.15am LC10
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio and supported by BPE Solicitors LLP
Church Tour: Winchcombe
£15 Meet at St Peter’s Church, Winchcombe.
Andrew Ziminski has spent decades as a stonemason and church conservator. Join him for a unique opportunity to be guided around St Peter’s in Winchcombe as he shares his expertise on the medieval churches of the British Isles and their architectural history – and highlights the special features of this wonderful 15th century church.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 11am–12.30pm LH14
The Invention of British Art
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12
£15
Art historian Bendor
Grosvenor (Fake or Fortune? Britain’s Lost Masterpieces) explores British art from 4,000 BCE to the 19th century, covering folk art, female artists and the influences of invaders and British Empire territories. This visual tour will cover the moments, objects and individuals that illuminate the story of British art.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 11.30am–12.30pm LA07
Celebrate With Elif Shafak
Hotel du Vin, Restaurant
£35 Ticket includes a glass of fizz. Travel back to 1970s Cyprus in this bestselling tale of love, war and belonging. Revisit The Island of Missing Trees in an exclusive encounter with Women’s Prize-shortlisted author, Elif Shafak . She talks to Daniel Hahn
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12.30–1.30pm LR53
Harness Your Hormones
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£12
Hormones are the messengers that drive every process in our body, from digesting food to managing stress and sleeping to losing weight. World-leading hormones doctor Max Nieuwdorp and menstrual cycle expert Maisie Hill examine how we’re wired and how you can better understand your body. They speak to Julia Wheeler about the actions we can take to find a better balance.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm X01
Supported by the Dutch Foundation for Literature and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Understanding the Middle East
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£13
£16
Against the backdrop of a devastating conflict in Gaza, rising regional tensions and instability, we examine the history and geopolitics of the Middle East. Director of Chatham House Middle East and North Africa Programme Sanam Vakil , Professor of International Relations
Christopher Phillips and historian James Barr provide expert analysis of the region and implications for the international community with The Times’ World Affairs
Editor Catherine Philp
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 1.15–2.15pm LC25
Image:Ferhat Elik
Petroc Trelawny’s
Cornwall
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12
£15
Few names are more thoroughly Cornish than Petroc Trelawny. Recalling his place of childhood, the BBC Radio 3 presenter embarks on a deeply felt exploration of Cornwall and its cultural history: from music and Methodism to shipwrecks, mining and language. His conversation with Richard Coles is accompanied by pianist Richard Sisson playing an arrangement of Malcolm Arnold’s popular Cornish Dances
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 1.30pm–2.45pm LT07
Picturing Japan: Print and Style
The Hive
£12
From Japan’s rich nostalgic landscapes to the fashionable world of the Edo-period, Curator of Dulwich Picture Gallery’s Yoshida exhibition Monika Hinkel , keeper of the V&A’s Asian Department Anna Jackson and V&A Curator for Japan Masami Yamada delve into the art and style of Japan. Through woodblock print, textiles and dress, they illuminate the influence of Japanese art across two centuries. With Grace Banks
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LA11
A Career in Ruins
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£12
Andrew Ziminski is a conservation stonemason who has worked on some of Britain’s greatest monuments, from the Roman ruins in Bath to Salisbury Cathedral; he is happiest, however, repairing a simple country church. In conversation with medieval art historian Amy Jeffs, he explains how he experiences the tangible history of this country through the materials and buildings he works with.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LH07
Robert Harris
Attivo Garden Theatre
£12
London, Summer 1914. On the brink of World War I, a scandalous affair between Prime Minister H.H. Asquith and Venetia Stanley, a young aristocrat half his age, threatens national security. Hear from bestselling author Robert Harris as he talks to Georgina Godwin about his gripping sixteenth novel, Precipice.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LR23
Kim and Putin: An Alliance Against the West?
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£13 £16
President Putin’s recent visit to North Korea indicates a strengthening partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang. Russian strategy expert Andrew Monaghan, Chatham House Korea Foundation Fellow Edward Howell and former British Ambassador Leigh Turner take the temperature on the burgeoning alliance between two of the world’s most sanctioned nations and its implications on regional and global stability. Chaired by Stephanie Baker
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3.30–4.30pm LC46
Oaklore
The Hive
£12
What connects Robin Hood, fungi, Shakespeare and sorcery? Environmentalist Jules Acton explores how the oak tree is ingrained in British history, culture, mythology and literature. She chats to novelist Tracy Chevalier about their shared love of trees and the ways in which they have enlivened our cultural landscape, inspiring stories, art, songs and traditions. Chaired by Tim Hubbard
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LN04
Supported by Woodland Trust
Image: Nick Gregan
Van Gogh’s Masterpiece
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12
£15
Van Gogh’s Sunflowers are among the world’s most iconic artworks. Specialist Martin Bailey and graphic artist Simon Elliott use this series as a starting point to explore the artist’s life and legacy. With images, including artworks from Simon’s graphic biography of Van Gogh, they tell the story of one of the most celebrated figures in art. Chaired by Grace Banks
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LA10
Beowulf: Poem and Hero
Attivo Garden Theatre
£12
Why is Beowulf such a remarkable work of art, and why is it of such cultural significance?
Setting aside debates about its date, or author, Heather O’Donoghue and Laura Varnum join Amy Jeffs to reflect on the lyrical artistry of the poem, its human characters and notorious monsters, restoring its status as a true masterpiece.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LD11
Reading Teachers = Reading Pupils
Our year-round reading for pleasure programme ensures books get into the right hands at the right time. We collaborate with teachers across the country to select great books and inspire their pupils through reading and talking about them.
As well as termly teacher book groups, we offer a variety of book-related activities and resources for pupils and their teachers to enjoy, from author webinars and interviews, to creative writing challenges.
Find out how to get involved at cheltenhamfestivals.org/rtrp or email education@cheltenhamfestivals.org for more information.
Discover why Beowulf is such a remarkable work of art, and why it is of such cultural significance
Beowulf: Poem and Hero
How We Treat the Mind
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£12
From forced confinement to brutal and ineffective treatments, historian Sarah Wise and author Tom Lee examine historical failings in attitudes towards mental health and neurodiversity. They, along with Joanna Cannon, examine how knowledge of the past can inform compassionate care in the present and future.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4.30–5.30pm LQ03
Jennifer Hayward
Image: Keiko Ikeuchi
Jodi Picoult
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Jodi Picoult, author of My Sister’s Keeper, transports us between Elizabethan England and modern-day Manhattan in her latest novel, By Any Other Name. Delve into the intertwining lives of playwrights Emilia Bassano and Melina Green as they fight for voice and recognition. On her first visit to Cheltenham, she talks to Julia Wheeler
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LR08
Legends of Heroes, Humans and Magic
The Hive
£16
Join us on a pilgrimage to the world of medieval saints, with an evening of legends retold through songs, storytelling and live instrumental. With tales of wayfaring monks, oak-felling missionaries and mighty martyrs, medieval art historian Amy Jeffs and her band will share the stories that suffused medieval European culture, creating an unforgettable, immersive experience.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.30–8pm LH15
With thanks to our event supporters
Anton du Beke
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
Ballroom dancer, beloved Strictly judge and author Anton du Beke joins us on the sofa with former contestant and Celebrity Big Brother star Fern Britton . They’ll be discussing his latest novel, A Dance for the King.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.30–7.30pm LR17
Supported by Rathbones
Miriam Margolyes
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£17 £21
From being escorted off the Today programme (for saying what we were all thinking) to declaring her love to Vanessa Redgrave; from Tales of the Unexpected to Graham Norton’s sofa, she is our most outspoken national treasure. She takes us inside both her head and her heart.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.30–7.30pm LE45
Stories of Venice
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Rich with untold stories, discover the secrets of Venice through the written word. Debut novelist Harriet Constable’s The Instrumentalists and bestselling author Tracy Chevalier ’s
The Glass Maker tell the tale of defiant and forgotten artists in the city. Reflecting on why Venice is such an inspiration, they speak to Clare Clark. With music from early music students from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8.15pm LR44
This Is Why You Dream
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
It’s no wonder that dreams have captured our imaginations for centuries, considering that we spend a third of our lives inside of them. Why do we have them, what do they mean, and what is lucid dreaming? Talking to Julia Wheeler, neurosurgeon Rahul Jandial uncovers the hidden secrets of our unconscious brains.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LQ06
Image: Mark Harrison
Breakfast with The Times: Behind the Headlines
Regency Suite, Queens Hotel
£20 Ticket includes a tea or coffee and a pastry.
Make an informed start to your day. Grab a coffee and a pastry and join Times Radio’s Chief Political Commentator Patrick Maguire, The Times Letters Editor Andrew Riley and Times Radio’s Political Editor Kate McCann as they take us through the big stories of the morning.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9.15am LC11
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio and supported by BPE Solicitors LLP
Growing Old(er) Disgracefully
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12
£15
Prue Leith is proof that age is just a number. Last year, at 82, she toured her first stage show – appropriately named Nothing in Moderation. Since relocating to Cornwall, Fern Britton has embraced her midlife years, making lifestyle changes and finding a group of strong female friends. They share advice with Tim Hubbard on how to live your best life, whatever your age.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 11.30am–12.30pm LL19
Supported by Kohler Mira
Ancient Rome in Fifty Monuments
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£12
Over centuries, a small village in Italy was transformed into the crowning glory of an empire. Ashmolean curator Paul Roberts takes us on an illustrated tour of ancient Rome to tell the story of its emperors and the motivations behind the monuments they built, from the mighty Colosseum to the dazzling gleam of the baths of Caracalla and Diocletian.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LH12
With thanks to our event supporters Image: History Hit
Dan Snow: The Making of a Nation
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£13
£16
The history of England is a tale of invaders, immigrants and visitors – and their influence. It’s the story of how our ancestors shaped this country to their liking, affecting our landscape, character, language, industries, laws and settlements with each passing century. From the awardwinning History Hit channel and podcast, Dan Snow reveals how the England we know came to be.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 1–2pm LH02
Celebrate With Clare Chambers
Hotel du Vin, Restaurant
£35 Ticket includes a glass of fizz.
Enjoy an exclusive audience with Clare Chambers as she revisits her bestselling historical romance, Small Pleasures – a BBC Two Between The Covers pick that was longlisted for the Women’s Prize.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 1–2pm LR73
A New World Order?
Town Hall, Main Hall £12 £15
Are we witnessing a seismic change in global power? As the West’s influence over the world wanes, journalist Elisabeth Braw, Iraq’s former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ali Allawi and former UK diplomat Samir Puri explore the dynamic between the Global South and the West and consider preparations for a more diverse global future with Georgina Godwin
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 1.30–2.30pm LC26
75 Years of Letters to The Times
Attivo Garden Theatre
£12
In a unique event to celebrate our 75th birthday, join The Times Letters Editor Andrew Riley as he presents his pick of letters from readers since 1949 – a fascinating journey through changing social attitudes, political upheavals and the global events that changed our lives.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LH11
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
Loving and Letting Go
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£12
Loving, losing and letting go. Psychologist Alice Haddon, bestselling self-help author Ruth Field and novelist Roxy Dunn chart the ways in which we are built and broken by love. Speaking with Sam Baker, they tell all about dissecting heartbreak and loss and how we can mine it for strength and live our most empowered life.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LL18
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These Heavy Black Bones
The Hive £14
Aged 15, Rebecca Achieng
Ajulu-Bushell made history as world number one in 50m breaststroke and the first Black woman to swim for the British Olympic team. She chose to walk away from it all. With Hana Walker-Brown, Rebecca shares how she achieved victory and what it cost her to do so, laying bare the pressures of success and meditating on Blackness and identity.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3–4pm LU07
Rebecca Achieng
Ajulu-Bushell shares the pressures of success and meditates on Blackness and identity.
These Heavy Black Bones
Women at the Heart of the Century
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£13
£16
1949 saw the publication of Nancy Mitford’s Love in a Cold Climate and Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex, while the fiercely independent Paget twins transfixed London with their friends and lovers, including Camus and Sartre. Ariane Bankes, Kate Kirkpatrick and Laura Thompson chart the overlapping lives of these women who defied convention. Chaired by Rebecca Jones.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3–4pm LD12
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12 £15
From the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the Colossus of Rhodes, award-winning historian Bettany Hughes takes us on an epic journey to uncover the mysteries behind the Seven Wonders of the ancient world in this extraordinary exploration of human ingenuity. Join her in conversation with Mai Musié. EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3.30–4.30pm LB01
With thanks to our event supporters
Tea with Tom Parker Bowles
The Nook On Five
£45 Ticket includes afternoon tea with a glass of fizz. Join food writer and critic Tom Parker Bowles for a delicious afternoon tea and a fascinating historical tour of royal tastes and traditions, from Queen Victoria to the present King. Drawing on material from the royal archives, contemporary accounts and personal insight, he guides us ‘below stairs’ to reveal the secrets of the Royal Kitchens, in conversation with food historian Annie Gray
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5.30pm LDF18
Hutchinson Heinemann
Proof Party
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Ticket includes a goody bag of limited-edition proofs. Get your exclusive look at four upcoming titles from Hutchinson Heinemann: Emma Healey ’s Sweat, Emma Nanami Strenner ’s The Bitter and The Sweet, Jessica Stanley ’s Consider Yourself Kissed, and Krystelle Bamford ’s Idle Grounds. Explore themes of overcoming control, searching for identity, navigating love and motherhood, and unearthing family secrets.
Chaired by Daniel Hahn
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LR31
A Taste of Home and Heritage
Attivo Garden Theatre
£12
Dina Macki is passionate about preserving the recipes and oral history of her fading diaspora, Omani Zanzibaris. Or Rosenboim retraced her Jewish family’s displacement and escape from Samarkand and Riga to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and the family recipes that evolved as they moved on. They talk to Ayesha Erkin about tracing history and heritage through food culture.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LH13
Supported by Attivo
Yoko Tawada
The Hive
£12
Citing both Paul Celan and Franz Kafka as literary influences, Yoko Tawada is renowned for her experimental novels across a variety of genres in both Japanese and German. In conversation with Rosie Goldsmith, Yoko discusses her latest novel, Spontaneous Acts, and reflects on her celebrated literary career.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5–6pm LR59
Presented in collaboration with the Japan Foundation. Supported by The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation
Glorious Gloucestershire
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£12
Gloucestershire’s claim to fame isn’t just the honeystone villages nestled amongst the Cotswold countryside. Join Mark Cummings on a whirlwind journey through great works of literature and music inspired by the county. Explore the Gloucester streets that inspired the characters of Scrooge and Long John Silver, and the countryside that gave us Gustav Holst’s finest work.
Chaired by Tim Hubbard
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5–6pm LK04
Lorraine Kelly
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£13 £16
Lorraine Kelly might be best known for her infectious laugh and chatty style on the sofa, but she’s been charming readers all summer long with her debut novel, The Island Swimmer. Join her as she talks to Sam Baker about her tale of family rifts and difficult reunions, set on the island of Orkney.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5.30–6.30pm LR14
With thanks to our event supporters
Image: Nicky Johnston
Stephen King and Daniel Susskind
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12 £15
The new UK government will face some familiar challenges – how do you keep the lid on inflation whilst promoting growth? Two of our most renowned economic thinkers talk to The Times Economics Editor Mehreen Kahn They identify key lessons from history on the scourge of inflation and explore what really drives growth and how we can make it reflect what we value.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5.30–6.30pm LC45
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
Plan your visit to the Festival on the Cheltenham Festivals app
Scan the QR code to download it
Image: Jamie Simonds
The Story of Africa
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Broadcaster Zeinab Badawi and British Academy Book Prize-winning author Toby Green talk to journalist Michela Wrong about placing African voices –through written and oral history, storytelling, art and archaeology – at the centre of our narratives of African history to give the continent its rightful place in our global story.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LH08
Supported by the British Academy
Literary Salon: International Picks
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Ticket includes a glass of wine or beer.
Good friends, translators and all-round literary experts, Daniel Hahn and Daniel Medin invite you to join them for a relaxed evening with a focus on international fiction. Over a glass of wine, they’ll share reading recommendations, emerging trends and the insider track on exciting things to come –and will be happy to answer your questions.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.30–7.30pm LT09
Wander Women
The Hive
£14
When Susan Smillie spontaneously set sail on her boat, Isean, she didn’t anticipate a three-year journey through Europe. Phoebe Smith quit her job, ended her relationship and returned home to Wales where she began walking Britain’s oldest pilgrim paths. They recall how the open road and open seas offered a pathway to salvation.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8pm LT04
Jacqueline Wilson
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Bestselling children’s author Jacqueline Wilson ventures into adult fiction with her latest novel, Think Again This continuation of the beloved Girls series reunites readers with Ellie, Magda and Nadine as they navigate adulthood’s surprises. She talks to Lucy Bannerman about her uplifting and life-affirming novel and her transition to adult fiction.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8pm LR51
With thanks to our event supporters
From Ships to Pips
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£13
£16
Join BBC Radio 4 presenter Paddy O’Connell , author Meg Clothier, and announcers Viji Alles and Jane Steel for this special centenary event. They reveal the history and stories behind the much-loved Shipping Forecast, and why “crashing the pips” is a huge no-no.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7.30–8.30pm LC43
Fred Sirieix: Seriously British
Town Hall, Main Hall
£17
£14
Ever since First Dates star Fred Sirieix boarded a Dover-bound ferry 30 years ago with a oneway ticket and two suitcases, he has been in love with the UK. He talks about exploring everything Britain has to offer in his book Seriously British –from self-deprecating humour to fry-ups, and from queuing in the rain to English wine.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7.30–8.30pm LE47
Discover the history and stories behind the much-loved Shipping Forecast, and why “crashing the pips” is a huge no-no.
From Ships to Pips
Nick Hornby Recommends:
Francesca Segal
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Nick Hornby is a contemporary literary legend; the bestselling author of High Fidelity, About a Boy and Fever Pitch is known for his sharply comedic, pop-culturedrenched, angst-ridden writing. He speaks with Costa Prize winner Francesca Segal about her new novel Welcome to Glorious Tuga, his top reading-list recommendation which he describes as ‘the Durrells meets Jane Austen’.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LR74
Buy books by your favourite Festival authors from our online Waterstones bookshop
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Wednesday 9 October
Breakfast with The Times: Behind the
Headlines
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Ticket includes a tea or coffee and a pastry.
Make an informed start to your day. Grab a coffee and a pastry and join The Times Red Box Editor Lara Spirit, Economics Editor Mehreen Kahn and Diary Editor Patrick Kidd as they take us through the big stories of the morning.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9.15am LC12
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio and supported by BPE Solicitors LLP
Max Hastings: Operation Biting
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12
£15
Bestselling author Max Hastings recounts one of the most thrilling and probably most successful British commando raids of World War II – the 1942 parachute assault to capture Hitler’s radar. He relives the drama and introduces the remarkable personalities that came together to fulfil a mission that became a front-page triumph in a season of British defeats.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 11am–12pm LH03
With thanks to our event supporters
Understanding Kafka
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£40 Ticket includes three events and refreshments.
Marking the centenary of Franz Kafka’s death, join Daniel Medin from the American University of Paris and a line-up of Kafka lovers and experts including Oxford scholar Karolina Watroba, Japanese novelist Yoko Tawada and translator Ross Benjamin for a deep dive study into this most enigmatic of thinkers and writers.
10–11am LD05
The Metamorphosis may be one of the greatest short stories ever written, but what does it mean?
We unpack this startling tale of a man who wakes to find himself transformed into a giant insect.
11.30am–12.30pm LD05
Kafka’s letters and diaries reveal essential aspects of his experience that had long been hidden from view. We discuss how restored editions of such personal documents contribute to our understanding of both his work and life.
1–2pm LD05
Why has Kafka – a writer who left behind a couple of unfinished novels, some short stories, diaries and fragments – had such a monumental impact on generations of writers and artists? We explore contemporary responses to his work, and his international legacy.
Words That Burn
A human-rights and poetry project in partnership with Amnesty International UK
This year, schools across Gloucestershire read and write poetry while learning about human rights
Look out for Words That Burn events taking place in VOICEBOX during the Festival
Image: Still Moving Media
The Birth of Impressionism
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12
£15
1874: a group of struggling French artists including Monet and Cézanne open their first exhibition in Paris, depicting modern life through a lively play of colours. 150 years on, Impressionism represents an iconic period of art history. Musée d’Orsay’s Curator of Paintings Anne Robbins and The National Gallery’s Curator of Post1800 Paintings Christopher Riopelle illuminate those that defined the movement. With Charlotte Jansen
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 1.30–2.30pm LA06
Green Machines
Dunkertons Tap Room
£15
Deliciously Ella’s Ella Mills has been heralded as royalty in the world of clean eating, leading the charge of chefs that prove that healthy food can be both simple and delicious. Together with top chef Max La Manna, they share tips for curating an irresistible diet that’s good for you and the planet.
Chaired by Charlotte Ivers
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LDF09
With thanks to our event supporters
A Natural History of England
Attivo Garden Theatre
£12
One of Britain’s finest nature writers, John Lewis-Stempel presents his magnum opus on the English countryside, exploring our rich diversity of habitats. Be it wild moor, plunging cliff or flatland fen, each has shaped our idea of England. He talks with Fiona Stafford about how people and place interact to create landscapes that are constantly changing.
Chaired by Tim Hubbard
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LN03
New Voices: Aimée Walsh and Rosie Price
The Hive
£12
Aimée Walsh ’s Exile is an unforgettable debut about consent, friendship and the meaning of home, following a student’s devastating and violent encounter on a night out. Rosie Price’s The Orange Room is about the narrow line between passion and control, and the story of a tenacious woman finding her way back to herself. Join them as they discuss their searing new novels.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2.30–3.30pm LR72
Supported by Culture Ireland
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Julian Clary
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
Author, actor and comedian Julian Clary talks to Julia Wheeler about his hilariously entertaining new mystery novel, Curtain Call to Murder The drama has turned deadly at the London Palladium when an on-stage death forces an unexpected intermission. But who was behind the final curtain call…?
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3.30–4.30pm LR15
Author, actor and comedian
Julian Clary shares his hilariously entertaining new mystery novel, Curtain Call to Murder.
Pam Ayres
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£13 £16
The timeless talent and glorious people’s poet Pam Ayres has been making the nation laugh for 50 years. Performing her poems, full of wit and charm, she joins Mark Cummings to share tales of her life living in and loving the Cotswolds.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3.30–4.30pm LP07
John Murray Press Proof Party
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Ticket includes a goody bag of limited-edition proofs
John Murray Press introduce two upcoming novels: in Lucy Steeds’ The Artist, a journalist’s arrival at a reclusive painter’s farmhouse sparks a tense and transformative summer; in Clare Leslie Hall ’s Broken Country, a woman must choose between her stable life with her partner and their son, or reigniting a past romance, risking everything in the process. Chaired by Georgina Godwin
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LR68
Andrew O’Hagan
Attivo Garden Theatre
£12
Over the course of one explosive year, one man’s epic fall from grace unfolds against the backdrop of contemporary London. Caledonian Road is the latest work from the three-times Booker-nominated author of Mayflies, Andrew O’Hagan He joins Daniel Hahn to discuss his state-of-thenation novel.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LR19
Archipelago: Britain’s Wild Margins
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£12
Literary magazine Archipelago gathers poetry, prose, art and song from the edges of Britain and Ireland, journeying from the Shetlands and Aran Islands to the coast of Yorkshire. Founder and poet Andrew McNeillie, editor Fiona Stafford and artist Norman Ackroyd talk to David Gange about the wild margins of our islands, and pianist Poppy Ackroyd performs from her new album.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5.15pm LT01
Just Good Manners
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12 £15
No one loves good manners quite like the British, yet these days no one can seem to agree on what the ‘done thing’ is. William Hanson, world-leading etiquette expert and author of Just Good Manners, and Anne Glenconner, Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret and author of forthcoming The Picnic Papers, discuss our distinctive way of doing things with Rebecca Jones
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5.30–6.30pm LE43
New Voices: Jennie Godfrey
The Hive
£14
Jennie Godrey ’s debut
The List of Suspicious Things is deservedly one of the buzziest of 2024. Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family down South –because of the murders. Jennie reflects on this tale of community and secrets and how her West Yorkshire childhood inspired her.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LR58
Image: Trevor Leighton
I Brought the War with Me
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
In nearly four decades as a journalist covering conflict, Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum always carries a book of poetry. Reflecting on her favourite poems, ancient and modern, Lindsey weaves reportage with poetry’s ability to provide a powerful light in humanity’s darkest moments.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LC41
The words of a poem came to me when I could no longer find my own I Brought the War with Me
Adrian Chiles
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
Adrian Chiles’ weekly column for The Guardian has gained a cult following for his unique insights into everything from the use of present tense in history podcasts to his favourite spoon, or his legendary at-home urinal. He joins Hannah MacInnes to discuss his slightly bemused take on British life.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LE32
What’s Next for Spain?
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£14
Spain’s profound transformation since the end of the Franco dictatorship after 1975 is one of the great European success stories. But the country faces many urgent challenges including a push for independence in Catalonia, high unemployment, overtourism and the impact of climate change. William Chislett , former foreign correspondent of The Times and Financial Times, examines what’s next for the country.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.30–7.30pm LC48
Supported by the Embassy of Spain and Instituto Cervantes
The Sunday Times Must Reads: Nathan Hill
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Eight years on from his acclaimed debut, The Nix, American novelist Nathan Hill* talks to Johanna Thomas-Corr about his latest epic, Wellness, a poignant and witty story of modern marriage. Twenty years after meeting as lonely Chicago students, Jack and Elizabeth navigate unfulfilled career ambitions, health fads and polyamorous would-be suitors.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8pm LR65
*This participant will appear digitally.
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
Book the babysitter and join us to unwind with a glass of wine in the company of our funny, feisty panel
Knackered Mum’s Night Out
Knackered Mums’ Night Out
Dunkertons Tap Room
£20 Ticket includes a drink on arrival.
Book the babysitter and join us to unwind with a glass of wine in the company of our funny, feisty panel, as they chart the ups and downs of life with tiny humans. Founder of Motherkind Zoe Blaskey, psychosexologist Karen Gurney and author Nell Frizzell speak about how to maintain your identity, navigate relationships both old and new, and define your own imperfect (but perfectly fine) path through parenthood.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7.30–9pm LDF03
Buy books by your favourite Festival authors from our online Waterstones bookshop
With thanks to our event supporters
Image: Alicia Canter
Spin, PR and Making the News
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
Former editor of The Sun and presenter of When It Hits the Fan David Yelland has been at the forefront of breaking news throughout his career. In his time as a PR operative in Washington, Phil Elwood made news for dictators, politicians and tycoons. These titans of PR reveal how the truth gets made, spun and sold with Georgina Godwin.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7.30–8.30pm LC17
How to Live Well
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman’s international bestseller, inspired thousands of readers to change their lives: rethinking careers, relationships, priorities, and misguided assumptions about productivity. Join Oliver for a crash course in living meaningfully as he presents his new book, Meditations for Mortals. Discover how to embrace your limitations and make time for what counts.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LL04
Supported by Attivo
Make a Difference
Help us to realise our vision of a world in which everyone can explore and create culture by remembering Cheltenham Festivals in your will.
A legacy gift will help to ensure future generations are as inspired by the Festivals as you are today.
Once you’ve looked after those closest to you, please consider leaving a gift in your will to Cheltenham Festivals – even a small amount, like a 1% share of your estate, can make a big difference.
All you need to include us in your will is our charity name: Cheltenham Festivals, and our registered charity number: 251765
Talk in confidence about gifts in wills by contacting our Development Team at patrons@cheltenhamfestivals.org
Poets Against the Machine
The Hive
£14
Can AI capture the essence of poetry crafted by human hand? Poets Olivia Gatwood, whose debut novel Whoever You Are, Honey, examines love, friendship and the algorithm, and Polly Denny, who works at the intersection of creativity and technology, are joined by Irenson Okojie and our AI poetry bot for an evening of conversation and spoken word with a difference.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LC20
Geoff Hurst: Last Boy of ‘66
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£36 £40 Ticket includes a copy of Last Boy of ‘66, RRP £22 plus £3 postage. Banksy, George, Jack, Mooro, Ray, Nobby, Ballie, Bobby, Martin, Roger. Join footballing legend Geoff Hurst from England’s 1966 World Cup winning team as he reminisces about his ten teammates and old friends to Adrian Chiles. They think it’s all over… it’s not yet!
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8.30–9.30pm LE46
With thanks to our event supporters
Breakfast with The Times: Behind the Headlines
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Ticket includes a tea or coffee and a pastry.
Make an informed start to your day. Grab a coffee and a pastry and join The Times Executive Editor Jeremy Griffin, Science Editor Tom Whipple and the broadcaster and author Kavita Puri as they take you through the big stories of the morning.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9.15am LC13
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio and supported by BPE Solicitors LLP
Britain, China and Xi Jinping
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12
£15
Two of our most prominent China experts, Michael Sheridan and Kerry Brown join Juliet Samuel to debate the long history of China’s relationship with Britain and offer new insights into the life story, personality and ambitions of Xi Jinping, president and paramount leader of China, who rules over 1.4 billion people and the second biggest economy on earth.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 11.30am–12.30pm LC09
The Plant Hunters
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£12
Botanist Chris Thorogood undertakes expeditions to safeguard Rafflesia, a stinking parasitic organism on the brink of extinction in Southeast Asia. Garden historian Advolly Richmond is researching the life of Reverend Thomas Birch Freeman, an Anglo-African Victorian missionary and plant collector. With The Times Science Editor Tom Whipple, they discuss why plants matter to us and celebrate those who crossed the globe to discover, cultivate or protect species.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LN06
How to be a Literary Explorer
Hotel du Vin, Sinners Enclosure
£12
Journey off the beaten track with our Literary Explorer in Residence Ann Morgan in this whistle-stop tour of translated texts rarely seen in English that will turn reading upside down. Playing with ideas of truth and identity, and chasing down assumptions and biases, it will test what embracing not knowing can teach us about ourselves and the world.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1.30pm LR71
Modi’s India: Popularity and Polarisation
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£13
£16
Join analyst Chietigj Bajpaee, author Kapil Komireddi and The Sunday Times journalist Oliver Shah as they reflect on the outcome of the 2024 Indian election, which delivered a third term to Prime Minister Modi. Why is he such a divisive figure, despite presiding over huge growth in the economy, and what can we expect over the next five years? Chaired by Kavita Puri
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 1.15–2.15pm LC33
Ian Rankin
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12
£15
John Rebus is back! The king of crime fiction joins us in conversation with Sam Baker to discuss Midnight and Blue, his brand new thriller and one of the must-read books of the year. With no badge, no authority and no safety net, Rebus walks a tightrope, with his life on the line.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 1.30–2.30pm LR61
With thanks to our event supporters
Image: Hamish Brown
Wild Thing: Paul Gauguin
Attivo Garden Theatre
£12
A giant of post-Impressionism, Paul Gauguin’s bold colours and compositions rocked the Western art world. Through the galvanising energy of the Paris art scene to the ceaseless draw of French Polynesia, Sue Prideaux draws from a wealth of new material to illuminate Gauguin’s artistic genius and tumultuous life, and the people, places and ideas that shaped his vision
With Laura Freeman
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LA02
Sarah Jossel: The Beauty Boss
Dunkertons Tap Room
£15
Love what you see in the mirror with tips and tricks on looking and feeling your best from Sunday Times Beauty Director Sarah Jossel . One of the most influential voices in the UK beauty industry with a front-row seat to every product launch and trend, she and expert panel consultant dermatologist Anjali Mahton, founder of Beauty Pie Marcia Kilgore and oculoplastic surgeon Maryam Zamani share this knowledge with you.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LDF15
That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£12
Malachy Tallack is one of Scotland’s trailblazing literary writers, a singer-songwriter and an islander. His new novel, set in Shetland, is a soulful and moving exploration of the notion of home, belonging and the power of music and performs songs from the album he wrote to complement the book.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LP08
Home, belonging and the power of music.
That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz
From the Outside Looking In
The Hive
£12
Join our Literary Explorer in Residence, Ann Morgan, as she takes a look at the UK through the eyes of two international authors. Xiaolu Guo, drawing on her Chinese heritage, and Ania Card, offering her Polish viewpoint, illuminate diverse facets of our society and culture through their compelling novels.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2.30–3.30pm LR57
Jane and Fi and Vera Stanhope
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£13 £16
Join us for an exclusive event as Ann Cleeves, the creator of Vera and actor Brenda Blethyn, who brings her to life, talk with Jane Garvey and Fi Glover for a live recording of their Times Radio show. Discover behindthe-scenes stories and insights into the iconic detective that is Vera Stanhope and the creative process behind the beloved crime series.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3.30–4.30pm LE28
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
W&N Proof Party
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Ticket includes a goody bag of limited edition proofs. Celebrate W&N’s 75th anniversary with an exclusive look at three exciting debuts: in Lucy Rose’s The Lamb a daughter confronts her mother’s dark hunger and her own desires; Florence Knapp’s The Names follows a mother’s pivotal decision on her son’s name; Nussaibah Younis’ Fundamentally sees a disowned academic journey to Iraq to rehabilitate ISIS women.
Chaired by Sam Baker
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3.30–4.30pm LR30
With thanks to our event supporters
Russell Watson
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14 £17
Much-loved classical singer Russell Watson enjoyed a meteoric career until he suffered two brain tumours in 2006 and 2007 and underwent lifesaving treatment and surgery. Incredibly, he refound his voice and is performing internationally again to sell-out arenas. He talks to Rebecca Jones about the struggles and the triumphs, detailed in his memoir, Encore
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3.30–4.30pm LE37
How the World Eats
Attivo Garden Theatre
£12
How we live is shaped by how we eat, so how can we build a global food system that works for all? Delving into our eating habits, cutting-edge technologies and the ethics of ultraprocessed food, philosopher Julian Baggini and sensory scientist Barry Smith dissect the effectiveness of food governance, difficulties of food wastage and the effects of commodification.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm X03
France: A Country in Crisis?
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Is France failing? The romanticised, revolutionary land of liberty, equality and fraternity for all urgently needs reform. French-Algerian academic Nabila Ramdani and journalist Simon Kuper, who has lived in Paris for over two decades, explore the deep-seated fault lines in French society, culture and politics. Chaired by Ben Hoyle
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LC07
Michelangelo: The Last Decades
The Hive
£12
Michelangelo was one of the great Renaissance artists, reimagining the iconography of religious art and designing architectural sites across Rome. Accompanied by the British Museum’s extraordinary collection of drawings, Sarah Vowles and Grant Lewis explore Michelangelo’s relationships and later creativity to consider his transformation into the figure of artistic genius known today. Chaired by Rosie Goldsmith
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4.30–5.30pm LA12
Carol Vorderman
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
Carol Vorderman discusses her unlikely pivot from daytime television’s queen of mental arithmetic to one of the country’s most fearless political activists. In conversation with Matthew Stadlen, Carol sets out to prove how much ‘an old bird with an iPhone’ can achieve, and inspires us all to find our voices and speak out for what we believe in.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LC03
Naked Portrait: Sitting for Lucian Freud
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Lucian Freud is regarded as one of Britain’s greatest, and most controversial, artists. His daughter Rose Boyt recalls sitting for his paintings, naked or otherwise, from childhood until marriage. Enthralled by his genius, it was only after his death that she began to question her version of events. She talks to Rebecca Jones about her complicated relationship with her father.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LM02
Fearne Cotton
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
Beloved TV and radio presenter, author and mental health advocate, Fearne Cotton is known for her warm personality and candid approach to life’s challenges. Her debut novel, Scripted, follows one woman’s empowering journey to reclaim her voice and rewrite her destiny.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.15–7.15pm LR09
Supported by Cunard
New Voices Spotlight
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14 The bar will be open during this event.
Join us as we celebrate some of this year’s hottest debut fiction in our New Voices Spotlight. Olivia Gatwood (Whoever You Are, Honey ), Colin Barrett (Wild Houses), Amy Twigg (Spoilt Creatures) and Elle Machray (Remember, Remember) talk to Joel Rochester about becoming a novelist in 2024, the stories they’ve chosen to tell, and what the future holds.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.15–7.30pm LR45
With thanks to our event supporters
Wine Times
The Nook On Five
£80 Ticket includes a threecourse dinner with matched wines. Sunday Times wine columnist Will Lyons hosts a special Festival episode of his awardwinning podcast, sharing his love of wine, lively conversation and vinous culture. Discussing and decanting with him is Times Radio presenter Fi Glover Join them at Cheltenham’s spectacular rooftop restaurant for a delicious three-course dinner with Will’s choice of matched wines.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–10pm LDF01
In partnership with The Sunday Times Wine Club and supported by Cunard
The Books that
Changed the World
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£14
In this special event to mark the announcement of the Baillie Gifford Prize 2024 shortlisted authors, we are joined by the Chair Toby Mundy, Chief Critic for The Times and The Sunday Times, Johanna Thomas-Corr and 2024 prize judge Peter Hoskin. Together they discuss the non-fiction books that have had the biggest impact on readers and policy makers.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7.30–8.30pm LC50
Cabaret: Behind The Velvet Rope
Dunkertons Tap Room
£30 Ticket includes a drink on arrival. Suitable for 18+ only. Tumble down the rabbit hole and immerse yourself in the dark heart of London’s Soho. Sharing a snapshot of the city, performer and director Ruth Ivo invites you to follow her behind the velvet rope into a riot of transgression and decadence, sharing tales of life behind the scenes. With a top line up of performances from Soho’s best acts and conversation with mistress of ceremonies Rowan Pelling
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7.30–9.30pm LDF02
Tumble down the rabbit hole and immerse yourself in the dark heart of London’s Soho Cabaret: Behind The Velvet Rope
Before The Fall
The Hive
£14 Suitable for 16+ only. Award-winning Cheltenhambased theatre company, Moth Sanctuary Productions, presents Before the Fall — a prequel to Edgar Allan Poe’s seminal short story, The Fall of the House of Usher. Marking 175 years since Poe’s death, this original take on his enduring horror story features Moth Sanctuary’s signature gothic imagery and character-driven storytelling.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LP05
Boris Johnson
The Centaur
£50 Ticket includes a signed copy of Unleashed, RRP £30
From winning the London mayoral race in 2008 to becoming Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is a politician who has dominated our times. Discussing Brexit, Covid and beyond, spanning the big decisions during his time in power and the reasons he took them, the former Prime Minister reflects on his premiership during turbulent times in an unrestrained and deeply revealing conversation.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LC52
Friendship, Fraud and Fine Art
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Orlando Whitfield shares the account of his life as an art dealer, his former friendship with infamous dealer Inigo Philbrick and the story of a fraud so audacious it rocked the art world to its core. With Charlotte Jansen, Orlando lifts the lid on the glamorous, deceitful world of fine art, a place wilder and wealthier than you could imagine.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LA04
Future 75
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14 £17
What does the future look like? To mark the Festival’s 75th anniversary, we look forward to the next 75 years with a series of primers from leading thinkers and creatives from across the programme. Covering a broad range of topics, they make their case for their vision of the future. Look out for the full line-up on our website.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9.30pm LC28
Supported by CyNam
Look forward to the next 75 years with leading thinkers from the programme Future 75
Matt Haig
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
Well known for bestsellers
The Midnight Library and How to Stop Time, we are delighted to welcome back Matt Haig to discuss his latest novel, The Life Impossible. He talks to Sam Baker about this captivating tale of a retired teacher’s journey of self-discovery on a Mediterranean island.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8.15–9.15pm LR04
How to Tap into Your Night Brain
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Embrace the possibilities of the night with award-winning author Annabel Abbs who discovered her Night Self amidst sleepless nights following a series of bereavements. By candlelight and guided by your night-primed senses, unleash your imagination and encounter your own Night Self. Have your pens and a few sheets of paper at the ready.
8.30–9.30pm LQ07
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Image: Kan Lailey
Image: Robin Christian
Breakfast with The Times: Behind the Headlines
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Ticket includes a tea or coffee and a pastry.
Make an informed start to your day. Grab a coffee and a pastry and join Sunday Times Foreign Editor Ben Hoyle, Times columnist James Marriott and Chief Reporter Fiona Hamilton as they talk you through the big stories of the morning.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE
8–9.15am LC14
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio and supported by BPE Solicitors LLP
John Torode and Lisa Faulkner
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12
£15
John Torode and Lisa Faulkner love to entertain.
Combining John’s experience as a professional chef with Lisa’s as a home cook, they share tips to inspire creativity in the kitchen and invite us behind the scenes of their beloved ITV show John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen to reveal what it’s really like being an on-screen couple.
Chaired by Tim Hubbard
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10.30–11.30am LL08
Ultimate Autumn Style
Dunkertons Tap Room
£30 Ticket includes a drink on arrival.
Trends are changing every day and can be overwhelming for both our wallets and our wardrobes. Looking at their top trends from the catwalks, Fashion Director at The Times Anna Murphy and Style Editor at The Times Pru White reveal how to make this season’s trends work for you. Take away top styling tips and simple ways to update your wardrobe.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 11am–12pm LDF14
NATO at 75
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£13 £16
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has injected the 32 member-strong NATO alliance with new purpose and resolve. In conversation with Oliver Shah, Sten Rynning and Peter Apps discuss the intriguing history of the organisation from the Korean War to the chaotic evacuation from Kabul and look ahead to what might be the most dangerous era it has ever faced.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12.30–1.30pm LC37
Freud Study Day
Town Hall, Pillar Room £40 Ticket includes three events and refreshments. Explore the life and work of Sigmund Freud, one of history’s most influential thinkers, and uncover his profound influence on psychology and the modern world.
10–11am LQ08
Introducing Freud
Delve into the unconscious mind, dreams and the impact of early childhood experiences on behaviour with the director of the Freud Museum London Giuseppe Albano and psychoanalyst Mark Solms
11.30am–12.30pm LQ08
Id, Robot
Though Freud’s theories and AI may seem unrelated, AI engineering may well have been impossible without psychoanalysis. Mark Solms and Theodoros Lappas explore the ongoing relevance of Freud’s work in today’s tech-driven world.
1–2pm LQ08
Freudian Script
Marking the 100-year anniversary since Virginia Woolf’s Hogarth Press translated Freud’s work into English, Mark Solms and publisher Julie Kirsch explore the connections between these pivotal 20th century figures and Mark’s own insights on his 30-year journey to revise Freud’s work.
With thanks to our event supporters
Wendy Cope
Attivo Garden Theatre
£12
I love you.
I’m glad I exist.
Wendy Cope, one of Britain’s best-loved poets, joins us for a celebration of The Orange. In laugh-out-loud funny to deeply moving poetry, she offers moving reflections on life, from the joy of love to the memories of people lost. She speaks with Georgina Godwin and shares a collection of her most loved poems.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LP12
Churchill’s D-Day
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12
£15
D-Day is rightly celebrated as a major turning point in World War II. How much of its success was down to the leadership of one man? Former head of the British Army Richard Dannatt and Winston Churchill expert Allen Packwood draw on documents and letters from the archives to reveal the intricacies of Churchill’s thinking, precision planning and impeccable timing.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LH16
Sustainably Beautiful
Dunkertons Tap Room
£30 Ticket includes a drink on arrival.
Fashion designer and judge of The Great British Sewing Bee
Patrick Grant and Fashion
Editor Anna Cascarina believe our wardrobes should be full of beautiful, long-lasting and well looked-after pieces. Speaking with Fashion Director at The Times Anna Murphy, they talk about the fashion industry today and share their tips on shopping mindfully and curating a forever wardrobe of pieces you love.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LDF06
Emma Freud Meets Kate Weinberg
The Hive
£12
Vita Woods is house bound with an undiagnosable illness, kept company by her goldfish, Whitney Houston and the ghost of Luigi da Porto, until an unexpected delivery thrusts her into a chance encounter with her neighbours. Kate Weinberg, author of The Truants, talks to Emma Freud about her second novel There’s Nothing Wrong with Her
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2.30–3.30pm LR55
Celebrate with David Nicholls
Hotel du Vin, Restaurant
£35 Ticket includes a glass of fizz. Take a trip back to 1985 and experience the decadesspanning love story of Dex and Emma all over again. Enjoy an exclusive audience with David Nicholls as he revisits the global bestseller One Day in the year it became a major Netflix adaptation. Chaired by Sam Baker
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3–4pm LR43
Renegade
Books Proof Party
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Ticket includes a goody bag of limited-edition proofs.
Renegade Books, Dialogue Books’ new radical commercial imprint, presents three exciting debuts: Grace Flahive’s Palm Meridian sees an end-of-life party in a Florida retirement resort; Piotr Cieplak ’s Zofia Nowak’s Book of Superior Detecting follows a mother’s undercover search for her missing son; Rebecca Ferrier’s The Salt Bind weaves a historical fantasy of sirens and sea gods. Chaired by Abigail Bergstrom
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3.30–4.30pm LR32
Image: Chris Floyd
T.S. Eliot Prize: Jason Allen-Paisant
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£12
The acclaimed poet Jason Allen-Paisant performs from his collection Self Portrait As Othello, which was awarded the prestigious T.S.Eliot Prize. Sharing his mesmerising poetic memoir and ekphrastic experiment, he imagines Othello in modern London, Paris and Venice, sharing a hypnotic narrative of his intersecting identities. Supported by shortlisted poet Eve Esfaniari-Denny
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3.30–4.30pm LP10
Supported by the T. S. Eliot Foundation
The Iranian Embassy Siege
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£13
£16
Ben Macintyre tells the extraordinary story of the 1980 siege on the Iranian Embassy in London, and the daring SAS rescue mission that followed. He is joined on stage by former hostage Sim Harris, whose escape across a balcony was watched by millions on live TV, for a thrilling first-hand account of one of the major historical events of our time.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3.30–4.30pm LH04
Marianna Spring: Among the Trolls
Attivo Garden Theatre
£12
Trolls can be found on every social media platform, and few have as intimate an experience with them than Marianna Spring , the BBC’s first disinformation and social media correspondent. She discusses Among the Trolls, telling first-hand stories of trolls and their victims, why the information battle threatens society and how people get caught up in trolling and misinformation.
With Julia Wheeler
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LC18
Barbara Kingsolver*
Town Hall, Main Hall
£12
£15
Barbara Kingsolver ’s* Demon Copperhead was a literary sensation, winning accolades including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Talking to Johanna Thomas-Corr, Barbara revisits her very first book, Holding the Line, examining the women of the Great Arizona Mine Strike. Together they discuss using writing to explore the world’s complexities and amplify unheard voices.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LR28
*This participant will appear digitally.
New Voices: Hanako Footman and Rachel Khong
The Hive
£12
Helena Lee talks to Hanako Footman, whose luminous debut Mongrel interweaves the stories of three women in Surrey, London and Tokyo to reveal a tangled web of desire, isolation and hope, and to Rachel Khong , whose Real Americans is a family epic about identity, sacrifice, choices and fate.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4.30–5.30pm LR67
Supported by The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation
Life Inside and Out
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
30 years ago, Norway overhauled its prison system to prioritise rehabilitation, and sharply cut reoffending rates. Alex South, who spent 10 years working in our most notorious men’s prisons, Yvonne Jewkes, who specialises in prison architecture and design, and Danielle Jawando, whose latest novel is a story of hope after prison, discuss how our system could change.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LM05
With thanks to our event supporters
Image: Adrian Pope
The Art of the Graphic Novel
Town Hall, Pillar Room £14
Before The Hunger Games and Yellowjackets, there was Lord of the Flies Illustrator Aimée de Jongh has created a stunning adaptation of this dystopian tale, while artist Chris Mould takes us to the brink with a graphic retelling of the sci-fi adventure War of the Worlds They chat to Rachel Cooke about reimagining these classics for today’s readers.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LD08
Supported by the Dutch Foundation for Literature and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Rupert Everett
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
Rupert Everett has had a varied career, acting on stage and screen, releasing an album and singing backing vocals for Madonna. A writer too, he joins Hannah MacInnes to talk about his newly published collection of short stories, The American No, a brilliantly witty and tender collection that draws on his wealth of film and TV ideas.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE
6.15–7.15pm LE07
Supported by Cunard
With thanks to our event supporters
Want early access to your Festival favourites?
Become a member and receive priority booking
See page 48
Cathy Newman’s The Ladder with Neneh Cherry
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14 £17
In December 1988 the world sat up as a young woman made her debut: gold bra, gold bomber jacket, and proudly, gloriously seven months pregnant. This was no ordinary artist, it was Neneh Cherry. She talks to Cathy Newman live on The Ladder for Times Radio about her life, career and memoir, A Thousand Threads
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.15–7.15pm LE09
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
Join the ‘Nigella of Wine’ for an evening of tasting and talking
The Deeply Unserious Wine Club
The Night Alphabet
The Hive £14
Hackney, 2233: a woman with a body covered in tattoos wants one more – a line connecting the images and narratives told on her body. Set across geographies and timespans, this is a bold investigation into violence, resilience, and women’s stories. Award-winning poet Joelle Taylor performs a staged reading from her debut novel The Night Alphabet, directed by Neil Bartlett
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.30–7.30pm LR25
The Deeply Unserious Wine Club
Dunkertons Tap Room
£30 Ticket includes a flight of wine samples.
Join the ‘Nigella of Wine’ Hannah Crosbie and a worldleading wine expert for an evening of tasting and talking. Whether you know your Chablis from your Chenin or you stare nonplussed at wine on supermarket shelves, be guided through your flight of wines and hear top tips for finding wines to suit every occasion. Hosted by The Times restaurant critic Charlotte Ivers
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7.30–9pm LDF04
Better Economics for a Better World
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Gary Stevenson rose from humble beginnings in East London to become Citibank’s most profitable trader. He now campaigns against wealth inequality, teaching real-world economics on YouTube. Pioneering chaos scientist Doyne Farmer applies complex systems science to make better economic predictions. They discuss how innovative economic thinking could help tackle our biggest issues, from climate change to global prosperity.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LM01
New Voices: Varaidzo
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14 The bar will be open during this event.
London, 1936. Two sisters chase their dreams across smoky Soho jazz clubs. Bath, 2012. Two young Black men are figuring out who they are. In an evening of conversation accompanied by music from singer-songwriter Immi Dash, Varaidzo discusses her debut novel Manny and the Baby, a story of family, enduring love and what it means to be Black and British.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9.30pm LR49
You’re Bard
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14 £17
Four actors. Four Shakespeare shows. Endless possibilities. You – the audience – decide everything, from the play to the performance style. Even which actor plays which part. This hilarious, unpredictable show promises an unforgettable evening of Shakespeare unlike anything you’ve seen before!
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8.30–10pm LD04
Though this be madness, yet there’s method in’t
You’re Bard
Hollie McNish: Lobster
The Hive
£14
Following sold-out shows, Hollie McNish is back to celebrate her latest collection, Lobster. Shining a ridiculous and beautifully poetic lens upon all those things we are taught to hate and which we might learn to love again. She covers friendship and newborns, clocks, cocks and volvos. Strong language and adult content, gift-wrapped in gorgeously crafted poetry. Joined by poet Salena Godden.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8.30–9.30pm LP01
The Sunday Times Must Reads: David Nicholls
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
The bestselling and beloved author of One Day, David Nicholls, chats to Johanna Thomas-Corr about his new novel, You Are Here This affecting love story follows two lost souls thrown together on an epic coast-tocoast walk. Witty, effortless and perfectly attuned to the motions of the human heart, this is the work of an author at the peak of his powers.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8.30–9.30pm LR10
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio, and supported by Waterstones
Plan your visit to the Festival on the Cheltenham Festivals app
Scan the QR code to download it
With thanks to our event supporters
Image: Sophia Spring
Image: Beccy Strong
75 Years of Spy Stories
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15
£18
Since 1949, the shadowy world of espionage has evolved with the world around us. Author Ben Macintyre’s tales of real-life spies have captured the imaginations of thousands of readers. He joins thriller writers Ava Glass and Charles Cumming as they discuss the post-war evolution of this ever-popular genre. In conversation with Georgina Godwin
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LD09
Supported by Waterstones
The Booker Shortlist
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14 £17
Maybe Baby: Are Children for Me?
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Deciding whether to have children is no small task. Each generation has more childfree women than the one before, but social expectations haven’t caught up. With humour and compassion, Caroline Magennis discusses the pressures around these decisions, and the perils, positives and possibilities that come with choosing a non-nuclear life. Chaired by Julia Wheeler
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10.30–11.30am LL17
A Celebration of Friendship
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
The Booker Prize is the leading literary prize in the English-speaking world. Join Director of The Booker Prize Foundation Gaby Wood as she introduces you to the authors and books that have been shortlisted for the 2024 prize and presents the world premiere of the awardwinning filmed readings.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10.30–11.30am LR37
With thanks to our event supporters
Celia Imrie and Fidelis Morgan
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
Join Olivier Award-winning actor, Celia Imrie (star of the forthcoming film, The Thursday Murder Club) as she talks about her new novel, Meet Me at Rainbow Corner –inspired by the resilience and camaraderie of women during World War II. Together with Fidelis Morgan, actor, author and the book’s researcher, Celia will delve into the real-life events behind the book, where a group of courageous women find themselves working alongside GIs at London’s Red Cross Club, Rainbow Corner.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12.15–1.15pm LE48
From Jane Austen to Dolly Alderton, by way of Enid Blyton, LM Montgomery, Zadie Smith and more, Rachel Cooke has explored women’s friendship through the fiction, diaries, and letters of friends. She talks with poet Hollie McNish and Times columnist Suzi Godson about its particular intensity and singular ease, its tendency to wax and wane and its ability to inspire both delight and despair.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LD15
Nicolas Hamilton
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
Nicolas Hamilton has been exceeding expectations since day one. Told he would never walk and would need a wheelchair for the rest of his life, today he competes at the top level of British motorsport, where he lines up on the grid alongside some of the world’s best drivers. He shares his remarkable story of defying limitations with Matthew Stadlen.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12.30–1.30pm LU06
The Hidden Power of Fantasy
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£10
Fantasy captivates YA readers with complex world building, magic, adventure and themes like social justice, good vs. evil and self-discovery. YA Book Prize winner Danielle Jawando, activist Laura Bates, author Natasha Bowen and TikTok sensation and new author Andy Darcy Theo discuss their latest books, creative process and why fantasy is the perfect vehicle to explore important ideas.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 1–2pm LF07
Emma Freud Meets
Geri Halliwell
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£17
£20
Geri Halliwell has been a spirited and passionate dynamo since she first burst into our lives as Ginger Spice. She joins Emma Freud to discuss her charismatic career, including her current work as the author of the bestselling children’s book Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen. They’ll explore Geri’s journey from Spice Girl to activist and author.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2.30–3.30pm LE03
Frank Gardner and Charles Cumming
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14 £17
Delve into the world of international espionage with two masters of the genre. Author and screenwriter Charles Cumming and BBC Security Correspondent turned thriller writer Frank Gardner talk to Julia Wheeler about their latest gripping novels.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2.30–3.30pm LR07
Scandal, sinister truths and supernatural crimes
Thrilling YA Reads
Thrilling YA Reads
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£10
Scandal, sinister truths and supernatural crimes feature in these dark and twisted new YA thrillers: Dead Happy, Last Seen Online and All the Hidden Monsters. Crime writer and comedian Kate Weston chats with authors Lauren James, Josh Silver, and new writer Amie Jordan about their writing, inspiration and thriller-writing heroes. Plus interrogate the panellists in our Q&A.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3–4pm LF46
Cheltenham Bookshop Crawl
£15 Meet at Box Office, Montpellier Gardens.
The sell-out Cheltenham Bookshop Crawl returns for a second year. Join fellow book lovers and dive into the town’s literary world on a walking tour, exploring rare finds, indie bookshop stories and second-hand treasures. Peruse the shelves, get recommendations and peek behind the scenes with passionate booksellers.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–5pm LK03
The Island of Brilliant with Lauren Child
Parabola Arts Centre
£10
Waterstones Children’s Laureate Frank CottrellBoyce and Nadia Shireen are shipwrecked on The Island of Brilliant with only hammocks, children’s books, and biscuits to pass the time. Today they are joined by Lauren Child, the artist and writer best-known for Clarice Bean and Charlie and Lola. In this live podcast, the castaways chat about making children’s books.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LF48
Image: Chris Philippo
Image: Susanna Peden
Write, Cut, Rewrite
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Using notebooks, manuscripts and letters preserved in literary archives, the curators of exhibition Write, Cut, Rewrite, Mark Nixon and Dirk Van Hulle, delve into the creative decisions of some of our most renowned authors, from Jane Austen to Alan Bennett. The author Rónán Hession reflects on his own drafting and redrafting process. In conversation with Clare Clark .
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LD10
Creative Writing Workshop: How to Structure a Novel
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£45 Ticket includes tea, coffee and refreshments, You’ve got a great idea for a novel… but how do you turn it into a book? In this hands-on workshop from bestselling author Clare Mackintosh, you’ll learn how to create a framework for your story, with tips on pace, plot twists and the timing of key reveals.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–6pm W03
#BookTok and Beyond with Harper Fire
The Hive
£10
Romantasy, enemies-to-lovers, and queer representation: Harper Fire has a story for everyone. Discover the hottest voices of YA for 2025 with new and familiar faces as Rachel Greenlaw, Leanne Egan and Salomey Doku introduce their YA debuts with BookTok’s @libraryofcalcifer. Then, meet these future YA stars at the post-show party.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5.15–6.30pm LF16
Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Town Hall
£14 £17
In 2021, NASA launched the James Webb Telescope which gave us the first clear images of the depths of space, changing how we understand the origins of the universe. Maggie Aderin-Pocock was one of scientists to work on the project. She demystifies the images and incredible scientific finding of the world’s most powerful telescope.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4.30–5.30pm X02
Explore how our understanding of the origins of the universe has changed Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Michael Palin
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
With a new millennium unfolds a new chapter for Michael Palin . Talking to Fi Glover, Michael documents the detail of living in a world buffeted by change as the world reels from multiple successive shocks. And five years on from the last of his children flying the nest, Michael embarks on his greatest adventure yet: becoming a besotted grandfather.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4.45–5.45pm LE01
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio and supported by Kuoni
Buy books by your favourite Festival authors from our online Waterstones bookshop
With thanks to our event supporters
When Poets Write Prose
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Is it possible to write prose with the philosophy, acuity and freedom of poetry? When novelists are poets, do their novels betray them as such?
Andrew McMillan, Salena Godden and K Patrick are celebrated poets that have turned to –prose. They speak to Joelle Taylor about being poets first and foremost, and how this has influenced their work.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5–6pm LR38
Rebecca F. Kuang
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Rebecca F Kuang , the acclaimed author of Babel and The Poppy War trilogy, is a rising star in contemporary literature. On her first visit to Cheltenham, she joins Jack Edwards to discuss her latest sensation, Yellowface, a novel that delves into the literary world, exploring themes of identity and cultural appropriation.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LR18
Breaking the News
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14 £17
From unexpected events to undercover investigations –what is the role of reporters, the editor and the legal team as a story breaks? We welcome journalists Christina Lamb and Paul Morgan Bentley, editorial legal director Pia Sarma and former editor of The Times and Sunday Times, John Witherow as they reveal the secrets of the newsroom to Times Radio’s Adam Boulton
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.30–7.30pm LC31
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
Learn the secrets of the newsroom. What happens when a story breaks? Breaking the News
Now That’s What I Call Poetry
Parabola Arts Centre
£14
Dive in and savour the lyrical symphony as Joelle Taylor presents a selection of her favourite poets and spoken word artists. With a stellar line up including K Patrick , Sean Hewitt , Michael Pedersen and Harry Josephine Giles, prepare to be spellbound by these literary luminaries.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.30–8pm LP04
Emma Freud Meets
Miranda Hart
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£38 £42
Ticket includes a signed copy of I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You, RRP £25.
Beloved for her hit sitcom Miranda and role in Call the Midwife, join us as Miranda Hart talks to Emma Freud about her new book, I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You. Following an unexpected decade of surprising joys and challenging lows, Miranda shares the ‘treasures’ that have led her to a sense of freedom, joy and peace. With many funny stories along the way!
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8pm LE10
Supported by Oldham Foundation
Make a day of it and enjoy all our free programme has to offer, announced mid-September
Make sure you grab a copy in print, online, or via the Cheltenham Festivals app
With thanks to our event supporters
Image: Mike Styer
Jordan Stephens
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£14
Jordan Stephens is a musician, actor and presenter best known for being one half of hip hop duo, Rizzle Kicks. In conversation with Hana Walker-Brown, Jordan opens up about being diagnosed with ADHD twice, navigating the pressures of fame and what it means to be a modern man.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8pm LQ11
Irish Writing: A Golden Age
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Irish writing has long captivated readers worldwide, with almost a third of last year’s Booker Prize nominees hailing from Ireland. Acclaimed Irish authors Rónán Hession (Ghost Mountain), Jan Carson (Quickly, While They Still Have Horses) and Mike McCormack (This Plague of Souls) discuss their distinctive visions and artistic journeys. Chaired by gorse journal founder, Susan Tomaselli
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8pm LR27
Supported by Culture Ireland
New Voices: Kaliane Bradley and Lauren Elkin
The Hive
£14
Kaliane Bradley ’s The Ministry of Time is a timebending romance about a civil servant tasked with acclimatising an 1800s Arctic explorer to the modern age. Lauren Elkin’s Scaffolding is a story of ghosts and the cycle of history through two couples who live in the same Paris apartment almost 50 years apart. They discuss their debut novels with Uli Lenart
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LR47
Alison Steadman
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
Alison Steadman is one of the best-loved English actresses across television (Gavin & Stacey, the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice and Fat Friends), film (Life is Sweet) and stage ( Abigail’s Party and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice). She has won BAFTAs, the National Society of Film Critic Award and an Olivier Award and was awarded an OBE in 2000. She talks to Fiona Lindsay
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8.30–9.30pm LE17
A Portrait of Radiohead
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£17
Join us for an exclusive insight into the life of Radiohead by the band’s bassist, Colin Greenwood. Talking about his book How to Disappear –A Portrait of Radiohead with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, discover intimate stories and candid photos documenting the band’s journey from 2003 to 2016. Delve into the heart of one of the 21st century’s most influential rock bands through Greenwood’s unique perspective.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 9–10pm LE26
Supported by Leaf Creative
Dale Vince
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Green industrialist Dale Vince has dedicated his life to challenging conventional wisdom in pursuit of a better way of life, using business as a tool for environmentalism. The Founder of Ecotricity and owner of Forest Green Rovers F.C. discusses kickstarting the now global green energy movement and his journey at its forefront and outlines his blueprint for the future of Green Britain.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LC51
With thanks to our event supporters
Image: Jay Brooks
Image: Jonny Greenwood
Help us give The Movement for Good Awards
Sunday 13 October
Tim Spector: Food for Life
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
Food is our greatest ally for good health, but the question of what to eat in the age of ultra-processed food has never seemed so complicated. Bestselling author and scientist Tim Spector offers clear answers in this definitive, easy-to-follow guide to the new science of eating well. He speaks with Hannah McInnes
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am X05
Read The World Interview:
Anton Hur*
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Anton Hur* is well known for translating Korean literature into English, most notably the international bestseller I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee. His debut novel, Toward Eternity, challenges the notion of what makes us human. Join Anton in conversation with our Literary Explorer in Residence, Ann Morgan
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10.30–11.30am LR60
*This participant will appear digitally.
Want early access to your Festival favourites?
Become a member and receive priority booking
See page 48
The Good, the Bad and the Rugby Unleashed
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15
£18
All will be unleashed as rugby legends James Haskell, Mike Tindall and Alex Payne discuss the highs and lows of their friendship and rugby. Pulling back the curtain on some of their most outrageous antics on tour –the ups, the downs and the sideways – they go behind the scenes of their podcast for a no-holds-barred conversation with presenter Max Whittle
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10.30–11.30am LU05
75 Years of 1984
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
2024 marks the 75th anniversary of George Orwell’s truly iconic last novel. From ‘Big Brother’ to the ‘Thought Police’, ‘Doublethink’, and ‘Newspeak’, Orwell’s ideas foreshadow today’s world of surveillance and fake news. Orwell’s biographer D.J. Taylor and Dorian Lynskey (author of The Ministry of Truth) join Clare Clark to discuss how history can inform fiction and how fiction can influence history.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LD02
Drawn to the Garden
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Pull back the curtain on these rugby legends’ outrageous antics on tour
The Good, the Bad and the Rugby Unleashed
Actress Caroline Quentin is a keen gardener and painter who loves to share her exploits as she potters round her beautiful garden in Devon. Writer and illustrator Arthur Parkinson, protégé of Sarah Raven, is known for his flair and intensely creative container gardening. They chat to Julia Wheeler about what they cherish most in their gardens and offer some tips.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LL07
Image:
Niabh Rowland-Simms
Image:
Liz Somers
Trevor McDonald on Cricket
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
Trevor McDonald is one of Britain’s most celebrated broadcasters and his devotion to cricket is almost as well-known as his legendary professional achievements. He explores his childhood in the Caribbean and celebrates his life-long love of the sport that followed him no matter where in the world his career would take him.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12.45–1.45pm LU01
Supported by FEWS Events Structures
Green Futures
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14 £17
Green changes are taking place in every aspect of our world. Moving away from the doomsday headlines, economist Dharshini David and data scientist Hannah Ritchie explore why green issues matter individually and collectively, what they mean for our day-to-day life and what we need to focus on to leave a sustainable planet for future generations. Chaired by Julia Wheeler
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LC22
Lauren Roberts and Moira Buffini
If My Words Had Wings
With thanks to our event supporters
Parabola Arts Centre
£10
Meet Lauren Roberts, TikTok sensation and New York Times bestselling author of the epic Powerless series, her thrilling fantasy romance set in the kingdom of Ilya. Joining Lauren is new YA author and scriptwriter Moira Buffini whose extraordinary debut Songlight is set in a post-apocalyptic future world. Both cinematic masterpieces in storytelling, they discuss world-building with writer Benjamin Dean
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LF43
Wild Pastoral
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Prize-winning writer Kapka Kassabova tells the story of her time with the last moving pastoralists in Europe – experiencing the intensity, brutality, beauty and isolation of their existence and witnessing the profound interdependence of humans and animals. She talks to Hana Walker-Brown about their ancient way of life, and the rich histories that have shaped the Balkan region.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2.30–3.30pm LN07
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£10
Inspired by a visiting poet, a young prisoner discovers a new world through spoken word and finds his voice. Join YA Book Prizewinning author Danielle Jawando and poet Joelle Taylor in this dynamic session. Experience the power of words to explore self-discovery with performances and tools to help find your voice too.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12.30–1.30pm LF54
Sunday Times Culture Interview with Helen Fielding
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15 £18
Long before the bestselling books and star-studded films, Helen Fielding began writing an anonymous weekly column in The Independent –Bridget Jones’ Diary. She talks to journalist and broadcaster Martha Kearney about the life and times of Bridget Jones, including the origins, impact and enduring appeal of one of literature’s most beloved characters.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3–4pm LE30
In partnership with The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio and supported by Leaf Creative
Image: Nick Cregan
Writing the Detectives
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
How do you create a new detective? Crime fiction is one of the most widely read of all the genres –and literary sleuths are an eccentric bunch of flawed and driven characters. Simon Mason (DI Ryan Wilkins) Clare Mackintosh (DC Ffion Morgan) and Elly Griffiths (Ruth Galloway) discuss bringing their inventions to life with Sam Baker
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LR69
Simon Armitage
Parabola Arts Centre
£14
To mark the mid-point of Simon Armitage’s Poet Laureateship, join us for a special event of conversation and readings. Speaking with Julia Wheeler, he reflects on his key projects as Laureate and reads from recent work including Blossomise, a celebration of blossom and changing seasons.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LP13
The Mid•Point: Gabby Logan and Liz Earle
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
Presenter Gabby Logan hosts a special Festival episode of her popular podcast The Mid• Point, live from Cheltenham. She chats to beauty and wellness expert Liz Earle about the challenges we face as we enter the second half of our lives, and how to take charge of your health and habits to ensure that you thrive into midlife and beyond.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–5pm LL05
Creative Writing Workshop: How to Get a Literary Agent
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£45 Ticket includes tea, coffee and refreshments. How do you approach an agent? What makes your manuscript grab an agent’s attention among so many others? In this workshop by literary agent Luigi Bonomi, and his wife, Alison Bonomi, agent and author, work on your covering letter, synopsis and submission package. Using tailored exercises, learn how to pitch your work effectively and market both it and yourself.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4–6pm W04
How to Read a Latin Poem
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Back by popular demand, the Classics dons Mary Beard * , Llewelyn Morgan and Peter Stothard get together to translate and unpick the meaning behind a Latin poem. Translations are provided and only minimal knowledge of Latin is required.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 4.50–5.30pm LB02
*This participant will appear digitally.
Carving a Life
The Hive
£14
Wyl Menmuir has travelled the British Isles meeting people who plant and study trees, and those who shape beautiful objects from wood. Woodworker and designer Callum Robinson reflects on the joys and frustrations of working with your hands and with a living material – and the transformative impact of embracing a life close to nature. They talk to Hana Walker-Brown
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5–6pm LN05
Image: Victoria Gilder
Image: Marc Millar
Zandra Rhodes
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
£15
£18
Zandra Rhodes is an eradefining designer and British icon. Her inspirational work is woven into the cultural and musical fabric of the last 50 years and remains as fresh and relevant as ever. From rockstars to royalty, she’s designed for everyone from Freddie Mercury to Princess Diana. Speaking with Anna Murphy, she shares the story of her incredible life.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5–6pm LL01
An Evening with Liz Earle
The Nook on Five
£30 Ticket includes wellness cocktails.
Join Liz Earle, co-founder of the eponymous global beauty brand and now Liz Earle Wellbeing digital platforms, for an informative evening of longevity lifestyle inspiration as she shares decades of experience in beauty and wellbeing with Anna Murphy With an alternative wellness cocktail reception and a chance to chat with Liz, this is an exclusive event not to miss.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6.30–8.00pm LDF08
Paula Hawkins
Attivo Garden Theatre
£14
Paula Hawkins, acclaimed author of smash hit debut The Girl on The Train, returns to Cheltenham with her gripping new novel, the Blue Hour Set on a Scottish tidal island, three lives are linked by a dark secret buried in a famous sculpture. She talks to Abigail Bergstrom about her latest tale of ambition, power and perception.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LR24
Harriet Walter: She Speaks!
Town Hall, Main Hall
£14
£17
Renowned for Succession, Killing Eve and Ted Lasso, Harriet Walter is also one of Britain’s most esteemed Shakespearean actors. Having played so many of Shakespeare’s roles, she reimagines what some of these women might have been thinking and gives them their voice in 30 alternative speeches and verses. She talks to Professor of Shakespeare Studies, Emma Smith
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LE12
Gloucestershire Writers’ Network
Regency Suite, Queens Hotel
£14
Gloucestershire Writers’ Network competition winners present their work inspired by the theme, ‘Weather’. Competition judges, Poems from the Mind Shop writer David Ashbee and Scottish novelist and short-story writer Michael Johnstone also read a selection of their work.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8.15pm LK01
New Voices: Oisín McKenna and Keiran Goddard
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£14
Oisín McKenna’s Evenings and Weekends is a searing tale of love, friendship and queer identity set in London over one sweltering June weekend. Keiran Goddard ’s I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning traces five friends as they grow up and grow apart, and the effect of dwindling opportunity on workingclass lives. They discuss their novels with bookseller and reviewer Uli Lenart .
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8pm LR50
Supported by Culture Ireland
With thanks to our event supporters
Image: Ray Okudzeto
Image: Sim Canetti-Clarke
The Glass Girl with Kathleen Glasgow
The Hive
£10
We’re incredibly excited to welcome Kathleen Glasgow, bestselling US author of TikTok sensation Girl in Pieces. Kathleen discusses mental health issues and coming-of-age themes in her books. Her new novel The Glass Girl is the story of a teenage girl on the brink, and the bumpy road back to recovery.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–8pm LF87
The High/Low Pub Quiz
Dunkertons Tap Room
£14
Put your wits and useless knowledge to the test with this dizzying blend of academia and pop culture. As fiendish as it is foolish, this is the lovechild of University Challenge and Heat magazine. Come along as a group or on your own, everyone is welcome.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7–9pm LDF05
Parabola Arts Centre
£14
Mr Wickham is ready to set the record straight. Adrian Lukis, who starred as the roguish George Wickham in the renowned BBC TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, returns to the role. Join him 30 years later on his 60th birthday, as he reveals what happened next and recounts his own version of some very famous literary events...
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7.30–8.30pm LD13
Thomas Heatherwick: Humanise
Parabola Arts Centre
£14
One of the world’s most imaginative designers, Thomas Heatherwick believes it is time to put human emotion back at the heart of building design. Drawing on 30 years of making bold, beautiful buildings, together with neuroscience and cognitive psychology he shows how by changing the world around us we can improve our health, restore our happiness and save the planet.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LA13
Plan your visit to the Festival on the Cheltenham Festivals app
Scan the QR code to download it
Rick Astley: Never The Times
and Sunday Times Forum
£18 £22
When Never Gonna Give You Up propelled Rick Astley into the pop stratosphere, it changed his life forever. Nothing could have prepared the young boy from Lancashire for what was in store. Join Rick as he talks about his memoir Never, a book full of nostalgia, truth, introspection, northern humour – and the astounding power of contentment.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 8–9pm LE13
Supported by Tarren Production
YOUNG ADULTS YOUNG ADULTS
Friday 11 October
The Art of the Graphic Novel
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£ 14 Age 14+
Before The Hunger Games and Yellowjackets, there was Lord of the Flies. Illustrator Aimée de Jongh has created a stunning adaptation of this dystopian tale, while artist Chris Mould takes us to the brink with a graphic retelling of the sci-fi adventure War of the Worlds They chat to Rachel Cooke about reimagining these classics for today’s readers.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 6–7pm LD08
Supported by the Dutch Foundation for Literature and The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
With thanks to our event supporters
Saturday 5 October Sunday 6 October
Sinister Secrets
The Hive
£10 Age 14+
Do you dare step into the darkness? Join dark academia writer Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, gorgeously twisted modern fairy tale writer Krystal Sutherland and supernatural thriller writer Rosie Talbot as they discuss the buried secrets, revenge and pacey plots that make for perfectly gripping YA Halloween reads.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5–6pm LF28
Saturday 12 October
The Hidden Power of Fantasy
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£10 Age 14+
Fantasy captivates YA readers with complex world building, magic, adventure and themes like social justice, good vs. evil and self-discovery. YA
Book Prize winner Danielle Jawando, activist Laura Bates, author Natasha Bowen and TikTok sensation and new author Andy Darcy Theo discuss their latest books, creative process and why fantasy is the perfect vehicle to explore important ideas.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 1–2pm LF07
Image: Aashfaria Anwar
Some Like it Cold with Elle McNicoll
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£10 Age 12+
Elle McNicoll talks with author and creator Beth Reekles about her new YA cosy romance, transposing A Kind of Spark from page to screen, experiencing fandom and normalising neurodiversity. A pioneer for representation in books, Elle explores the need for change from shame, pity and tragedy to new stories and the joy of writing about falling in love.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2.30–3.30pm LF37
Thrilling YA Reads
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£10 Age 14+
Scandal, sinister truths and supernatural crimes feature in these dark and twisted new YA thrillers Last Seen Online, Dead Happy and All the Hidden Monsters. Crime writer and comedian Kate Weston chats with authors Lauren James, Josh Silver, and new writer Amie Jordan about their writing, inspiration and thriller writing heroes. Plus interrogate the panellists in our Q&A.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3–4pm LF46
#BookTok and Beyond with Harper Fire
The Hive
£10 Age 14+
Romantasy, enemies-to-lovers, and queer representation: Harper Fire has a story for everyone. Discover the hottest voices of YA for 2025 with new and familiar faces as Rachel Greenlaw, Leanne Egan and Salomey Doku introduce their YA debuts with BookTok’s @libraryofcalcifer
Then, meet these future YA stars at the post-show party.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 5.15–6.30pm LF16 Jacqueline Wilson 38 You’re Bard 54 New Voices: 54 Varaidzo Now That’s What 58 I Call Poetry
Sunday 13 October
If My Words Had Wings
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£10 Age 14+
Inspired by a visiting poet, a young prisoner discovers a new world through spoken word and finds his voice. Join YA Book Prize-winning author Danielle Jawando and poet Joelle Taylor in this dynamic session. Experience the power of words to explore self-discovery with performances and tools to help find your voice too. EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3–4pm LF54
Lauren Roberts and Moira Buffini
Parabola Arts Centre
Other
events
Young Adults
£10 Age 14+
Meet Lauren Roberts, TikTok sensation and New York Times bestselling author of the epic Powerless series, a fantasy romance set in the kingdom of Ilya. Joining her is YA author and scriptwriter Moira Buffini, whose debut Songlight is set in a post-apocalyptic future. They discuss world-building with writer Benjamin Dean
Kwame Alexander: The Crossover
The Hive
£8 Age 12+ “ The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I’m delivering” No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander performs poems from his award-winning verse sports trilogy and new historical series. Experience the power of of his words and feel their potential to change lives.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3–4pm LF68
The Glass Girl with Kathleen Glasgow
The Hive
£10 Age 14+
We’re incredibly excited to welcome Kathleen Glasgow, bestselling US author of TikTok sensation Girl in Pieces Kathleen discusses mental health issues and coming-ofage themes in her books. Her new novel The Glass Girl is the story of a teenage girl on the brink, and the bumpy road back to recovery.
might like at the Festival Don’t miss the best and brightest young talent at this year’s
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 7-8pm LF87
Family Programme
Look out for these icons
Workshop
Draw along event, bring a sketchbook and pen or pencil
British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted events
• All ages are recommendations, you know your child best
• For safety, children 11 years and under must be accompanied by a ticket holder ages 16+
• All our family events are Relaxed More information on page 107
Saturday 5 October
Greg Jenner’s Chaotic History
Attivo Garden Theatre
£8 Age 8+
Join historian and You’re Dead to Me podcaster Greg Jenner as he explores Roman Britain. Expect myth-busting, quick-fire quizzes and mind-boggling truths about Roman gods, emperors, invasions and life in a fort. This fact-packed, hilarious event promises to be far from a typical history lesson.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LF35
The Princess and the (Greedy) Pea
The Hive
£8 Age 3+
Whatever will Greedy Pea eat next? You decide with author and illustrator Leigh Hodgkinson, Greedy Pea, a grumpy princess and a big portion of silliness. There will be rhyming, drawing and crafting your very own Greedy Pea to take home with you.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–10.45am LF27
I Hate Love Books
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£8 Age 4+
A magical event brimming with storytelling, drawing, and colouring with author and illustrator Mariajo Ilustrajo Listen to her latest story, I Hate Love Books, join in with the draw-along and help Mariajo fill a giant book. This thrilling adventure celebrates the magic of finding the right book for you.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–10.45am LF30
Supported by the Embassy of Spain and Instituto Cervantes
Onyeka and the
Heroes of the Dawn
Parabola Arts Centre
£8 Age 8+
Hidden agenda. Lost powers. Heart-pounding twists. Join us for a captivating journey to the mysterious Academy of the Sun with author Tolá Okogwu, creator of the Onyeka superhero adventure series. Who knows? You might uncover your own hidden superpowers and unleash your inner hero too.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LF39
The Legend of the Wild West Twins
The Hive
£8 Age 4+
Yeehaw! Have we got a heap of fun lined up for y’all? There’ll be interactive storytelling, Wild West games and a chance to draw yer own wanted poster. Plus, you can find out yer cowgirl or cowboy name. Miss Jodie Lancet-Grant will be talkin’ ‘bout celebratin’ our differences and acceptin’ folks just the way they are. EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 11.30am–12.15pm LF49
Bex’s Fun New Reads
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£8 Age 8+
Fun Kids Radio’s Bex Lindsay introduces three exciting new authors: Max Boucherat, James Fox and Laura Noakes With stories from a gaming thriller to a character who accidentally goes viral and a hunt for a stolen painting, which will you choose to read next? Have your questions ready to help you decide.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10.30–11.30am LF33
With thanks to our event
Alice Roberts’ Wolf Road
Parabola Arts Centre
£8 Age 9+
Travel back to the Ice Age with anthropologist, author and broadcaster
Alice Roberts. Discover the inspiration behind Wolf Road and the real archaeological finds that informed it like stone tools, carved mammoth ivory and painted caves. Learn how today’s science is changing our ideas about the past and helping us see our ancient ancestors more clearly than ever before.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LF34
Destiny Ink Doodle Workshop
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Age 5+ Ticket includes one adult, one child and a signed book. Get your pencils and sketchbooks at the ready for an INKTASTIC workshop. Author and illustrator Adeola Sokunbi introduces the wonderful world of Destiny Ink, who uses creativity to overcome her worries. Expect a cosy, colourful doodle workshop that will help you unleash your own imagination and celebrate the magic of creativity.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LF38
Ben Miller’s Robin Hood
The Hive
£8 Age 7+
Laughter is guaranteed as author, comedian and actor Ben Miller presents his new children’s adventure, Introducing... Robin Hood
Aged 10 3 ⁄₄, a magical reimagining of Robin Hood. Find out what happens when a school-kid hero finds themself on the other side of the library in a completely different world and takes on the evil Sheriff of Nottingham.
Russell Kane’s Pet Selector!
Parabola Arts Centre
£8 Age 7+
Laugh along with pet-obsessed comedian, presenter and podcast host Russell Kane in this high-energy comedy gig for children based on his hilarious new children’s animal guide, Pet Selector Learn the wants, needs and cuddling capabilities of the animal kingdom with a fun-filled hour of props, jokes, facts and games.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LF42
Buy books by your favourite Festival authors from our Waterstones Children’s bookshop
The Clockwork Conspiracy
Attivo Garden Theatre
£8 Age 9+
Follow aspiring inventor Isaac Turner on a trail of clues around London’s most famous landmarks. Uncover a sinister plot in a race against time itself with author and confirmed nerd Sam Sedgman and discover the incredible science behind time and how it inspired his thrilling new mystery adventure, The Clockwork Conspiracy
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LF24
Plus find The Clockwork Conspiracy Trail around The Wild Wood
See page 11 for more details
Martha Maps
It Out in Time
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Age 4+ Ticket includes one adult, one child and a signed book. Join author and illustrator Leigh Hodgkinson, the mind behind CBeebies’ Olobob Top, on a time-travelling adventure through maps. Explore your unique talents and create a ‘Map of Me!’, then design your very own, forward-looking world map. How can you inspire positive actions and create a better world?
Return to Inkheart with Cornelia Funke
The Hive
£8 Age 8+
In a rare UK appearance, return to the beloved fantasy world of Inkheart with author and illustrator Cornelia Funke. Talking with Fun Kids Radio’s Bex Lindsay, she reveals characters, threats and the power of art and colour in her brilliant new stand-alone novel The Colour of Revenge. They will be joined by Cornelia’s daughter, Anna Schmitt Funke, the novel’s translator.
The World of Isadora Moon
Parabola Arts Centre
£8 Age 6+
Discover the enchanting world of Isadora Moon, half vampire, half fairy with author and illustrator Harriet Muncaster. Expect laughter, mishaps and surprises, perfect for young readers who want their magic and sparkle with a bit of bite. Find out about Isadora’s mermaid friend Emerald and the magical and mischievous Mirabelle too. Win a prize for the best Isadora Moon dress-up!
Family Day Out Discount
Make the most of your trip to the Festival and get 10% off when buying tickets to two or more family events
Enjoy the ultimate family day out, with free storytelling sessions, adventure trails, tasty treats from our on-site traders and even appearances by favourite book characters.
* Valid on family events taking place on the same day. Excludes workshops, book and ticket and YA events.
George Webster: Why Not?
The Hive
£8 Age 5+
Meet George Webster, CBeebies presenter, star of Strictly Come Dancing, and ambassador for people with Down syndrome. With his co-author Claire Taylor, and illustrator Tim Budgen, they present Why Not?, a fun book to inspire everyone to give things a go. Enjoy live drawing and ask George your questions in this interactive, accessible, family event.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–10.45am LF17
Dance Just Like So!
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£8 Age 3+
It’s dance class day, and Gran has promised to teach Kwesi and the neighbours the Shooby Doo Mambo. Join actress, musician, and writer Annemarie Anang for a joyous, interactive storytime event filled with music, dance and plenty of opportunities for children to take part and have fun.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–10.45am LF66
The Fairy Tale Fan Club with Richard Ayoade
Parabola Arts Centre
£8 Age 8+
Is the Big Bad Wolf actually that bad? When will Sleeping Beauty get out of bed? And what makes frogs so kissable? Embark on a whimsical journey into Fairy-Land with writer and actor Richard Ayoade and illustrator David Roberts. Hosted by Anna James
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LF25
Hamza Yassin’s Wild World
Attivo Garden Theatre
£8 Age 7+
Did you know that golden eagles can see forward and to the side at the same time?
Author, conservationist, cameraman and CBeebies star Hamza Yassin introduces his new book Hamza’s Wild World in an event peppered with fascinating facts about the world around us and his own adventures in nature. Hosted by Fun Kid Radio’s Bex Lindsay.
Pay it Forward
With every Waterstones purchase, you can gift another book to a child in need in Gloucestershire All books will be given to children in our community who might not otherwise have access to books
Which book will you give?
Marnie Midnight
The Hive
£8 Age 7+
Meet Marnie Midnight and her minibeast friends in their funfilled homeland of Miniopolis with author and illustrator
Laura Ellen Anderson
Discover how Laura takes inspiration from the real world, and create your own weird and wonderful minibeast character in this enchanting event.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 11.30am–12.30pm LF31
Michael Rosen’s Stories and Poems
Town Hall, Main Hall
£8 Age 5+
Michael Rosen is one of the nation’s best-loved children’s writers and performers whose classics like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and Jelly Boots, Smelly Boots have delighted children for generations. Fifty years since his first book, join the former Children’s Laureate in celebrating his newest books with totally true stories, extraordinary poems and lots of laughs.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LF22
Cartoon Workshop with RAMZEE
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Age 8+ Ticket includes one adult, one child and a signed book. Do you have lots of creative ideas but you’re not sure how to get them down on paper? Join author/illustrator of The Cheat Book, RAMZEE for a cartoon workshop where he’ll guide you step-by-step through the process of taking ideas and turning them into your own unique creations.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LF52
Supertato Silliness
Parabola Arts Centre
£8 Age 3+
If you’re looking for fun and giggles galore, this veggie adventure-fest is the family show for you. Filled with stories and silliness, celebrate our favourite supermarket superhero, Supertato, with its co-creator, Sue Hendra You can even make your own veggie superhero to take home.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LF04
All events in our Family programme will be introduced by winners of the BAFTA Young Presenters competition
Astrid and the Space Cadets
Town Hall, Pillar Room
£8 Age 5+
5, 4, 3, 2, 1... Lift off with author-illustrator Alex T. Smith and meet Astrid Atomic, your typical six-yearold until the lights go out at bedtime. Then, she becomes a space cadet aboard Stardust, her trusty spaceship. Join Astrid and her friends on the Stardust for a thrilling, out-of-this-world mission and space adventure.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12.30–1.30pm LF26
Look out for Supertato around the Festival site
Image: David Levene
Image: Hugo Glendinning
The Great Big Dinosaur Show
The Hive
£8 Age 3+
Which dinosaur had teeth as big as a banana? Which dinosaur weighed the same as 10,000 cats? And why is a chicken in this show?
Join poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko for a morning of poems, raps and songs about your favourite prehistoric protagonists –and some you haven’t heard of yet! Get your groove on to some Jurassic Classics.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 1.15–2.15pm LF29
Magical Adventures Writing Workshop
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Age 9+ Ticket includes one adult, one child and a signed book. Do you dream of dragons?
Would you like to create a fantastic story filled with magic and adventure? Author Liz Flanagan presents her Legends of the Sky series and shows how she wove together experience and imagination. Join in with a series of creative tasks to wake up your own imagination before beginning a new magical story.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LF69
Image: David Scheinmann
Alexander Armstrong Evenfall
Parabola Arts Centre
£8 Age 9+
In this adventure-packed event, Alexander Armstrong introduces Evenfall: The Golden Linnet, his epic debut children’s book bursting with ancient magic, secret societies and fearsome foes. Solve riddles, design a family crest and discover Alexander’s top tips to write your own thrilling adventures. Hosted by writer Anna James
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LF62
The History of Information
The Hive
£8 Age 9+
What connects cave paintings with artificial intelligence? Information, of course! Journey through the evolution of knowledge and communication with timelines, graphics and props in this fun, interactive session with author and illustrator Chris Haughton . Enjoy live drawing and the chance for lots of questions. Take a glimpse into the future too.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3–4pm LF58
Literature Festival for Schools
We can’t wait to welcome over 12,000 pupils to the Festival Village for inspirational explorations of the written and spoken word.
This year’s writers, illustrators and industry professionals include Maz Evans, Matt Goodfellow, Hiba Noor Khan and Sarah Crossan
For more information about our work with schools, visit: cheltenhamfestivals.org/literature-for-schools Bus fees kindly supported by
Saturday 12 October
Create Fantasy Worlds with Cressida Cowell
Attivo Garden Theatre
£8 Age 7+
Plunge into the imagination of Cressida Cowell, the multi-million-selling author and illustrator of How to Train Your Dragon as she introduces a Dragon short story collection and gives you a peek at her next out-of-thisworld Which Way book. She’ll help you create your own magical world and characters, while illustrating live.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LF53
Once Upon a Time Dunkertons Tap Room
£8 Age 3+
Featuring Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs and other favourite fairytale characters, join Becci Books for music, props and lots of participation at this interactive storytelling session.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–10.30am LF75
Make Your Own Mystery Workshop
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Age 9+ Ticket includes one adult, one child and a signed book. Make your own mystery with author of The Nine Night Mystery, Sharna Jackson
In this fun and fast-paced session, get into the three Ps – people, plot and place. Choose a setting, develop detectives, select suspicious suspects and call out the culprit, tying it all together with a tantalising title.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LF71
How to Grow a Mermaid
The Hive
£8 Age 3+
Explore the fantastical world of the How to Grow picture book series with author Rachel Morrisroe and illustrator Steven Lenton
The duo will take you on an adventure to Mr Pottifer’s Parlour of Plants, where magic really does grow on trees. The event will include fabulous rhyming readings, dazzling drawing and the chance to create your very own magical creature.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–10.45am LF63
Grimwood Party with Nadia Shireen
Parabola Arts Centre
£10 Age 7+
Laugh your head off with author and illustrator Nadia Shireen as she tells you about the hilariously silly animal characters and their adventures in Grimwood Find out what it takes to create your own story and have your pencils at the ready to draw two of her fantastic characters.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LF76
Murray and Bun with Adam Stower
Dunkertons Tap Room
£15 Age 6+ Ticket includes one adult, one child and a signed book. Get your pens at the ready for lots and lots of drawing with author and illustrator Adam Stower as he introduces you to your new favourite duo, Murray and Bun. Murray is a cat who loves snoozing, fluffy blankets and peace and quiet. Bun is a bun. He loves everything. Together, they are unstoppable.
11am–12pm LF36
The Explorer’s Guide to Going Wild
The Hive
£8 Age 8+
Meet world record-breaking adventurer ‘Polar’ Preet Chandi in this event perfect for young adventurers. Hear about Preet’s expeditions around the world and get some top tips on how to plan your own adventures (even on your doorstep). Covering everything from how to camp in the wild to overcoming failure, Preet is guaranteed to inspire any young adventurer.
11.30am–12.30pm LF57
Otto the TOP Dog and other Animal Stories
Parabola Arts Centre
£8 Age 4+
Author and illustrator
Catherine Rayner returns to explore big feelings in Otto the TOP Dog, about a sausage dog who can’t say no. Join in the storytelling, look inside Catherine’s sketchbook and enjoy live drawings, then get your pencils and notebooks at the ready for an Otto draw-along too.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LF40
Dungeon Runners
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£8 Age 7+
There’s space for a new team of heroes – don’t miss your chance to enter the leagues and fight your way to the top. Join author Kieran Larwood for this amazing puzzlesolving event. Test your skills, create characters and embark on an adventure. Do you have what it takes to become a Dungeon Runner?
Bing’s Festival Playtime
The Hive
£8 Age 2+
Woo-Hoo! Join professional storyteller Lucy Walters for interactive storytelling from the books based on the well-known CBeebies series Bing, including the brandnew tale, The Leaf Hunt There will be an opportunity to take part in fun-packed games and singalongs, plus the chance to meet Bing for a hug! EVENT
1.30–2.15pm LF32
You can search for all family eents on our website using the filter
The Brilliant Brain
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£8 Age 4+
Explore the wonderful workings of the brain with medical doctor and writer Roopa Farooki. Every second of every day, something is happening in every tiny bit of your body, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet... how does that happen? Find out in this fun, fact-filled introduction to the human body, for curious young minds.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–2.45pm LF74
Plus find Bing’s Leaf Hunt around The Wild Wood
See page 11 for more details
The Most Unladylike Puzzle Party
Attivo Garden Theatre
£8 Age 8+
Celebrate 10 years of Robin Stevens’ Murder Most Unladylike series. Join Robin and her detectives for mystery-solving tips and code-cracking fun, marking the release of The Most Unladylike Puzzle Book
Whether you’re a Detective Society member or new to the series, bring your detective skills and enjoy the party. EVENT
Crazy Comic Draw Off
Parabola Arts Centre
£8 Age 5+
Two illustrators, two graphic novels, one big draw off!
Sophy Henn presents her hilarious Happy Hills, a place where anything can happen and always does. Jim Smith, aka Waldo Pancake, presents his bonkers book of facts, How to be a Genius Kid
Finally, an epic draw off based on your ideas. Huge fun for all the family.
Hosted by Steven Lenton
EVENT
The Letter with the Golden Stamp
The Hive
£8 Age 9+
Author of The Boy at the Back of the Class, Onjali Q. Rauf returns with a touching tale about a secret 10-yearold carer and her journey to find help for her family. Onjali explores themes of compassion and resilience in this fun, fast-paced story and spotlights the challenges faced by over one million Young Carers in the UK today.
The Island of Brilliant podcast with Lauren Child
Parabola Arts Centre
£10 Age 9+
Waterstones Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce and author and illustrator Nadia Shireen are shipwrecked on The Island of Brilliant with only hammocks, children’s books and biscuits to pass the time. They’re joined by Lauren Child, the artist and writer best-known for Clarice Bean and Charlie and Lola for a LIVE podcast about Lauren’s book making and the world of children’s books.
There are plenty of free activities to discover in The Wild Wood, from storytelling sessions, mystery trails, arts and crafts and so much more See pages 10 and 11 for more information
Image: Chris Close
Oi Dinosaurs!
Parabola Arts Centre
£8 Age 2+
The Oi Frog and Friends series is loved by families and won the Laugh Out Loud Picture Book Award. According to Frog, in dinosaur times sitting down hadn’t been invented. So… Pterosaurs didn’t sit on bendy straws and Triceratops didn’t sit on lollipops. Join Kes Gray and Jim Field for oodles of prehistoric rhyming fun in this roaring, stomping, dino-packed event.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LF70
Crafting Characters Workshop
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£25 Age 8+ Ticket includes one adult, one child and a signed book. Meet characters from Quill The Forest Keeper and craft your very own animal characters in a fun illustration workshop with Marije Tolman Marije will guide you through her illustration techniques and invite you to make special view boxes to bring your characters alive.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LF73
Supported by the Dutch Foundation for Literature and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
With thanks to our event supporters
Greenwild with Pari Thomson
The Hive
£8 Age 9+
Join 2024 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize winner, Pari Thomson, and enter a world where nature is alive with magic. In this interactive event, Pari talks about the ideas and inspirations behind her spectacular fantasy adventure, Greenwild, where the wilderness is alive, and a deep magic rises from the earth itself and shows you how to create your own magical portal.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LF45
Supported by Waterstones
Lottie Brooks with Katie Kirby
Attivo Garden Theatre
£8 Age 9+
The fantastically funny and relatable Lottie Brooks series, written and illustrated by Katie Kirby, is filled with first experiences, friendship fails, embarrassing moments and plenty of laughs. Just like this event! Can Lottie get through term without creating chaos and with her BFFs intact? Join Katie to find out – and bring your notebook and pens for the draw-along.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 10–11am LF14
Elmer Storytelling with Mama G
The Hive
£8 Age 2+
Get ready to sing, dance, laugh and celebrate being YOU. Join pantomime dame Mama G as they share magical stories about everyone’s favourite elephant, Elmer and expect a special appearance from Elmer too.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 11.45am–12.30pm LF67
Mega Robo Bros comic Workshop
Queens Hotel, Regency Suite
£20 Age 9+ Ticket includes one adult, one child and a signed book. Calling all budding graphic novelists! Sharpen your pencils and get ready to create your very own characters and comics with Neill Cameron, cartoonist for The Phoenix comic and creator of the Mega Robo Bros
12–1pm LF19 2–3pm LF20
Cluedle! Solve the Mystery LIVE
Parabola Arts Centre
£8 Age 9+
Hartigan Browne, Britain’s greatest detective, has solved countless complex crimes and is now overwhelmed by demand. Believing in everyone’s potential, he mentors anyone with perseverance and curiosity to crack mysteries – and now it’s your turn. Aided by his cousin and amateur sleuth Jenny Pearson and performer Liz Frost , can you solve Cluedunnit?
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 12–1pm LF44
Children’s Book Swap
Donate your pre-loved children’s books and choose from a great selection of stories and family favourites
Look out for more details in our free programme mid-September
Chills and Thrills
The Hive
£8 Age 9+
Adventure, high stakes, peril! Masters of suspense Kathryn Foxfield, Jordan Lees and Ashley Thorpe talk with mystery writer Sharna Jackson about their gripping new adventures, filled with twists and turns, tension and tricky situations. Sci-fi, fantasy, monsters, gods, a curious doll hear all about these gripping reads.
1.15–2.15pm LF60
Guinness World Records 2025
Attivo Garden Theatre
£8 Age 8+
Editor in chief, Craig Glenday brings Guinness World Records 2025 to life. Expect a fun-packed interactive hour of brand-new record-breaking content from talented parrots to amazing feats of strength and determination. On its 70th anniversary, find out how the book has evolved, and how record breaking can make a change for good.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 2–3pm LF08
Buy books by your favourite Festival authors from our Waterstones Children’s bookshop
Kwame Alexander: The Crossover
The Hive
£8 Age 12+ “ The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I’m delivering”
No. 1 New York Times
bestselling author Kwame Alexander performs poems from his award-winning verse sports trilogy and new historical series. Experience the power of his words and feel their potential to change lives.
EVENT TIME EVENT CODE 3–4pm LF68
With thanks to our event supporters
Plan Your Perfect Festival
With the Cheltenham Festivals App
Available on Android and IOS, it’s the easiest way to plan your Festival visit. Scan the QR code to download it now.
Lewis: Going Infinite Rockonteurs: I Was There Fragile Beauty: Elton John and David Furnish
Bryony Gordon: Mad Woman
Robyn Davidson
Supper Club
Gay Bar: Why We Went Out
Sofie Hagen: Will I Ever Have Sex Again?
Lynda La Plante
William Hague and Anthony Seldon
Hugo Rifkind Canters Through the News
Chaotic History
Bex’s Fun New Reads The Legend of the Wild West Twins
and the Heroes of the Dawn
The Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence: Alan Hollinghurst
on
Shriver
Sunday Times Must Reads: Asako Yuzuki
O’Hea Caitlin Moran: What About Men?
Map It Out In Time Workshop The Clockwork Conspiracy with Sam Sedgman Destiny Ink Doodle Workshop Ben Miller’s Robin Hood Return to Inkheart with Cornelia Funke
Monty Don and Derry Moore: Venetian Gardens
The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place
Kate Mosse
Onyeka
Alice Roberts’ Wolf Road
Russell Kane’s Pet Selector!
The World of Isadora Moon
Alice Roberts: Crypt The New Cold War
Jess Phillips: Let’s Be Honest
Andrew Hunter Murray and Daisy Buchanan
Town Hall, Main Hall Town Hall, Pillar Room
The Times and Sunday Times Forum
The Sunday Papers with Hugo Rifkind
The End of Empire
Attivo Garden Theatre The Hive
Hamza Yassin’s Wild World
The Nook On Five
George Webster: Why Not?
Regency Suite, Queens Hotel Parabola Arts Centre
Meet at Rails Meadow Car Park, Tewkesbury 10am 11am 12pm
Michael Rosen Stories and Poems
Marnie Midnight How to Build Impossible Things
The Times Live
Richard Osman
Rory CellanJones and #Sophie From Romania
Dance Just Like So! Fairy Tale Fan Club with Richard Ayoade
Cartoon Workshop with RAMZEE Astrid and the Space Cadets
The Great Big Dinosaur Show
Some Like It Cold with Elle McNicoll
Kindred Spirits?
Why Am I Like This? Love, Loss and Occasional Wars
New Voices: Sinéad Gleeson and Elizabeth O’Connor
The Sunday Times Debate: 100 Days to Save the NHS?
Change and Choice: 75 Years of Women’s Lives
The History of Information
America: Small Towns, Big Issues
Bob Mortimer
Remembering Hardship and Faith
Out! Tim Shipman and Rachel Sylvester
Elif Shafak
Afternoon Tea with Persephone Books
It’s a Rum Thing Acts of Creation: Art and Motherhood
Meet the Literary Editors
Supertato Silliness
Brensham Trilogy: Literary Walking Tour
Magic Adventures Writing Workshop Alexander Armstrong Evenfall
Being Human in the Age of AI
Alternative Book Club
Mike Batt
Richard Coles
Breakfast with The Times: Behind the Headlines
Invention of British Art
Petroc Trelawny’s Cornwall
Van Gogh’s Masterpiece
Anton du Beke
Beowulf: Poem and Hero
Jodi Picoult
Stories of Venice
Is Why You Dream
Legends of Heroes, Humans and Magic
Mind
Oaklore
Celebrate With Elif Shafak
Picturing Japan
Harris
and Putin: An Alliance Against the West?
Miriam Margolyes
Church Tour: Winchcombe
Glorious Gloucestershire
Jacqueline Wilson
Yoko Tawada Wander Women
Heinemann Proof Party
Celebrate With Clare Chambers
with Tom Parker Bowles Literary Salon: International Picks
Century
Lorraine Kelly
Hornby Recommends: Francesca Segal
Africa
Stephen King and Daniel Susskind
Fred Sirieix: Seriously British
Heavy Black Bones
Hastings: Operation Biting
Clary
Manners
Wild Margins
Nathan Hill New Voices: Jennie Godfrey
PR and Making the News
Pam Ayres
Green Machines
Andrew O’Hagan
Geoff Hurst: Last Boy of ‘66
Knackered Mums’ Night Out
Adrian Chiles
New Voices: Aimée Walsh and Rosie Price
John Murray Proof Party
Breakfast with The Times: Behind the Headlines Britain, China and Xi Jinping Ian
Rankin
Russell Watson
Carol Vorderman Future 75
Matt Haig
Before The Fall Friendship, Fraud and Fine Art
Naked Portrait: Sitting for Lucian Freud
Sarah Jossel: The Beauty Boss
Cabaret: Behind the Velvet Rope
How the World Eats
Wild Thing: Paul Gauguin
Beautiful Atlantic Waltz
France: A Country in Crisis?
How To Tap into Your Night Brain
Michelangelo: The Last Decades
From the Outside Looking In
Jane and Fi and Vera Stanhope
Fearne Cotton New Voices Spotlight
W&N Proof Party
Wine Times The Plant Hunters
Modi’s India: Popularity and Polarisation
How to be a Literary Explorer
Ladder with Neneh
Town Hall, Main Hall Town Hall, Pillar Room
The Times and Sunday Times Forum Attivo Garden Theatre The Hive Regency Suite, Queens Hotel Parabola Arts Centre Dunkertons Tap Room
75 Years of Spy Stories
The Booker Shortlist Nicolas Hamilton
Create Fantasy Worlds with Cressida Cowell
How to Grow a Mermaid Make Your Own Mystery
Meet at Box Office, Montpellier Gardens
Frank Gardner and Charles Cumming
The Hidden Power of Fantasy
A Celebration of Friendship Celia Imrie and Fidelis Morgan
The Explorer’s Guide to Going Wild
Maggie AderinPocock
Emma Freud Meets Geri Halliwell
Thrilling YA Reads
The Most Unladylike Puzzle Party
Breaking the News
Write, Cut Rewrite
Michael Palin
Creative Writing Workshop: How to Structure a Novel Maybe Baby: Are Children For Me?
Grimwood Party with Nadia Shireen
Once Upon a Time
Murray and Bun with Adam Stower
Bing’s Festival Playtime The Brilliant Brain Dungeon Runners
Letter with the Golden Stamp
Otto the Top Dog and other Animal Stories
Crazy Comic Draw Off
The Island of Brilliant with Lauren Child
Bookshop Crawl
Irish Writing: A Golden Age
Emma Freud Meets Miranda Hart
Dale Vince When Poets Write Prose
Alison Steadman A Portrait of Radiohead
Rebecca F Kuang
#BookTok and Beyond with Harper Fire
New Voices: Kaliane Bradley and Lauren Elkin Jordan Stephens
Now That’s What I Call Poetry
Cheltenham
Thank you to our Partners and Supporters
Title Partner
Principal Partners
Major Partners
We are delighted to sponsor Cheltenham Literature Festival. We work collaboratively with the Festival team, curating a wonderful programme of events featuring the latest literary talent and many of our award-winning journalists The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio
We are proud to be Partners of this world-renowned literary festival, and to present the annual Cheltenham Literature Festival at Sea on board Queen Mary 2, bringing you the written word in all its wonderful variety Cunard
Jennifer Hayward
We’re delighted to be a long-standing partner of Cheltenham Literature Festival
Just as literature echoes across generations, trees and woods stand as living chronicles of our planet’s history By protecting ancient trees and woodlands so people and wildlife can thrive, we’re also preserving the legends, myths and fables harboured within them Woodland Trust
Global Partners
We are delighted to continue our relationship with Cheltenham Literature Festival. The poetry audience is expanded by poetry being seen, heard and felt, as well as read. Writers need literary festivals and so do their readers, and we are proud to support this one
T. S. Eliot Prize
In-Kind and Media Partners
With the popularity of contemporary Japanese literature at an all-time high, it is our great pleasure to work with the Festival and to see Japanese authors being so well-received at such a prestigious event
The Japan Foundation
Leaf Creative has been a dedicated supporter of Cheltenham Festivals since 2014, bringing the colourful world of plants to the forefront of the community. Through our ongoing collaboration with Cheltenham Festivals, we continue to showcase the “theatre of plants”, creating unforgettable experiences for all Leaf Creative Gardens
with Patronage
Join our valued Patron community and play a crucial role in advancing our artistic programmes and outreach projects, creating experiences that bring joy, spark curiosity, connect communities and inspire change. From £90 per month, Patronage covers all four Festivals.
You’ll also benefit from:
✓ Advanced booking and early programme announcements
✓ Access to hospitality areas at our Festivals
✓ Invitations to special events and parties
To find out more please email patrons@cheltenhamfestivals.org or visit cheltenhamfestivals.org/supportus/become-a-patron
As a UK taxpayer you can increase the value of your Patronage donation by 25% at no extra cost with
I feel like an important part of the whole Festivals experience, including the huge amount of work done for schools, young people and the local community
Keith Norton, Life Patron
Patron Acknowledgements
Life Patrons
Dr Lynda Albertyn and Pat Gallasch
Mark and Sue Blanchfield
Peter and Anne Bond
Dominic and Jannene Collier
Michael and Felicia Crystal
Colin and Suzanne Doak
Victoria Draper
Miles and Monica Dunkley
The Eaton Family
Carole Epstein - her life and legacy
Fingerhuth Leung Family
Charles Fisher
Lucy Freeman and Peter Hulett
Mr and Mrs D M Gates
David and John Hall
Margaret Headen
Diane and Mark Hill
Jeremy and Germaine
Hitchins Family
Jonathan and Cassinha
Hitchins Family
Stephen and Tania
Hitchins Family
Jeff and Keren Illiffe
Elizabeth and Michael Jones and Family
David Jones and Amanda Payne
Rick and Lisa Jones
Steven and Linda Jones
Hugh and Sue Koch
Robert and Moira Leechman
Hazel and Jeremy Lewis
Eileen Lockwood
The McKelvie Family
Fiona McLeod
The McWilliam family in loving memory of Ruth McWilliam
Keith Norton and Piers Norton
The Parker Family in loving memory of Edward and Gladys
Mark and Elizabeth
Philip-Sørensen
Anthony and Rowenna Poeton
Shelley Bence and Felix Robson in memory of Jason Robson
Karen Salters and
Marcus Freer
John and Susan Singer
Simon Skinner and Jean
Gouldsmith Skinner
Andrew Smith
Phil and Jennifer Stapleton
Liz and Neil Stewart
Sharon Studer and Graham Beckett
Chris and Bridgette Sunman
Fiona and David Symondson
Michelle Thorley
Luanne and Hodson Thornber
The Walker Family
Jacqueline Woof
Director’s Circle Patrons
Heather Barrett
Sue Bennett
Charlie Chan
Richard Claridge
Sarah Cook and Gemma
Irvine
Michael and Angela Cronk
Arlene Davies
Carol and Adrian Farnell
Ricardo Fearon
Marc and Melanie Gillespie
Jeremy and Alison Halliday
Mark and Moira Hamlin
Stephen Harper and Megan Broadley
Jennifer Hayward and Richard Waite
Stephen Hodge
Andrew and Caroline Hope
Graham and Jenny Hopkins
The Keogh Family
Simon and Emma Keswick
Emma Logan and KB Beaton
Iain F Lovatt
Andrew and Susanne Malim
Hayden and Tracy McKinnes
Spencer McPherson and Emily Poole
The Miskin Family
Chris Morgan
P. J. Moore
Joanna Morrison
Oldham Foundation
John Phillips
Andrew Pitt and Pamela Odih
Jan and Gill Rowe
Andy and Ali Stalsberg
Peter Stormonth Darling
Charitable Trust
Paul and Amanda Toner
Michael and Rosie Warner
Stephen Wood
Gold Patrons
Sigrid and Ben Atkinson
Nicholas and Alixandra Avery
Christopher Bence
Sam Berwick
Stephen Bond
Matthew and Emily Clayton
Ian Culverhouse
Sally Dimmer
Wallace and Morag Dobbin
Peter and Sue Elliott
Colin and Susan Enticknap
Mark and Olpha Gibbon
Gill Greenhalgh and Steven Bond
Louise Hewett D.L.
Mike and Judie Hill
Elizabeth Jacobs
Nathan and Jenny McLoughlin
Sir Michael and Lady McWilliam
Kim Moore
Louise Morgan
Paul and Kathy Mottershead
Giles Mountford
John and Judith Murray
Dr Julia Pearson and Dr Keith
England
Adrian and Cassandra Phillips
Martin and Susan Pickard
Joe and Clare Rowan
Joanna and Stuart Richards
Khal and Zoe Rudin
Brenda Salters and Harold Longmate
Candy Shaw and William Barff
Mat and Patsy Shilling
Esther and Peter Smedvig
Mr G.M. Ward and Mrs M.R.C. Ward
Silver Patrons
We would also like to thank all our anonymous Patrons and Silver Patrons who are listed on the website: cheltenhamfestivals.org/ our-patrons
• Aud iences
o r s
• Ctno tcar
• Listeners
• Staff • Volunteers
It Takes a Village
• stnegA
• Illustrators • Educators • Pa trons • Members • YOU P sremrofre • sretirW • stsoH • R ae d e r s
• Sponsors • Partners to create our Festival
Thank you all for making it possible
• srehsilbuP
Acknowledgements
The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival is presented by Cheltenham Festivals, a Charity and a company limited by guarantee.
Cheltenham Festivals Board of Trustees
Mark Philip-Sorensen (Chair)
Kiane Atanga
Lucy Carlton-Walker
Deborah Cogan Thacker
Adrian Farnell
Beverley Grimster
Peter Howarth
Lauren Stone
Jonathan White
Andrew Williams
Company Secretary
Matthew Clayton
Co-CEOs
Ian George
Ali Mawle
Senior Management Team
Helena Bibby
Julia Caskey
Alaana Watt
Programming
Chloe Barsby
Loraine Evans
Sophie Hoult
Jo James
Ellie Petrie
Nicola Tuxworth
Emma Whittle
Festival Administrator
Emily Davis
Marketing and Box Office
Jade Beard, Phil Brook, Hannah Franklin, Dan Hartland, Hannah McNally, Grace Pascoe, Madelaine Richards, Grace Walsh, Liz Wheatley
Learning and Participation
Pip Claridge, Sarah Cooksley, Khazana McLaughlin, Kelly Turner, Rose Wood
Development
Katherine Cox, Alice Gilder, Becky Harte, Holly Haynes, Evan Martin Holt, Teddy Mladenova, Tara Patterson, Lydia Ractliffe, Samantha Sandford, Connor Teague, Eleri Thomas Operations and Production
Clive Bremner
James Clay
Claire Crawford
Adrian Hensley
James Kitto
Andrew Lansley
Joanna Longuet-Higgins
James Mackenzie
Sophia McCrea
Tarren Production
Mo Soper
Finance
Ben Bates, Russ Poole
Festival Advisory Group
Sam Baker, Abigail Bergstrom, Clare Clark, Inua Ellams, Will Gompertz, Daniel Hahn, Andrew Holgate, Caroline Hutton, Sharna Jackson, Clarissa Pabi
With many thanks to our programming partners and the publishers, agents, staff and volunteers, all of whom provide invaluable support and help make the Festival a success.
Contact
If you have any specific comments about the Festival, please email boxoffice@ cheltenhamfestivals.org
Company No. 456573
Charity No. 251765
VAT Registration No. 100114013
Programme Artwork
@ 2024 Cheltenham Festivals, Liz Wheatley
Let’s celebrate the 75th anniversary of The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival! Love the exciting talent here? Find more fantastic festivals, museums, cultural events, and attractions in Gloucestershire and beyond.
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How to Book
To get the best out of the Festival we recommend you book in advance, however there will be availability for some events at the Box Office on site.
During the Festival
You can purchase tickets in person at our Festival Box Office. Opening hours will be listed at cheltenham festivals.org/booking
Booking fees
Booking fees apply to all bookings and are charged per order. Fees are £4 online and over the phone, with no fees for in person bookings.
Access Ticket Bookings
Please book using our online form which will be available from 27 August at cheltenhamfestivals.org/ our-festivals/accessiblebooking
Dining Event Booking
Our dining seating plans are pre-allocated by the venue and tables may be shared. Please inform our Box Office about any dietary requirements or add these to the special requirements field when booking online.
Family Discount
Get 10% off when buying tickets to two or more family events. Valid on family events taking place on the same day. Excludes workshops and YA events.
Gift Vouchers
Cheltenham Festivals
Gift Vouchers may be purchased at our Box Office or online and may be redeemed against ticket or Membership purchases.
Refunds
Tickets cannot be refunded, except in the case of a cancelled event. Tickets can be exchanged subject to a £3 fee (excluding Patrons and Member+) and availability. Please note, if there is a difference in price, ticket holders will not be refunded the difference and will have to pay any additional cost price. Sometimes alterations to the advertised details of an event or performance are made at short notice. If this happens there is no obligation to refund your money or exchange your seats.
For full ticketing terms and conditions please visit cheltenhamfestivals.org/ terms-and-conditions
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Index
Abigail Bergstrom 51 64
Adam Boulton 58
Adam Stower 76
Adam Rutherford 23
Adeola Sokunbi 71
Adrian Lukis 65
Adrian Chiles 43 44
Advolly Richmond 45
Aimée de Jongh 53 67
Aimée Walsh 41
Alan Hollinghurst 20
Alan Edwards 17
Alex South 52
Alex Payne 61
Alex T Smith 74
Alexander Armstrong 27 75
Ali Allawi 35
Alice Roberts 20 71
Alice Haddon 36
Alice Thomson 25
Alison Steadman 59
Alison Bonomi 63
Allen Packwood 51
Amanda Craig 27
Amber Guinness 17
Amie Jordan 56 67
Amy Twigg 48
Amy Jeffs 32 34
Andrew O’Hagan 42
Andrew McMillan 58
Andrew Hunter Murray 22 23
28
Andrew McNeillie 42
Andrew Ziminski 31 32
Andrew Monaghan 32
Andy Darcy Theo 56 67
Ania Card 46
Ann Cleeves 46
Ann Morgan 45 46 61
Anna Murphy 50 51 64
Anna Jackson 32
Anna James 73
Anna Schmitt Funke 72
Anna Cascarina 51
Anna Murphy 50 51 64
Annabel Abbs 49
Annalie Grainger 15
Anne Robbins 41
Anne Glenconner 42
Annemarie Anang 73
Annie Gray 37
Anthony Seldon 17
Anton du Beke 34
Anton Hur 61
Ariane Bankes 36
Arthur Parkinson 61
Asako Yuzuki 22
Ashley Thorpe 80
Ashley John-Baptiste 80 17
Ava Glass 55
Ayesha Erkin 37
Barbara Kingsolver 52
Becky Brown 20
Ben Miller 71
Ben Macintyre 52
Ben Hoyle 47 50
Ben Taylor 31 26
Bendor Grosvenor 31
Benjamin Dean 68
Beth Reekles 26 67
Bettany Hughes 36
Bex Lyndsay 70 72
Bing Performer 77
Bob Mortimer 28
Bobby Palmer 16
Brenda Blethyn 46
Brendan O’Hea 19
Bryony Gordon 16
Caitlin Moran 15 23
Callum Robinson 63
Carol Vorderman 47
Caroline Quentin 61
Caroline Hutton 27 29
Caroline Magennis 55
Carolyn Dunster 15
Catherine Rayner 77
Catherine Philp 31
Cathy Newman 53
Celia Imrie 55
Charles Cumming 55 56
Charlotte Jansen 41 48
Charlotte Ivers 41
Chietigj Bajpaee 45
Chris Mould 53 67
Chris Haughton 75
Chris Thorogood 45
Christopher Phillips 31
Claire Taylor 73
Claire Kilroy 27
Clare Clark 20 28 29 34 57 61
Clare Mackintosh 57 63
Clare Leslie Hall 42
Clare Chambers 35
Claudia Hammond 16
Colin Greenwood 59
Colin Barrett 48
Cornelia Funke 72
Craig Glenday 80
Craig Brown 23
Cressida Cowell 76
Daisy Buchanan 22
Dale Vince 59
Dan Snow 35
Daniel Medin 38 40
Daniel Susskind 38
Daniel Hahn 31 37 38 42
Danielle Jawando 52 56 62 67 68
David Roberts 73
David Nicholls 51 54
David Gange 42
David van Reybrouck 25
David Yelland 44
Derry Moore 21
Dharshini David 62
Dina Macki 37
Dirk Van Hulle 57
Dorian Lynskey 61
Doyne Farmer 54
Duncan Forbes 14
Edward Howell 32
Elif Shafak 29 31
Elisabeth Braw 35
Elizabeth O’Connor 28
Ella Mills 41
Elle McNicoll 26 67
Elle Machray 48
Elly Griffiths 63
Emma Freud 51 56 58
Emma Nanami Strenner 37
Emma Healey 37
Emma Smith 64
Erica Wagner 23
Eve Esfaniari-Denny 52
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé 21 67
Fearne Cotton 48
Fern Britton 34 35
Fi Glover 48 57
Fidelis Morgan 55
Fiona Lindsay 59
Fiona Williams 16
Fiona Stafford 41 42
Floella Benjamin 26
Florence Knapp 46
Francesca Beauman 27
Francesca Segal 39
Frank Gardner 56
Frank Cottrell Boyce 56
Fred Sirieix 39
Gabby Logan 63
Gaby Wood 55
Gary Stevenson 54
Gary Kemp 17
Gecko 75
Gemma Styles 28
Geoff Hurst 44
George Webster 73
Georgina Godwin 21 25 27 32
35 42 44 51 55
Geri Halliwell-Horner 56
Giuseppe Albano 50
Grace Flahive 51
Grace Banks 27 32 33
Grant Lewis 47
Greg Jenner 70
Guy Pratt 17
Hamza Yassim 73
Hana Walker-Brown 36 59 62 63
Hanako Footman 52
Hannah Ritchie 62
Hannah Crosbie 53
Hannah MacInnes 43 53 61
Hannah McInnes 61
Harriet Muncaster 72
Harriet Walter 64
Harriet Constable 34
Hashi Mohamed 14
Heather O’Donoghue 33
Helen Fielding 62
Helena Lee 52
Hettie Judah 27
Hollie McNish 54 55
Hugo Rifkind 15 19 23 25
Ian Rankin 45
Ian Burrell 29
Ibtisam Azem 20
Immi Dash 54
Irenson Okojie 44
Isabel Hilton 22 25
Jack Edwards 58
Jacqueline Wilson 38
James Marriott 50
James Haskell 61
James Fox 70
James Barr 31
Jan Carson 59
Jane Garvey 46
Jane Steel 39
Jason Allen-Paisant 52
Jennie Godfrey 43
Jenny Pearson 80
Jeremy Atherton 17
Jeremy Griffin 25 45
Jess Phillips 19 23
Jessica Stanley 37
Jim Smith 78
Jim Field 79
Jo Baring 19
Joanna Cannon 33
Jodi Picoult 34
Jodie Lancet Grant 70
Joel Rochester 48
Joelle Taylor 17 53 58 62 68
Johanna Thomas-Corr 42 52 54
John Sergeant 14
John Torode 50
John Lewis-Stempel 41
Jonny Sweet 15
Jordan Lees 80
Jordan Stephens 59
Josephine Quinn 15
Josh Silver 56
Judi Dench 19
Jules Acton 32
Julia Wheeler 15 16 25 31 34 41 52 55 56 61 62 63
Julia Leonard 17
Julian Clary 41
Julian Baggini 47
Julie Kirsch 50
Juliet Annan 16
Justin Webb 27
K Patrick 58
Kaliane Bradley 59
Kapil Komireddi 45
Kapka Kassabova 62
Karen Gurney 43
Karolina Watroba 40
Kate Weinberg 51
SCAN ME
Kate Mosse 19 23
Kate Weston 56 67
Kate Kirkpatrick 36
Kate Summerscale 22
Kate McCann 35
Katherine Heiny 27
Kathleen Glasgow 65 68
Kathryn Foxfield 80
Katie Kirby 79
Katy Hessel 19
Keiran Goddard 64
Kerry Brown 45
Kes Gray 79
Kieran Larwood 77
Krystal Sutherland 20 67
Krystelle Bamford 37
Kwajo Tweneboa 14
Kwame Alexander 68 80
Lara Spirit 40
Laura Ellen Anderson 74
Laura Bates 56 67
Laura Freeman, 46
Laura Whitmore 28
Laura Hackett 19 22 29 31
Laura Thompson 36
Laura Varnam 33
Laura Noakes 70
Laura Hackett 19 22 29 31
Lauren James 56 67
Lauren Roberts 62 68
Lauren Elkin 59
Lauren Child 56 78
Leanne Egan 68
Leigh Hodgkinson 70 72
Leigh Turner 32
Lindsey Hilsum 43
Lionel Shriver 21
Lisa Faulkner 50
Liz Flanagan 75
Liz Earle 63 64
Liz Frost 80
Llewelyn Morgan 63
Lola Young 17
Lorraine Kelly 37
Lucy Rose 46
Lucy Steeds 42
Lucy Walters 77
Lucy Cuthew 15
Lucy Bannerman 38
Luigi Bonomi 63
Lydia Caston 14
Lynda La Plante 16
Madhumita Murgia 26
Maggie Aderin-Pocock 57
Mai Musié 36
Maisie Hill 31
Malachy Tallack 46
Mariajo Ilustrajo 70
Marianna Spring 52
Marije Tolman 79
Marina Hyde 25
Mark Cummings 37 42
Mark Ellison 25
Mark Nixon 57
Mark Solms 50
Martha Kearney 62
Martin Bailey 33
Mary Beard 63
Mary Ann Sieghart 26
Maryam Zamani 46
Masami Yamada 32
Masuma Ahuja 20
Matt Haig 49
Matthew Syed 26
Matthew Stadlen 47 55
Max Hastings 40
Max Nieuwdorp 31
Max Boucherat 70
Max Whittle 61
Meg Clothier 39
Mehreen Khan 38 40
Michael Palin 57
Michael Lewis 16 62
Michael Rosen 27 74
Michael Pedersen 58
Michael Sheridan 45
Michela Wrong 38
Mike McCormack 59
Mike Tindall 61
Mike Batt 29
Miranda Hart 58
Miriam Margolyes 34
Moira Buffini 62 68
Monika Radojevic 20
Monika Hinkel 32
Monty Don 21
Nabila Ramdani 47
Nadia Shireen 56 76 78
Nandini Das 15
Natasha Bowen 56 67
Nathan Hill 42
Neill Cameron 79
Nell Frizzell 43
Neneh Cherry 53
Nick Harkaway 20
Nick Hornby 39
Nicky Morgan 14
Nicolas Hamilton 55
Norman Ackroyd 42
Nussaibah Younis 46
Oisín Mckenna 64
Oliver Burkeman 44
Oliver Shah 45 50
Olivia Gatwood 44
Olivia Petter 22
Onjali Rauf 78
Or Rosenboim 37
Orlando Whitfield 48
Paddy O’Connell 14 26 39
Pam Ayres 42
Pari Thomson 79
Patrick Grant 51
Paul Roberts 35
Paul Burston 17
Paula Hawkins 64
Pete Paphides 29
Peter Stothard 63
Peter Godwin 20 27
Peter Apps 50
Peter Frankopan 15
Petroc Trelawny 32
Phil Elwood 44
Phoebe Smith 38
Pia Sarma 58
Pierre Novellie 28
Piotr Cieplak 51
Polly Denny 44
Poppy Ackroyd 42
Preet Chandi 77
Pru White 50
Prue Leith 35
Rachel Greenlaw 68
Rachel Sylvester 26 28
Rachel Clarke 15
Rachel Morrisroe 76
Rachel Khong 52
Rachel Cooke 53 55 67
Rachel Joyce 27
Rahul Jandial 34
Ramzee 74
Rebecca Kuang 58
Rebecca Ferrier 51
Rebecca Achieng
Ajulu-Bushell 36
Rebecca Jones 36 42 47
Richard Ayoade 23 73
Richard Osman 25
Richard Coles 29 32
Richard Sisson 32
Richard Dannatt 51
Rick Astley 65
Robbie Millen 19 20 25 29
Robert Harris 32
Robin Stevens 78
Robin Niblett 20 22
Robyn Davidson 15
Rónán Hession 57 59
Roopa Farooki 77
Rory Cellan-Jones 26
Rose Boyt 47
Rosie Talbot 21 67
Rosie Goldsmith 37 47
Rosie Price 41
Ross Benjamin 40
Rowan Pelling 48
Roxy Dunn 36
Rupert Everett 53
Russell Kane 71
Russell Watson 47
Ruth Ivo 48
Ruth Field 36
Salena Godden 58
Sally Phillips 28
Salomey Doku 68
Sam Sedgman 11 71
Sam Baker 15 17 19 29 36 37
45 46 49 51 63
Samir Puri 35
Samira Banks 28
Sanam Vakil 31
Sarah Wise 33
Sarah Jossell 46
Sarah Elliott 20
Sarah Shaffi 16
Sarah Vowles 47
Sathnam Sanghera 23
Sean Hewitt 58
Selma Dabbagh 20
Shannon Vallor 26
Sharna Jackson 76 80
Shirley Halse 16 28
Sim Harris 52
Simon Mole 75
Simon Parker 27
Simon Elliott 33
Simon Mason 63
Simon Armitage 59 63
Simon Kuper 47
Simukai Chigudu 25
Sinead Gleeson 28
Sofie Hagen 16
Sophy Henn 78
Sten Rynning 50
Stephanie Baker 32
Stephen King 38
Stephen Westaby 15
Steven Lenton 76
Sue Hendra 74
Sue Prideaux 46
Susan Smillie 38
Susan Tomaselli 59
Suzanne Joinson 28
Suzi Godson 55
Theodoros Lappas 50
Tim Shipman 28
Tim Montgomerie 20
Tim Spector 61
Tim Hayward 50
Tim Hubbard 21 32 35 37 41 50
Tim Budgen 73
Toby Green 38
Tolá Okogwu 70
Tom Lee 33
Tom Parker Bowles 37
Tom Whipple 45
Torsten Bell 14
Tracy King 28
Tracy Chevalier 32 34
Trevor McDonald 62
Uli Lenart 59 64
Varaidzo 54
Viji Alles 39
Virginia Nicholson 16 19 20 26
Wendy Cope 51
Will Lyons 48
William Dalrymple 15
William Hanson 42
William Hague 17
William Chislett 43
Wyl Menmuir 63
Xiaolu Guo 46
Yoko Tawada 37 40
Yuan Yang 19
Yvonne Jewkes 52
Zandra Rhodes 64
Zeinab Badawi 38
Zoe Blaskey 43
for Your 2025 Festival Season Save the Dates
Cheltenham Jazz Festival
30 April–5 May 2025
Cheltenham Science Festival
3–8 June 2025
Cheltenham Music Festival
4–12 July 2025
The Times and Sunday Times
Cheltenham Literature Festival
10–19 October 2025
Produced by
Your Visit and Access
Entrance to the Festival Village is free; buy tickets for the individual events you wish to see.
Getting to the Festival
Cheltenham is easily accessible from all over the UK, by road and rail. Most events take place on the main Festival site, located in central Cheltenham on Montpellier Gardens (GL50 1UW).
For more information on getting to the Festival or accessibility, visit cheltenhamfestivals.org/ your-visit
Access Requirements
Please book using our online form at cheltenhamfestivals. org/access-requirements or call the Box Office phone line from Thursday 15 August, open Thursday to Fridays between 10am–4pm.
Family Events
For safety, children 11 years and under must be accompanied by a ticket holder aged 16 or over. Everyone over the age of 12 months requires a ticket, babies in arms (12 months and under) do not require a ticket unless stated.
Relaxed Events
All of our family events have a relaxed approach to noise and movement in the venue, and you are free to enter and exit throughout.
Sensory Aids
A series of items to support the Festival experience for children and adults with autism and sensory processing disorders are available to borrow at our on-site Box Office on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please Note
Filming, audio recording and photography is not permitted during events.
Visitors to the Festival may be filmed and/or photographed for future promotions.
Festival Village
Off-site Venues
1 Cheltenham Town Hall
Main Stage, Pillar Room and Waterstones Bookshop
GL50 1QA
2 Parabola Arts Centre
GL50 3AA
3 The Nook On Five
GL50 1PZ
4 Hotel du Vin
GL50 3AH
5 Queens Hotel GL50 1NN
6 Dunkertons Taproom GL52 6UT
MONTPELLIER WALK
Cheltenham Town Hall and Pillar Room, Queens Hotel The Nook On Five, Lit Crawl ...around town
