Welcome
There’s something for everyone this year: from cookery to crime, politics to poetry, history to humour, and from nature to the '90s music scene. As a rugby fan, I’m thrilled that The Good, The Bad And The Rugby are joining us for what will be, no doubt, a night of japery. We have a run of great crime fiction events on the first Sunday of the festival, and I’m particularly delighted to welcome Ann Cleeves back to Bath.
Having bawled my eyes out at the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special like everyone else, we’re very excited that Ruth Jones - yes, Nessa Jenkins herself - will be coming to say hello and tell us all about her new novel. And, as I’m always up for learning, I can’t wait for the Lunchtime Lecture Series on art, science, travel, photography and George Orwell, that will be running throughout the week at 1pm.
Bath Literature Festival has always been a huge champion of debut authors and new writing, so it is with special pleasure that we welcome Reeta Chakrabarti, Jeremy Vine and Susie Dent, who will be sharing their debut novels and author journeys with us. We are also extremely proud to present some of our most respected and established authors, including Booker Prize winner Ben Okri, Orange Prize winner Lionel Shriver and Costa Winner Kit de Waal, as well as Jojo Moyes, Joanne Harris, Xiaolu Guo, Chris Chibnall, Reverend Richard Coles, Robert Macfarlane and many more.
We’ll be getting personal with David Baddiel and his extraordinary family and we’ll be stepping into the private realm of Westminster with Sir Graham Brady to learn some of the secrets and truths about five past Prime Ministers.
We look forward to welcoming you to our Festival in May.
Joe Haddow
Guest Curator
Saturday 17 may
SIR GRAHAM BRADY Political Memoir
11:30–12:30pm | Guildhall | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFA1
Hear Sir Graham Brady’s account of his time at the heart of government during some of the most turbulent years in British political history. Prime Ministers came and went, and as the Chairman of the 1922 committee Brady was at the heart of every leadership challenge.
CJ Skuse
Fiction
1–2pm | Bath Library | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFA2
The critically acclaimed Sweetpea series about ex-serial killer Rhiannon Lewis has been described as Fleabag meets American Psycho. So, if you like your anti-heroes dark, dirty-mouthed, sexually voracious and incredibly funny, join us for this fabulous in-conversation event with Sweatpea's creator, author CJ Skuse.
OCEAN: HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD’S LAST WILDERNESS
Natural History
2–3pm | Guildhall | £30 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFA3
From the icy oceans of our poles to remote coral islands Sir David Attenborough, the greatest natural history broadcaster of our times, has filmed in every ocean habitat on planet earth. We are delighted to welcome Colin Butfield, Attenborough’s long-term collaborator and co-author, to talk about their latest book together.
* Excluding fees
Saturday 17 may
Laura Bates
THE TEACHER OF AUSCHWITZ with WENDY HOLDEN
History - Talk and film
2:30–4:30pm | Little Theatre | £20 | £10 conc.* | BFA4
Historian and biographer Wendy Holden talks to Literature Festival Guest Curator, Joe Haddow, about The Teacher of Auschwitz, her novel based on the life of Fredy Hirsch, a young gay man who risked his life to protect the children in the death camp from mortal danger. Followed by a screening of Dear Fredy, a documentary about the life of Fredy Hirsch.
SEXISM AND GENDER EQUALITY
4:30–5:30pm | Guildhall | £25 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFA5
Activist and writer Laura Bates exposes the dark side of AI: a world in which little girls dress up as women and dance for adult men, and where a pornographic deepfake image of you exists on the internet - you just don’t know it yet. What are the dangerous implications of the AI revolution?
Ben Okri
Fiction
6–7pm | St Swithin’s Church, The Paragon | £20 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFA6
Raynor Winn
Booker prize-winning author Ben Okri’s books contemplate and refract the mystery, tragedy, and beauty of what it means to be human. He joins us to talk about his new novel Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Broken Hearted, a modern fable about love, power, and our many selves - past and future, public and private.
Memoir
7–8pm | Guildhall | £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFA7
Raynor Winn talks about her million-copy bestselling memoir, The Salt Path, now a British film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. Winn’s brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the seaswept South West Coast Path, with her terminally ill husband, Moth, resulted in one of the most talked about books of the decade.
Sunday 18 may
XIAOLU GUO Fiction
6-7pm | Waterstones | £20 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFB4
Join Chinese-born British author, Xiaolu Guo as she talks about her new novel Call me Ishmaelle, a reimagining of the epic battle between man and nature in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick – told from a female perspective. Crime
CLAIRE MACKINTOSH and TM LOGAN
6:30–7:30pm | Guildhall | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFB5
Monday 19 may
Lunchtime lecture
Join us for a crime fiction double bill with authors Claire Mackintosh and T.M. Logan - because when two thriller writers get together it can be murder! Prepare to have your pulse raised as these multi-million bestselling authors share insights into the dark arts of fast-paced, twisty storytelling.
TWO ARTISTS WHO CHANGED THE FACE OF BRITISH ART
1–2pm | The Mission Theatre | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFC1
Turner and Constable were seen as opposites, but in many ways they were fellow travellers. For although their contrasting works reflected their distinct personalities, both fought for the recognition and appreciation of landscape painting. Art historian Nicola Moorby uncovers the layers of fiction that have disguised their greatest achievements.
The Lunchtime Lecture Series is sponsored by The Norie Trust.
Emma Gannon Fiction
7–8pm | The Mission Theatre | £20 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFC2
Join us for this in-conversation event with award-winning author Emma Gannon, whose latest novel Table for One explores the pressures on modern women to ‘have it all’, and asks questions about relationships that we often think, but don’t voice.
Monday 19 may
Alan Johnson Fiction
7–8pm | Waterstones | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFC3
Join us for this special event with festival favourite, Alan Johnson, in conversation with Festival Director John McLay. Alan’s latest novel Death on The Thames is the latest in his page turning murder mystery series featuring DCI Louise Mangan.
William Hanson Etiquette
7:30–8:30pm | Guildhall | £25 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFC4
William Hanson, Britain’s leading etiquette expert, has worked with Royal households, diplomats, and global brands through his institute, The English Manner. A popular media guest on BBC and ITV, he believes good manners are timeless and strives to make them accessible, ensuring they remain relevant in today’s world.
Tuesday 20 may
Lunchtime lecture
The Island we Call Home
1–2pm | The Mission Theatre | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFD1
Photographer Quintin Lake embarked on a five-year journey around Britain’s coastline, walking 11,000 km in 454 days. The result: The Perimeter, an immersive visual experience that takes us from Yorkshire to Kent, and from the desolation of Scotland’s Knoydart Peninsula to Worm’s Head on the Gower Peninsula.
The Lunchtime Lecture Series is sponsored by The Norie Trust.
PHILIPPA FORRESTER Nature
6–7pm | The Mission Theatre | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFD2
Join broadcaster and conservationist Philippa Forrester (Wild Woman: Empowering Stories from Women Who Work in Nature) to hear about the women who live and work in the wild: from the 16th-century botanist who circumnavigated the globe, to the modern-day women dealing with bears in Yellowstone, and those photographing caribou in the Arctic.
* Excluding fees
Tuesday 20 may
Martin CLunes
Remarkable Animals
7–8pm | Guildhall | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFD3
Who better to explore the intelligence, loyalty and companionship of animals, and the ways in which they enrich our lives than actor, Martin Clunes. In Meetings With Remarkable Animals, he shares his transformative encounters with dogs, dolphins, horses and pigeons as well as other heart-warming stories to surprise and move you. In conversation with Festival Director John McLay.
Kit De Waal Fiction
7–8pm | Waterstones | £25 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFD4
The Best Of Everything is Kit de Waal’s new novel about what it means to care, how we learn to live in the aftermath of loss and what happens when love steals into our lives in spite of best laid plans.
Wednesday 21 may
MYTH, MEMOIR AND THE MEANING OF HOME
Lunchtime lecture
1–2pm | The Mission Theatre | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFE1
Seeking solace from the pain of heartbreak and her father's illness, travel writer Laura Coffey (Enchanted Islands) embarks on a sixmonth journey through the Mediterranean, exploring islands tied to ancient Greek myths. As she traces the path of Odysseus, she discovers the healing power of nature, travel, and solitude. The Lunchtime Lecture Series is sponsored by The Norie Trust.
ROBERT MACFARLANE Nature
7–8pm | Guildhall | £30 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFE2
At the heart of Robert Macfarlane’s perspective-shifting new book Is A River Alive? is a single idea: that rivers are not mere matter for human use but living beings who should be recognised as such, in both imagination and law - an idea that has taken on a new urgency as we battle the effects of climate change.
* Excluding fees
Wednesday 21 may
Jeremy Vine Fiction
7-8pm | Waterstones | £25 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFE3
Journalist Jeremy Vine, host of BBC Radio2’s weekday lunchtime show, turns his hand to murder mystery, with the first in a new series. He sets Murder on Line One in Sidmouth, where a sacked radio talk show host turns amateur sleuth when he suspects someone is targeting his loyal listeners.
Saturday 17 may THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE RUGBY: UNLEASHED Sport
7:30–8:30pm | The Forum | £31 inc. book / £21 standard | £16 conc.* | BFE4
Rugby stars Alex Payne, James Haskell and Mike Tindall are live onstage, in conversation with BBC Sports presenter Mike Williams, with some of the most hilarious behind-the-scenes stories from their hugely successful podcast The Good, The Bad & The Rugby. Their first official book shares their outrageous antics - the ups, the downs and the sideways.
This includes a £1 venue restoration and improvement levy.
Thursday 22 may
THE RADICAL SCIENCE OF SUSCEPTIBLE MINDS
Lunchtime lecture
1–2pm | The Mission Theatre | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFF1
Why do some people become radicalised? Who is most susceptible to ideological thinking? Dr Leor Zmigrod (The Ideological Brain: The Radical Science Of Susceptible Minds) will argue that knowing what and how we believe will allow us to avoid rigid thinking.
The Lunchtime Lecture Series is sponsored by The Norie Trust.
Max Hastings Talking History
5-6pm | Guildhall | £30 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFF2
Newly uncovered archives have exposed just how unprepared British and American troops were for D Day in 1944. Landing in Normandy, they faced a relentless barrage of machine-gun and mortar fire. In this solo talk, Max Hastings (Sword: D Day Trial by Battle) tells the D-Day story as never before.
Thursday 22 may
MIKE BERNERS-LEE CLIMATE EMERGENCY
7–8pm | The Mission Theatre | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFF3
As the climate emergency accelerates, the need for higher standards of honesty in our politics, media and business is critical, argues climate and sustainability expert Mike Berners-Lee. By turning our attention to the principle of truth, we can have far more impact on the issues we care about.
Donna Ashworth
7:30-8:30pm | Guildhall | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFF5
Donna Ashworth rose to fame during the lockdown, offering hope and comfort with her poetry. She is now a Sunday Times bestselling poet with 1.7 million followers. Her latest collection To the Women is a tribute to the beauty, strength, and joy of womanhood, and celebrates our ability to love, rage, fear and rebuild.
Friday 23 may
THE WONDER OF GEORGE ORWELL Lunchtime lecture
1–2pm | The Mission Theatre | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFG1
Nathan Waddell marks 75 years since the death of George Orwell with a pioneering new biography of the 1984 author. Orwell was never dulled to the routines of living. And in the details of the day, we can understand how power, money, freedom and choice play out, not just for Orwell’s characters, but for us all.
The Lunchtime Lecture Series is sponsored by The Norie Trust.
JOJO MOYES Fiction
7–8pm | The Mission Theatre | £25 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFG2
We are delighted to welcome best-selling author Jojo Moyes with her latest novel, We All Live Here, a moving exploration of family, love and starting again.
* Excluding fees
Friday 23 may
David Baddiel
7–8pm | Guildhall | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFG4
David Baddiel thought his lower-middle-class Jewish childhood was ordinary, but on deeper investigation, he realised it was anything but! His memoir My Family is a candid and moving look at his parents and family life, that uncovers the absurd and tender moments that shape their complicated, loving relationships.
Saturday 24 may
THE ANATOMY OF PREJUDICE Memoir
SAYEEDA WARSI
11am–12pm | Guildhall | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFH1
Sayeeda Warsi, Britain’s first Muslim Cabinet Minister, uses her experience in government and in Muslim communities to reflect on the rising tide of Islamophobia. In Muslims Don’t Matter, she looks at recent events and at how the media continues to fuel an anti-Muslim narrative, urging us to unite against it. In conversation with documentary filmmaker Marion Milne.
DANIEL KEHLMANN HISTORICAL FICTION
12–1pm | The Mission Theatre | £25 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFH2
Austrian film director G.W. Pabst was forced to return to Germany when the Nazis seized power, despite plans to emigrate to America. Daniel Kehlmann’s new novel The Director fictionalises the story of Pabst, who made two films under Josef Goebbels, the Nazi minister of propaganda.
“A dazzling performance and a real page turner.” Salman Rushdie
Saturday 24 may
CHRIS CHIBNALL
Crime
6:30–7:30pm | Guildhall | £20 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFH8
Chris Chibnall, the multi-award winning writer of Broadchurch, The Great Train Robbery, Doctor Who, Torchwood and Life on Mars, talks to author and academic Dr Tim Rideout about his crime fiction debut, Death at the White Hart.
MADELEINE THIEN Fiction
7–8pm | Waterstones | £25 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFH9
The Book of Records, award-winning author Madeleine Thien’s (Do Not Say We Have Nothing) latest novel questions how collective political moments can determine an individual's future.
AN AUDIENCE WITH RUTH JONES
7:30–8:30pm | The Forum | £35 inc. book / £25 standard | £16 conc.* | BFH10
Actress, comedian, screenwriter, novelist and all round national treasure Ruth Jones, best known for her unforgettable role as Nessa Jenkins in Gavin and Stacey, talks about her latest novel, By Your Side - and lots more.
This includes a £1 venue restoration and improvement levy.
Sunday 25 may
Proof party
with Holly Smale
12–1pm | The Mission Theatre | £20 inc. proof & goodie bag* | BFJ2
I Know How This Ends is the second brilliantly uplifting and page-turning novel from the multi-million bestselling author of Geek Girl.
Ticket includes an exclusive proof copy plus an exciting goodie bag.
Nicki Chapman
Memoir
1:30–2:30pm | Guildhall | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFJ3
Packed with behind-the-scenes stories, TV presenter and speaker Nicki Chapman’s memoir, So Tell Me What You Want, charts her journey to becoming a judge on Pop Idol, going on tour with the Spice Girls and Take That, and smashing glass ceilings and confronting chauvinism along the way. In conversation with Guest Curator Joe Haddow.
MICHELLE DE KRETSER Fiction
2–3pm | The Mission Theatre | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFJ4
Bath welcomes Australian author Michelle de Kretser with her seventh novel Theory and Practice, a mesmerising account of desire and jealousy, truth and shame. It explores the disharmony between our purported ideals and how we live and examines motherhood and the flawed maternal figures who hold onto us, despite our attempts to distance ourselves.
THE REVEREND RICHARD COLES Crime Fiction
4–5pm | Guildhall | £25 inc. book / £15 standard | £10 conc.* | BFJ5
Britain’s most famous vicar, recent finalist in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Here, and Sunday Times best-selling author Reverend Richard Coles talks about the latest in his Canon Clement Mystery series, A Death on Location.
* Excluding fees
GEOFF DYER Memoir
4–5pm | The Mission Theatre | £25 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFJ6
Homework is Geoff Dyer’s truthful and moving memoir of growing up in provincial England in the 60s and 70s. It tells the story of an eroded but strangely resilient England and captures the essence of a now-vanished time.
Emma Barnett Motherhood
6:30-7:30pm | Guildhall | £14 | £10 conc.* | BFJ8
Maternity leave is often eagerly awaited by expectant mothers but it can be a period of soaring highs and challenging lows. In this new book, broadcaster Emma Barnett offers reassurance and perspective on how to navigate this very special time. Emma will be in conversation with Alex Bollen, author of Motherdom.
Stuart Maconie Music
6:30–7:30pm | Waterstones | £25 inc. book / £14 standard | £10 conc.* | BFJ9
The meteoric rise to fame of John, Paul, George and Ringo was not achieved in isolation. In With A Little Help From Their Friends writer and broadcaster Stuart Maconie talks to Guest Curator Joe Haddow and offers a fresh perspective, exploring The Beatles’ impact on Britain and pop history beyond their songs and albums.
Quicksilver with Callie Hart
fiction
6:30–7:30pm | The Mission Theatre | £10* | BFJ7
Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he's the only way Saeris is going to make it home. Join USA Today bestselling author of dark romance novels Callie Hart with her new novel Quicksilver.
How to book Phone Online Visit
Bath Box Office: 01225 463362 bathfestivals.org.uk
Bath Box Office Counter
1a Forum Buildings, St James’ Parade, BA1 1UG Open Monday–Friday, 10am–5pm
booking fees
All tickets are subject to a fee of 10%
All orders are subject to a booking fee of £1.50
