Henley Literary Festival 2023 programme

Katherine Rundell brings John Donne and his poetry to life in her prize-winning poetic pursuit. Issue 46

© David Vintiner

WHAT TO EXPECT THIS YEAR...

A warm welcome to the 2023 Henley Literary Festival programme. When we launched it 17 years ago we knew we had a lot to learn. But there were two guiding principles. We wanted to put the authors at the core - look after them and make it fun from the moment they arrived in Henley to when they departed. The fact that so many say such nice things about the atmosphere, audience, interviewers and team - and that so often they return to the Festival again and again - is very rewarding. The second was that the line-up should be as broad as possible, so that there would be something for everyone. This year we have smashed that. Within our 130 talks, performances and conversations we are joined by a Prime Minister, a Booker Winner, a Children’s Laureate, a passenger on the original Windrush 75 years ago, the man who discovered Shackleton’s ship, an England cricket captain, an Oscar-winning screenwriter, a Bond villain, an MI6 chief, a CIA director, 43 novelists, nine illustrators, seven doctors, two international footballers, one man writing about a hardware shop in Sonning Common and a very forgetful cat.

We are so pleased that speakers in our brilliant childrens programme will be streamed into schools for free all over the country. Thank you to those who made it happen.

The Festival takes place in our wonderful riverside setting, attracting audiences and authors from all corners. Sit back and enjoy.

HARRIET REED, FESTIVAL DIRECTOR AND SUE RYAN, FESTIVAL FOUNDER

BOOKING TICKETS

BOOK TICKETS BY PHONE

01491 575 948

10am-2pm Monday to Thursday

BOOK ONLINE AT www.henleyliteraryfestival.co.uk

AND DURING THE FESTIVAL AT KINGS ARMS BARN. SEE PAGE 87 FOR MORE DETAILS.

General booking opens at 10am on Monday 17 th July with Friends of the Festival booking open from 10am on Monday 10 th July. E-Tickets will be emailed directly after purchase and can be printed at home or shown on your phone.

FESTIVAL

THE BAILLIE GIFFORD MARQUEE AT PHYLLIS COURT

Returning for 2023, our 500-seater Baillie Gifford Marquee is set in the grounds of Phyllis Court. The marquee has river views which provide a beautiful backdrop to all the talks here. The Henley Larder will be selling tea, coffee, sandwiches and snacks throughout the day, as well as Laithwaites Wine plus other drinks into the evening.

THE LAITHWAITES STAGE AT THE KENTON THEATRE

Home to the Laithwaites Stage for the second year running, situated in the centre of Henley, the Grade II listed Kenton Theatre is the fourth-oldest working theatre in the UK. Tea and coffee will be available and Laithwaites Wine will be served.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

TICKET INFORMATION

• We are issuing E-Tickets this year. E-tickets will be emailed directly after purchase and can be printed at home or shown on your phone.

• Infants under 2 do not require tickets for children’s event unless they are aimed for this age.

• Waiting lists will be available for all soldout events. If any tickets are released or exchanged, the waiting list will be notified by email and tickets can be purchased on a first-come-first-served basis.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• A booking fee of £2 will be applied per order – whether made online, by phone or in person at HLF HQ (See P.82)

• Tickets are non-refundable unless the event in question has been cancelled. We reserve the right to cancel or alter events due to unforeseen circumstances. Tickets can be exchanged for other tickets of equal or greater value until 1 September.

• During the Festival, any changes to the programme will be emailed to attendees, posted on the website and social media channels.

For full ticket terms and conditions, please visit www.henleyliteraryfestival.co.uk

THE GOWER COTTAGE BROWNIES STAGE AT THE TOWN HALL

Home to the Gower Cottage Brownies Stage this year, the Grade II listed Town Hall is in the heart of the town, with bustling coffee shops and restaurants on its doorstep. For 2023, Gower Cottage will be bringing their horsebox brownie bar. It will be outside on the Market Place where they will be handing out programmes and selling their brownies, meeting high demand from festival-goers to buy them in Henley.

FOR MINI BOOKWORMS...

This year the Children’s Festival, sponsored by Shiplake College, is featured throughout the programme. You can see these via the coloured boxes like this one. The line up includes some of the best names in children’s literature. We can’t wait to see bookworms at the Festival.

THE HENLEY LITERARY FESTIVAL BOX OFFICE

During Festival week: Book in-person at HLF HQ, Kings Arms Barn, RG9 2DG (See P.82) between 9am – 7pm from Sat 30 September – Sun 8 October 2023. Prior to this please book online at henleyliteraryfestival.co.uk or via phone 01491 575 948 (9-2pm Monday to Thursday)

FESTIVAL INTERVIEWERS

Each year, we are lucky to be joined by a team of brilliant interviewers. We will be updating who is interviewing which of our fantastic authors throughout the summer. Please look at the individual events on the website to see who the interviewer is.

LIVESTREAMING EVENTS

Due to the success of the live streamed events since 2020, we plan to live stream events from two of our venues. This means that events will not only be in Henley for an in-person audience, but can also once again be streamed to your sitting room!

Keep an eye out for the camera logo next to events throughout the programme which indicates that you can buy a live stream ticket to watch it online. All livestream tickets are £7. To find out more about how our livestreaming will work, please visit P. 73 with full details on how to join our events from the comfort of your own home.

THERESA MAY

10am · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £30 inc book

As Prime Minister and Home Secretary, the MP for Maidenhead saw the devastating results of injustice for individuals and the reputation of politicians and institutions. In her first major appearance after departing No.10, she joined us in 2019 for an instant sell-out discussing her favourite books. Now she returns with her own: The Abuse of Power is a searing exposé of injustice and an impassioned call to exercise power for the greater good.

In partnership with The Independent

JORDAN STEPHENS & BETH SUZANNA: THE MISSING PIECE

10am · Kenton Theatre · £8 · 5+

Sunny loves jigsaw puzzles – the bigger the better. One day, Gran gives her a ONETHOUSAND-PIECE puzzle, which she puts together all by herself, until...DISASTER! The final piece is missing. Written by Jordan –one half of hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks and a mental health campaigner – and drawn by Hay illustrator-in-residence Beth, The Missing Piece was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Join them for an interactive storytelling adventure around this heart-warming, fresh and original picture book about family and friendship.

Ticket price includes a copy of The Abuse of Power (RRP £25) which will be given to you at the event.

TOM CREWE & JO BAKER: HISTORICAL FICTION

10am · Town Hall · £10

Travel in time with two terrific storytellers. This year has seen Tom named a Granta Best Young British Novelist and win an Orwell Prize for The New Life, his dazzling debut of desire and the search for freedom in Victorian London. Jo also made a splash with her first novel Longbourn , a Richard & Judy pick and top 10 bestseller. Now in The Midnight News she too takes us to the capital’s past, for a fascinating exploration of identity and love amidst the Blitz.

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS:

DR ALEX GEORGE & DR KIRREN SCHNACK

12pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

Two extremely engaging experts join us to discuss those steps, small and large, we can take to improve our mental well-being. Youth Mental Health Ambassador Dr Alex George returns to Henley with his Sunday Times bestseller The Mind Manual: Mental Fitness Tools for Everyone , showing how to assess your own mental health. Clinical psychologist Dr Kirren Schnack offers a first aid kit of tools to help you understand what you’re going through in Ten Times Calmer: Beat Anxiety and Change Your Life.

SEBASTIAN FAULKS

12pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £22 book & ticket | £15 just ticket

The Seventh Son is another tour de force from one of our finest novelists. A young woman answers an advert to carry a child, but cannot begin to imagine the consequences. A billionaire entrepreneur plans to stretch the boundaries of ethics as never before. A baby is delivered to hopeful parents, but his differences begin to draw unwanted attention. The bestselling author of Birdsong and Human Traces returns to the Festival. Sebastian will be in conversation with Martin Chilton, The Independent’s chief book critic. In partnership with The Independent

Ticket price includes a copy of The Seventh Son (RRP £22) which will be given to you at the event.

DR RONX

12pm · Town Hall · £8 · 6+

Isn’t the human body INCREDIBLE? Just think about our spongy brains, gooey guts and everything in between! Following Deborah Meaden on money and James May on vehicles, the latest in the unmissable Little Experts series sees emergency doctor and CBBC Operation Ouch presenter Dr Ronx take us on an interactive tour around the body, packed with fascinating facts to wow all ages. Passionate about inspiring young people, non-binary representation and volunteering, they also presented BBC1’s The Truth About Boosting Your Immune System.

JIM DOWN: STORIES FROM THE ICU

2pm · Town Hall · £12.50

The intensive care unit (ICU) is not somewhere we want to go, but if Dr Jim is in charge then that’s a real plus. Life Support was his diary from the Covid NHS frontlines, now Life in the Balance is his memoir as a consultant in critical care and anaesthesia. From headline-grabbing cases like Alexander Litvinchenko’s poisoning, to the appalling aftermath of a train crash, to the mundane daily struggle to simply find enough beds, he provides a unique insight into life on the unit.

JACQUELINE WILSON

2pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · 9+ £14.99 inc book for kids | adults £8

A beloved writer who needs no introduction, but here goes! Creator of Hetty Feather and Tracy Beaker, Children’s Laureate, author of over 100 books across seven decades with more than 40 million copies sold…it could only be Dame Jacqueline! She comes to the festival for the first time with the long-awaited The Best Sleepover in the World, with a copy of the book included with every child’s ticket!

Ticket price includes a copy of The Best Sleepover in the World (RRP £14.99) which will be given to you at the event.

A WINDRUSH STORY

2pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

In June 1948 the Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks from Kingston. On the 75th anniversary of this milestone journey, one of the few living passengers Alfred Dalrymple Gardner and son Howard Gardner share the uplifting highs and intolerant lows –continuing to this day - that his generation of West Indian migrants encountered in Finding Home . Now 97, he fought for the RAF in World War II, was deported back to Jamaica, then called back to the UK. A rare chance to hear from an eyewitness to history.

DAVID OLUSOGA & YINKA OLUSOGA

4pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £12.50 adults | £8 children

Join siblings David and Dr Yinka for an enlightening discussion about the extraordinary figures and events, both familiar cultural moments and lesser known, featured in their vital and vibrant Black History for Every Day of the Year. From PreRaphaelite model Fanny Eaton offering an alternative to a model of beauty focused on whiteness, and taxidermist John Edmonstone inspiring Charles Darwin to performer Josephine Baker spying in World War II, hear of the actors, writers, sports stars and activists who have contributed to a rich tapestry of history.

This event is sponsored by The Abbey School

ELIF SHAFAK

4pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

One of today’s most captivating voices returns to Henley after her stunning 2019 event on the importance of sharing stories and celebrating differences. A Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, Elif’s most recent Sunday Times bestseller The Island of Missing Trees , journeys from London to Cyprus with story of separation, secrets, silence and a special fig tree. Don’t miss the chance to hear from the author of Bookershortlisted novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World and acclaimed non-fiction How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division.

This event is sponsored by HW Fisher

LAITHWAITES WINE DOWN

6pm · Kenton Theatre · Free

Cozy up with your favourite authors and a complimentary glass of a specially selected, Laithwaites Wine. From the wicked world of Westminster to murder in Marlow, three top writers share stories while you enjoy a glass of wine – Laithwaites wine no less – and for free?

No wonder this fills up quickly! Eva Verde follows her acclaimed debut Lives Like Mine with mother-daughter tale In Bloom Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood returns to the Festival with his latest Marlow Murder Club mystery and Obama intern turned Boris Johnson aide Cleo Watson provides a riotous political satire in Whips.

ANNIE MACMANUS INTERVIEWED BY LEAH DAVIS

6pm · Town Hall · £12.50

Annie Mac is an internationally renowned broadcaster and DJ, having previously presented flagship BBC Radio 1 shows for some 17 years. So it’s hardly any surprise that The Mess We’re In , Annie’s follow up to her acclaimed Sunday Times bestselling debut Mother Mother , is about music amid the madness of the millennium. Praised by Roddy Doyle and Aisling Bee, the novel sees Orla arrive in London from Ireland with dreams of making it big in the recording industry. In conversation with Capital Xtra Book Club host Leah Davis.

CLIVE MYRIE

6pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £22 book & ticket | £15 just ticket

Clive’s journalistic dream began on his paper round in Bolton, when he read all the newspapers he delivered, from cover to cover. He has reported from more than 90 countries for the BBC, including anchoring the coverage of the invasion of Ukraine and hosts Mastermind. In his deeply personal memoir Everything is Everything , he tells how pride in his roots and family history has influenced his view of the world.

Ticket price includes a copy of Everything is Everything (RRP £22) which will be given to you at the event.

© Stephanie Sian Smith

ROSS KEMP

8pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £12.50

One of TV’s most familiar faces, Ross Kemp is a BAFTA award-winning documentary maker, actor and television presenter, who rose to prominence in the role of hardman Grant Mitchell in EastEnders in the 1990s. After leaving EastEnders in 1999, Ross has built a reputation as one of the most exciting and hard-hitting documentary makers, for which he has received international recognition. Ross is also the host of BBC1 quiz show Bridge of Lies and the highly acclaimed Sky History series Ross Kemp: Deep Sea Treasure Hunter as he deep dives off the coast of Britain.

GEORGE THE POET

8pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

His words have reached billions, from Search Party and opening the BBC’s royal wedding coverage to the multi-award-winning Have You Heard George’s Podcast? Born in Neasden to Ugandan parents, he began rapping aged 15. A change of environment pushed him towards spoken word, global acclaim and a prestigious Peabody prize. Still he found himself searching for purpose, focusing on one question: Why? Track Record: Me, Music & the War on Blackness sees one of the UK’s most creative artists reflect on his life, career and society around us.

KATE MUIR

10am · Town Hall · £12.50

It’s a criminally overlooked phenomenon set to affect a billion of us by 2025. Everything You Need to Know About the Menopause (and were too afraid to ask) answers questions hidden behind a veneer of misplaced shame, bad science and centuries of patriarchy. Times film critic turned filmmaker Kate’s credits include Channel 4’s Sex, Myths & the Menopause . Drawing on expert interviews and personal experiences, she questions why the medical establishment gets it so wrong, debunks myths and exposes hysterical headlines that negatively impact women’s health.

ROB BIDDULPH

10am · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £8 · 6+

Pencils at the ready! Join the Draw With Rob record-breaker and creator of Peanut Jones, Blown Away, Odd Dog Out & Dinosaur Juniors for a fun-packed session for all the family. Award-winning author-illustrator Rob will bring his books to life, including the brand-new Gigantic, featuring the small whale with a big heart who sets off on an Atlantic adventure when his big brother finds himself in trouble. And everyone can learn to draw one of his characters step-by-step in one of the Festival favourite’s famous draw-alongs!

EMILY GRAVETT: 10 DOGS

Design your own dog with one of our best-loved picture book creators! With The Odd Egg, Orange Pear Apple Bear, Too Much Stuff, Meerkat Mail and many more – not to mention illustrating books for Michael Morpurgo, Matt Haig and Julia Donaldson – Emily has been delighting children and their grown-ups for almost 20 years. Now the two-time winner of the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal returns with her joyous canine counting book 10 Dogs , sharing her love of drawing.

DANIEL FINKELSTEIN

12pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad: A Family Memoir of Miraculous Survival is the deeply moving, at times horrifying yet hopeful memoir from the Times columnist and political adviser about his parents’ experiences at the hands of the two genocidal dictators of the 20th century. A story of persecution and survival, with the almost unimaginable bravery of two ordinary families shining through. His mother Mirjam’s family was robbed, humiliated, and sent to Bergen-Belsen. His father Ludwik’s was sent to a Siberian gulag. Baron Finkelstein shares their story.

LOUIE STOWELL: LOKI

12pm · Town Hall · £8 · 7+

Have you ever wondered what Loki, the mischievous shape-shifter and cunning trickster god, would be like if Odin banished him to Earth in the form of an 11-year-old? Well, look no further! In A Bad God’s Guide to Ruling the World, he has to contend with not only Thor, but his half-brother Balder! Join bestselling author-illustrator Louie Stowell for this interactive, fact-packed and very funny event, discover how to draw Loki and even create your own Norse gods!

ALICE SHERWOOD

2pm · Town Hall · £10

Our world is full of people and products that are not what they seem. We no longer know whether we are talking to a person or a machine. But we can fight back, as Alice shows us in Authenticity: Reclaiming Reality in a Counterfeit Culture. We meet the world’s greatest impostor, who finally became what he’d pretended to be; the wartime counterfeiter who fooled a nation; the artist who encouraged people to forge his pictures; the ‘authentic’ brand that was anything but –and much more besides.

STEPHEN MULHERN: Max Magic

2pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · 6+ £8 inc book for kids | adults £10

Unbelievable! The much-loved star of Catchphrase and Saturday Night Takeaway is such a marvellous magician that he has been called on to perform illusions for the Queen…and now YOU! Inspired by his own incredible journey, Max Magic: The Greatest Show on Earth sees our young hero take on a talent show and a mysterious rival. Expect exclusive readings, laughter, lots of audience participation...oh and magic!

DEREK LANDY

2pm · Kenton Theatre · £8 · 12+

Join YA superstar Derek with Bad Magic , an original graphic novel set in the Skulduggery Pleasant universe, vibrantly bought to life in full colour. Meet a cast of unforgettable characters where horror and mystery collide including the infamous, sharply dressed skeleton detective and his whip-smart, world-saving partner, Valkyrie Cain. Since bursting onto the scene in 2007, the epic adventure series has sold over six million copies worldwide, been translated into 39 languages and named Irish Book of the Decade!

SIMON HEFFER

4pm · Kenton Theatre · £15

Sing As We Go: Britain Between the Wars sees Simon take the title of the Gracie Fields film for his look at the political, social and cultural history of that monumental period, from the general strike and abdication crisis to boom periods for cars, cinema and radio. He also probes the deep divisions that split the nation: between the haves and havenots and between those who promoted accommodation with fascism in Europe and those who bitterly opposed it. What better guide than the Telegraph columnist and author.

Ticket price includes a copy of Max Magic (RRP £7.99) with every child ticket which will be given to you at the event.

PETER HANINGTON & FI GLOVER

4pm · Town Hall · £10

Racing between Sydney, Seville, New York and London, The Burning Time is an intelligent, gripping and topical thriller. A veteran BBC journalist whose career has included 16 years on BBC Radio 4 Today Programme , the A Dying Breed author’s latest novel has two key figures: Australian geo engineer Clive Winner and old-school journalist William Carver who is tipped off by a trusted Whitehall source that climate scientists have begun to go missing in suspicious circumstances. In conversation with Times Radio host and former BBC colleague, Fi.

RAY MEARS

4pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

Henley is a town surrounded by woodland. No one understands it better than nature authority, broadcaster and bestselling author Ray. British Woodland: How to Explore the Secret World of Our Trees offers a chance to learn more about what we tend to take for granted. How sycamore and clematis are good for burning, pine and oak help us navigate, while hawthorn and beech have edible leaves. How rope can be made from willow, utensils from hazel and weapons from yew and wych elm. Join Ray Mears at Henley for an unmissable event.

This event is sponsored by Shiplake Meadows

PETER FRANKOPAN

6pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £12.50

Most of us can name the influential leaders and major battles of the past. Few can name the most destructive storms, the worst winters, the most devastating droughts. The Silk Roads author Peter shows that the natural environment is a crucial, and perhaps the defining, factor in global history - and not just of humankind. Taking us from the Big Bang to the present day and beyond, his remarkable The Earth Transformed forces us to reckon with humankind’s continuing efforts to make sense of the natural world.

This event is sponsored by Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust

LIVE STREAM: £7 PER EVENT

LOCALLY CRIMINAL

6pm · Town Hall · £12.50

Three thriller writers with local links and far-reaching reputations. Raised in Henley and a Festival speaker since the start, No.1 bestseller Simon Kernick follows Good Cop Bad Cop with The First 48 Hours. After The Perfect Life and The Perfect Neighbour, Marlow-based Susanna Beard’s The Perfect Witness sees protagonist Daniel blessed but haunted by his superior memory. And from Morse’s Oxford comes another acclaimed crime series courtesy of Simon Mason, with the similarly named but very different Thames Valley detectives Ray and Ryan Wilkins in The Broken Afternoon

This event is sponsored by Shiplake Meadows

POSTING LETTERS TO THE MOON

6.30pm · Kenton Theatre · £20

An Oscar-nominated actress volunteering at Henley Police Station? Bond’s creator’s brother working on deception in the Far East? This wonderful wartime story sounds like fiction but it’s all taken from the letters between Brief Encounter star Celia Johnson and her explorer husband Peter Fleming. Brought to life by their daughter Lucy Fleming and her husband, actor and The Archers star, Simon Williams, this internationally acclaimed performance returns to Henley for the first time since its Kenton sell-out in 2017. Prepare to be moved to laughter and possibly tears. This special performance is 90 minutes

NIKITA GILL & SALENA GODDEN

8pm · Town Hall · £10

If you’ve seen these two wonderful writers at the Festival you’ll know they’re also powerhouse performers. If not, now is the time! From stunning short poems on Instagram and novel-in-verse The Girl & The Goddess to YA collection these are the words and soon a BBC Dr Who story , Nikita’s talents know no bounds. A peerless performance poet, Radio 4 regular Salena recently starred at the Royal Albert Hall Windrush 75 concert. She follows the award-winning Mrs Death Misses Death with Pessimism is for Lightweights , full of courage and humour.

CAROLINE SHENTON

10am · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

As war loomed, London’s museums, galleries and archives formulated ingenious plans to keep the UK’s most-prized objects safe, using tube tunnels, private homes, prisons and quarries. An unlikely coalition of mildmannered civil servants, social oddballs and metropolitan aesthetes kept calm and carried on in the most extraordinary of circumstances at the front line in the heritage war against Hitler. Award-winning The Day Parliament Burned Down historian Caroline Shenton, previously National Archives senior archivist and Parliamentary Archives director, returns with National Treasures: Saving the Nation’s Art in WWII . This event is sponsored by HW Fisher

THE SHORTEST HISTORY OF INDIA

10am · Town Hall · £12.50

From Buddha to Bollywood, the Himalayas to the Ganges, taking in deities, emperors, conquerors, colonisers and contrasts within society, John Zubrzycki deftly compresses India’s complex story of contradictions, drama and splendour. The bestselling author of The House of Jaipur and Empire of Enchantment makes a wonderful addition to Shortest History series, covering 5000 years of characters like Clive, Gandhi, Lakshmi Bai and Alexander the Great right up to a modern India riven by contrasts: the brutal reality of partition, booming IT businesses and expanding slums.

WILL YOU READ THIS PLEASE?

12.30pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

How do we give a voice to those so often unheard? From stigma to the strength of the human spirit, this powerful collection shares extraordinary stories of ordinary people who have faced mental illness, as told to a dozen of our best writers. The Trouble with Goats and Sheep novelist Joanna Cannon , edited the book and is joined by fellow bestsellers, Girl with a Pearl Earring author Tracy Chevalier and Jubilee writer Shelley Harris to discuss this project and their writing careers.

SUZANNE HEYWOOD

12.30pm · Town Hall · £12.50

Aged seven, Suzanne’s family set sail on a three-year voyage across the world, which became a decade of isolation, through storms, shipwrecks and little formal schooling. Having fought her parents to return to England, education and stability, she won a place at Oxford and built a successful career. The bestselling What Does Jeremy Think? covered her marriage to a hugely influential civil servant; Wavewalker is the shocking story of a childhood like no other and the great escape that followed.

MIKE BREARLEY

3pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

One of British sport’s wisest and most thoughtful figures, the former England cricket captain reflects on his life and career drawing in lessons and insights he has gained from his experience as a trained psychoanalyst. In Turning Over the Pebbles, Mike looks back on a lifetime of cricket, from joyful childhood games and captaining Cambridge University and Middlesex, to leading England to one of their most famous victories in the 1981 Ashes home series and a unique career off the field.

This event is sponsored by Phyllis Court

A.C. GRAYLING

3pm · Kenton Theatre · £15

In a distinguished career the eminent philosopher, academic and author has increased our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Now in Philosophy and Life: Exploring the Great Questions of How to Live A.C. Grayling draws on the lives, experiences and works of an eclectic range of thinkers, from Confucius and Nietzsche to Shakespeare and Ursula LeGuin to bring together wisdom from across eras and continents. The philosophy of being human in a complicated world explained, as only he can.

DAVID BADDIEL

6pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

David would love there to be a God. He fantasises how much better life would be if there actually was such a thing as a Superhero Dad who chased off Death (and maybe help end 57 years of hurt for the Three Lions star.) Unfortunately, his conclusion is that it is the very intensity of his, and many others’, desire for God that proves his non-existence. The comedian and Jews Don’t Count author returns to Henley with the thought-provoking and typically funny The God Desire.

A TRAVEL GUIDE TO THE MIDDLE AGES

3pm · Town Hall · £12.50

Medieval Studies professor Anthony Bale is our engaging, expert guide on a captivating journey across the medieval world, seen through the eyes of those who travelled across it: scholars, spies and saints and many more. Drawing on previously untranslated contemporary accounts from Africa, the Antipodes, Europe and the Far East, A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages is a living atlas. Containing everything from profane pilgrim badges, Venetian laxatives and flying coffins to encounters with bandits and trysts with princesses, this is a vivid and unforgettable insight.

© Steve Best_Xavicus Media

PETER FAULDING: FORENSIC EXPERT

6pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

Recovering bodies, finding discarded remains, identifying unmarked graves and saving people from locations and situations too dangerous for the normal emergency services are all in a day’s work for Peter. What Lies Beneath: My Life as a Forensic Search and Rescue Expert is a remarkable memoir, as it tells his extraordinary life story in fascinating detail, from removing protestors, including the infamous ‘Swampy’, from inside dangerous tunnels to the scenes of some of the UK’s most notorious crimes. Prepare to be gripped.

TOM FORT

6pm · Town Hall · £12.50

Longstanding local Festival author Tom has the knack of finding the fascinating where others may fail, as seen with previous books on British weather, eels and the A303. His latest, Rivets,Trivets and Galvanised Buckets , arose after his daughter-in-law bought century-old Oxfordshire hardware shop Heath & Watkins, inspiring him to write a charming and poignant celebration of a quintessential cornerstone of local life. Meet the customers, be amazed at the range that the shop sells….and it’s only five miles up the road from Henley in Sonning Common!

CRIME & WINE: AJAY CHOWDHURY, JOANNE HARRIS AND ADELE PARKS

8pm · Kenton Theatre · £15 inc a glass of Laithwaites wine

An ever-popular event: three wonderful writers deliver the crime and Laithwaites supply the wine. Chocolat author Joanne Harris‘ Broken Light follows a mid-life woman starting to feel invisible until a murder in a local park unlocks long-hidden talents. The Waiter novelist Ajay Chowdhury returns with Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month The Detective , a thrilling tale of government surveillance. And in Just Between Us No.1 bestseller Adele Parks, awarded an MBE for services to literature last year, asks, how do you find a woman who doesn’t exist?

ROBIN INCE

8pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £12.50

When a stadium tour with his Infinite Monkey Cage co-host Brian Cox was postponed, Robin knew exactly what he wanted to do: visit over 100 bookshops in 100 days. The much-loved comedian and author is a book obsessive, a lover of every type of fiction and non-fiction, able to find something that interests him in everything. Bibliomaniac offers anecdotes and tall tales from Wigtown, Penzance, Swansea, Margate and many more. We’ll tempt him out of The Bell Bookshop just long enough for his event!

PETER STOTHARD

10am · Town Hall · £12.50

The first Roman emperor is dead; a second about to succeed. The Forum of Rome has become little more than a museum. A new and treacherous household, a warren of banquets and bedrooms where it takes special talents to survive, is about to become the birthplace of Western bureaucracy. Join Roman authority Peter, the only person to have edited both The Times and TLS, and a cast of new men and newly dominant women with Palatine: An Alternative History of the Caesars.

MENSUN BOUND: SHACKLETON’S SHIP

12.30pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

Last year’s discovery of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s iconic ship Endurance, sunk beneath Antarctic ice over a century earlier, made headlines around the world. The miraculous escape and survival of all 28 men on board have entered legend yet Endurance itself was considered lost. Mensun, director of exploration on each of the epic expeditions to find the vessel, gives a blow-by-blow account in The Ship Beneath the Ice. He swaps the most hostile sea on Earth for our Thames-side town to tell his extraordinary story.

ALISON WEIR

12.30pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

Bestselling historical novelist Alison returns to Henley with her highly anticipated retelling of the life of Britain’s most infamous monarch in Henry VIII: The Heart & the Crown. As a Prince he grew up dreaming of knights and chivalry with his older brother heir to the throne. But Arthur’s untimely death sees Henry crowned King. The Six Tudor Queens author turns her talents to their spouse, as the future of his great dynasty depends on an heir yet prayers for a son go unanswered.

AVERIL MANSFIELD

12.30pm · Town Hall · £12.50

When Averil fulfilled a childhood dream and qualified as a surgeon in the early 1970s, just 2% of her colleagues were female. Her role was met with surprise, bordering on disbelief. After a formidable operating career in Liverpool and London she went onto become the UK’s first-ever female professor of surgery. Life in Her Hands: The Inspiring Story of a Pioneering Female Surgeon shines light on a world that has changed beyond measure, but still has a long way to go for women.

This event is sponsored by The Abbey School

MICHAEL BELOFF

3pm · Town Hall · £12.50

A legal giant of his generation, ‘the Bar’s Renaissance Man’ and ‘the Godfather of Sports Law’, MJBQC: A Life Within and Without the Law sees him reflect on a distinguished career as advocate, arbitrator and judge, from high-profile libels to major sporting scandals. An outsider of mixed Russian Jewish heritage with four immigrant grandparents and immigrant mother, he had an insider’s education as a scholar at Eton and Oxford before being called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1967 and becoming a Queen’s Counsel in 1981.

JEREMY BOWEN

3pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

The BBC’s International Editor has been covering the Middle East since 1989 and is uniquely placed to explain its complex past and its troubled present. His reports have made him one of the BBC’s most respected reporters. In The Making of the Modern Middle East: A Personal History Jeremy takes us on a journey across the region and through its history, meeting its leaders as well as ordinary men and women on the front line. A true expert on a fascinating part of the world.

This event is sponsored by Shiplake Meadows

MARTIN BAYFIELD

6pm · Kenton Theatre · £15

A hilarious and, at times, moving and soul-searching account of rugby union’s rollercoaster days in the 1990s, as the sport lurched from the crazy final days of amateurism into the professional era. A Very Tall Story is the fitting title for 6ft 10ins Martin whose autobiography is the inside view of the decade that changed the face of rugby as he won 31 England caps, played for the British and Irish Lions, and won two Grand Slams alongside players such as Will Carling, Jeremy Guscott and Brian Moore.

TRISTAN GOOLEY: HOW TO READ A TREE

3pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

Each tree we meet is filled with signs that reveal secrets about its life and the landscape we stand in. The clues are easy to spot when you know what to look for. Tristan Gooley, called ‘the Sherlock Holmes of nature’ by the BBC, explains the simple principles that explain the shapes and patterns you can see and what they mean, whether you are in a town or a wilder spot. We will never look at a tree the same way again.

JONATHAN COE

6pm · Town Hall · £12.50

In his typically witty and insightful Bournville the Costa-winning author of Middle England and What a Carve Up! tells the story of postwar Britain through one family living in the Birmingham suburb famous for its chocolate factory. We travel through 75 years of social change, from VE Day to James Bond to coronavirus. But have these milestones brought the family - and their countrycloser together, or left them adrift and divided? Don’t miss one of our best-loved novelists in conversation.

KATE HUMBLE

6pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £12.50

As our time spent in offices and other traditional workplaces shrinks forevermore, feeling happy, healthy, productive and content in our homes - be they castles or caravans, flat-shares or farms, fixed or temporary, urban or rural - is more important than ever before. Having previously written and spoken so engagingly about the world outside our front doors Festival favourite Kate returns with Where the Hearth Is , examining her own experiences of home and those of others –including the animal kingdom!

BOOK CLUB TUESDAY: STEVE JONES, BETH O’LEARY & ANDI OSHO

8pm · Town Hall · £10

This ever-popular event returns for a Tuesday treat with three very funny writers. Channel 4 star Steve Jones’ first novel Call Time is a time travelling delight as corporate bigwig Bob connects with his younger self with a phonecall back to the 80s. Bestseller Beth O’Leary follows The Flatshare and The Switch with The Wake-Up Call , where enemies become friends in the struggle to save a failing hotel. Comedian, actor and Asking for a Friend author Andi Osho’s Tough Crowd sees stand-up Abi taking on her biggest challenge yet: winning over her new boyfriend’s daughters.

NEIL JORDAN

8pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

From Mona Lisa and The Borgias to Carnivalesque and The Past, film director and novelist Neil is a master storyteller. His debut Night in Tunisia won the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979 while Mistaken was Irish Novel of the Year in 2011; as screenwriter he won an Oscar for The Crying Game and a BAFTA for The End of the Affair. Now The Well of Saint Nobody tells of an internationally renowned pianist, unable to perform, whose life changes with the appointment of a housekeeper.

ALAN PHILPS

10am · Town Hall · £12.50

All eyes are on Russia and no one is better placed to draw the parallels of the past with Putin’s regime than former Moscow correspondent Alan. Stalin muzzled the British and American reporters covering the Eastern front during the war, both bullying and pampering them in the gilded cage of the Metropol Hotel. In The Red Hotel: The Untold Story of Stalin’s Disinformation War former Telegraph foreign editor Alan tells how journalists enjoyed lavish supplies of caviar and their choice of young women to employ as translators. Some shared their beds, some were brave dissenters who whispered the reality of Soviet life and some were punished with sentences in the Gulag.

POLLY TOYNBEE

12.30pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £12.50

An Uneasy Inheritance is an apt title for Polly’s heartfelt memoir and social history. One of the most prominent progressive voices for decades and a Guardian columnist for the last 25 years, hers is a family that contains everyone from the Glenconners and Jessica Mitford to Bertrand Russell and very nearly Boris Johnson, all with Castle Howard as a backdrop. She returns to Henley with this examination of the true state of class in Britain, the myth of mobility and the guilt of privilege.

This event is sponsored by Sofas & Stuff

MICHAEL SMITH WITH JOHN SCARLETT

3pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

Two top authorities on how the UK and US secret services work together. A former British military intelligence officer, Michael has carved out an extremely successful career as journalist and author. His latest award-winner The Real Special Relationship charting the cooperation from its start in 1941 to present day - including the invasion of Ukraine - and how, despite occasional turbulence, it works. Former head of MI6 Sir John, who wrote the foreword, joins Michael to reveal the mysterious workings of those who work to keep us safe.

This event is sponsored by The Relais

JULIAN GLOVER

3pm · Kenton Theatre · £15

60 years after his debut in Tom Jones , Julian is still going strong, as seen in Tár. On stage the RSC regular won an Olivier for Henry 1V. He has played villains in The Empire Strikes Back, For Your Eyes Only and Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, recurring roles in Doctor Who and Game of Thrones and voiced Aragog in Harry Potter makes him unmatchable for famous film franchises. Not to mention his 55-year marriage to Isla Blair. In Cue to Cue he reflects on a remarkable career and life.

RACHEL JOYCE & LALINE PAULL

3pm · Town Hall · £12.50

Two hugely talented novelists and playwrights who have continued to delight in the decade since their dazzling debuts were published. Rachel’s Booker-nominated first book The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is now a hit film and she returns to those beloved characters with the moving finale of Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North. Laline’s compelling debut The Bees was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize, as is her latest, Pod which takes us into the ocean for the story of spinner dolphin Ea.

LOUISE MINCHIN INTERVIEWED BY KATHERINE GRAINGER

6pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

It is quite right that Louise has written a celebration of the intrepid, brave and trailblazing women given her brilliant broadcasting career and triathlon achievements. In Fearless: Adventures with Extraordinary Women, she shares stories of free diving under ice in Finland, cycling across Argentina, escaping Alcatraz, swimming with sharks and exploring the deep caves of Somerset, among many others. Wonder women indeed. The former BBC Breakfast presenter and Dare to Tr i author returns to Henley with this moving reminder of the power of female spirit. This event is in partnership with Saga Exceptional

LAITHWAITES WINE DOWN

6pm · Kenton Theatre · Free

Cozy up with three top food writers and a complimentary glass of a specially selected Laithwaite’s Wine! From Great British Bake Off to queen of Indian home cooking, Chetna Makan ’s latest book is Indian Feasts: Everyday Meals & Easy Entertaining. Claire Andrews will follow publishing sensation

The Ulitmate Air Fryer Cookbook later this year with The Ultimate Slow Cooker Cookbook. And food blogger Sarah Rossi joins us with In One Pot, the latest in the bestselling What’s For Dinner? series. A delicious evening ahead!

DAVID HEPWORTH

6pm · Town Hall · £12.50

90 years since Prokofiev made the first recording there, Abbey Road has become the world’s most famous recording studio, via Elgar, Adele, Ken Dodd, Fats Waller, Dark Side of the Moon, Star Wars and, of course, the Beatles and that zebra crossing. With a foreword from Paul McCartney, celebrated music writer and Live Aid host David takes in the creative breakthroughs, unforgettable tunes and legendary collaborations forged within its walls. A former St John’s Wood townhouse that witnessed and partook in the very history of popular music.

HANNAH MARTIN

8pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £12.50 inc a glass of Laithwaites wine

A makeup artist with over 15 years’ experience in the industry, YouTube sensation Hannah’s go-to glow-up handbook is the one-stop shop for everything you need or want to know about makeup, and how to look good while caring for your skin.

‘Queen of radiant skin and smoky eye tutorials’ according to VOGUE, she shares her expertise in immediate Sunday Times bestseller, Makeup: A Masterclass in Beauty , a must-have resource that shows you how to master everything from everyday looks to special-occasion glamour.

LORRAINE CANDY & CHRISTIE WATSON

8pm · Town Hall · £10

Join two close confidantes for a frank and funny foray into female friendship, parenting, perimenopause and making the most of midlife. In Quilt on Fire Costa-winner Christie, an NHS nurse for over 20 years and a No.1 bestseller with The Language of Kindness, lays bare the wonder and fears of a changing body and a new set of challenges. Postcards from Midlife host and former Elle editor Lorraine tackles career reinvention, brainfog, burnout and much more in What’s Wrong With Me? 101Things Midlife Women Need to Know.

GARY YOUNGE

8pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

One of our most respected journalists returns to Henley after a stunning, sell-out event in 2016. Dispatches from the Diaspora: From Nelson Mandela to Black Lives Matter is a powerful career-spanning collection of his writing for T he Guardian, The Washington Post, The New Statesman, GQ and more, from South Africa’s first democratic elections to the present day. He takes us from the UK to Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and the US, including encounters with Maya Angelou, Desmond Tutu, Lewis Hamilton and Stormzy.

TRANSLATION DUEL

10am · Kenton Theatre · £10

Words not swords in this very entertaining international literary festival sensation. Phrases, punctuation and prepositions picked before your very eyes! Festival favourite Daniel Hahn , whose own translations range from Booker-nominees to Pelé , is joined by Ros Schwarz , who has translated over 100 books including The Little Prince and Maigret for Penguin Classics, and Vineet Lal , who provided the English versions of No.1 Gallic bestsellers The Red Notebook and The Secret Life of Writers . No knowledge of French is needed (they have that covered!), just a curiosity about how books are made.

FERDINAND MOUNT

12.30pm · Kenton Theatre · £15

Few write with Festival favourite Ferdinand’s wit and perception, fewer still so consistently well for so long: 56 years and counting. Big Caesar and, Little Caesars: How They Rise and How They Fall tracks the historical route from Julius Caesar to Boris Johnson via Napoleon, Cromwell, Mussolini, De Gaulle and Trump. Fortunately, many would-be Caesars come to grief, their actions foiled and conditional government restored. An entertaining and educational hour in store with the former TLS editor and head of Margaret Thatcher’s Policy Unit.

PETER TAYLOR: OPERATION CHIFFON

10am · Town Hall · £12.50

On the 25 th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Panorama and This Week reporter Peter tells for the first time the story, hidden for 40 years, of MI5 and MI6’s top-secret intelligence operation that helped bring peace to Ireland, drawing on exclusive interviews. Having covered the Irish conflict for five decades, no one can bring it to life better than the distinguished and respected BBC journalist, filmmaker and author, winner of special BAFTA and Royal Television Society awards.

LIVE STREAM: £7 PER EVENT

GEORGINA MOORE, CESCA MAJOR & EVA RICE

12.30pm · Town Hall · £10

Spend lunchtime with three bestselling novelists with local links. Festival regular Cesca’s latest Maybe Next Time , described as One Day meets Groundhog Day, is heading to the screen thanks to Reese Witherspoon. Oxfordshire-raised Eva follows Sunday Times bestseller The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets with 90s-set coming-of-age story This Could Be Everything. And Georgina’s debut The Garnett Girls is a compelling family drama set on the Isle of Wight, a suitable setting for the publishing doyenne who lives on a houseboat on the Thames!

This event is sponsored by KJ Smith Solicitors

TIMOTHY WEST

3.30pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £22 book & ticket | £15 just ticket

The acting triumphs of Timothy and Prunella Scales are legion: Pru perhaps best known for her immortal portrayal of Sybil in Fawlty Towers and Tim as the lead in the comedydrama series, Brass . Great Canal Journeys on Channel 4 cemented their place as national treasures. In Pru and Me , Tim talks about their careers, their 60-year marriage and of caring for Pru since her dementia diagnosis. Something they have tackled together, often with a glass of wine in hand and almost always with a smile.

JUSTINE PICARDIE

3pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life is THE definitive biography of the remarkable designer and businesswoman. In this new edition fashion writer and novelist Justine delves even deeper into the life and legacy of this eternally alluring woman. Chanel was an extraordinary inventor conjuring up the little black dress, bobbed hair, trousers for women, best-selling perfumes and the most successful fashion brand of all time. The Miss Dior author returns to Henley with another extraordinary story.

This event is sponsored by Sofas & Stuff

Ticket price includes a copy of Pru and Me (RRP £22) which will be given to you at the event.

JAMES NAUGHTIE: THE SPY ACROSS THE WATER

6pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

Consummate BBC broadcaster and now acclaimed writer, James returns to Henley with his third novel. Drawing on his news background it is a spy thriller that takes us from Washington to the Troubles in Northern Ireland to the long shadows of the Cold War. No author has better ability to talk about their work than James, whose career has included 21 years on Today, covering every US election for the last 35 years and hosting Radio 4’s Bookclub. This event is sponsored by Shiplake Meadows

365 POEMS FOR LIFE

6pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

With National Poetry Day once again coinciding with the Festival, what better than an evening of readings with award-winning anthologist Allie Esiri and special guest actors to be announced. A Poem for Every Day of the Year was picked on Desert Island Discs and is one of the Guardian’s top 10 poetry books; now 365 Poems for Life offers a brief moment of escape from daily life through some of the warmest words in the English language, from Maya Angelou to Carol Ann Duffy.

PAT NEVIN

6pm · Town Hall · £12.50

You’ve played for Chelsea, Everton and won 28 caps for Scotland. But what happens when you discover you’re in so deep that football has taken over your life? In F ootball And How To Survive It consummate broadcaster and The Accidental Footballer author Pat takes us to the less glamorous side of football. From Tranmere to Kilmarnock, he plays some of the best football he’s ever played. Then, in a twist of fate, finds himself both player and chief executive of Scottish First Division club Motherwell.

PROOF PARTY

8pm · The Relais · £12.50 inc a drink & two proof editions

Enjoy a drink and top conversation, plus take home advance copies of two of 2024’s most exciting debut novels: there ain’t no party like a Henley proof party! Penguin Michael Joseph won a seven-way auction for Sweetness in the Skin , a story of family, food and freedom; a love letter to Ishi Robinson ‘s home-country of Jamaica. Nominated for the Women’s Prize Trust’s Discoveries Prize, Faber graduate Olivia Ford ’s Mrs Quinn’s Rise to Fame sees a septuagenarian’s secret resurface after appearing on a TV baking show.

ERICA DAVIES WITH CANDICE BRATHWAITE

8pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50 inc a glass of Laithwaites wine

Clothes can make you feel your best, but what happens when life throws your style off course? In Style Chapters: Practical Dressing for Every Life Stage Erica – fashion editor and journalist for over 20 years – reveals all, from what to wear on the school run and how to dress for boardroom or bar to wedding guest outfits and the best companies for good jackets. In conversation with Lorraine style expert and bestselling I Am Not Your Baby Mother author Candice.

FOLLOW THE BEAR STORYTELLING

10am · Town Hall · £8 · 2+

Jump into an immersive and engaging storytime session for the very young with Walker Books! As the publishers of classic and contemporary hits for little people like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Guess How Much I Love You and I Want My Hat Back, this session will explore several new and recognised stories with accompanying songs, sounds and experiences. If you are interested in introducing babies and toddlers to sensory storytelling or continuing that journey, this is the perfect event!

CHRIS LAOUTARIS: SHAKESPEARE’S BOOK

10am · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

It is the 400th anniversary of Mr William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, known today simply as the First Folio. The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter’s Tale and Macbeth are just some of the plays that were only preserved thanks to the labour of love that went into the first collection. Award-winning Shakespeare scholar and Shakespeare’s Book author Dr Chris Laoutaris uncovers the friendships, bonds, social ties and professional networks that facilitated the production of this crucial publication against a turbulent backdrop.

GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS AND ANDREW ROBERTS

12.30pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

The outstanding battlefield strategist of our time and a world-renowned historian join forces in Henley for a special event, weeks ahead of publication of their landmark examination of warfare from 1945 to the Ukraine invasion. General Petraeus commanded the US-led coalitions in Iraq and Afghanistan before being appointed CIA director by Obama. Professor Roberts, author of award-winning biographies of Churchill and Napoleon, was last year appointed a life peer. Conflict draws on their different perspectives and expertise and the chance to hear from two true authorities is not be missed. This event is sponsored by Phyllis Court

FARROW & BALL

12.30pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

An expert from the brand synonymous with style and quality shares their wisdom from a wonderful new book. Colour curator and How to Decorate author Joa Studholme returns to the Festival with How to Redecorate: Transform your home with paint & paper. She has worked with Farrow & Ball for more than 25 years and gives decorating advice on everything from which white to use with which colour, how to select a neutral palette and easy-to-follow ways to build schemes for any room. Join us for an evening of interior design tips and tricks.

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP: DAISY BUCHANAN & ANTONIA TAYLOR

12.30pm · Town Hall · £12.50

How do you start on the journey that culminates in your book being published, appearing as a festival author or just getting that story out? Writing is a habit as much as an art. Bestselling Limelight novelist and You’re Booked podcaster Daisy joins with communications expert Antonia to help you explore and unlock your full creative potential in this special workshop event.

This event is sponsored by The Abbey School

MARK GALEOTTI: PUTIN’S WAR INTERVIEWED BY KEIR GILES

3pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

Mark unravels the mystery that is Russia today, with a true expert. It is a country with no natural borders, no single ethos, no true central identity. And yet it is one of the most powerful nations on earth, a master game-player on the global stage with a rich history of war and peace. Russian security affairs scholar Mark takes us behind the myths to the heart of the Russian story: from the formation of a nation to the rise of a politician named Vladimir Putin, the Ukrainian war and what the future might hold.

STEVEN PARISSIEN WITH DAN CRUICKSHANK

3pm · Town Hall · £12.50

Join two experts to discover how notable structures play a key role in our everevolving national story, from the Iron Age fortification of Maiden Castle to the Gherkin. In Building Britannia: A History of Britain in 25 Buildings Steven includes the Roman Baths, Lincoln Cathedral, Stourhead House, Crossness Pumping Station (a Victorian ‘temple to effluence’) and the country’s oldest working cinema. In conversation with Dan - art historian, BBC presenter and A History of Architecure in 100 Buildings

This event is sponsored by Penningtons

Manches Cooper

LIVE STREAM: £7 PER EVENT

MARCUS DU SAUTOY

6pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

As one would expect of a Gillotts and Henley college alum, renowned mathematician Marcus knows there is time for both both work and play. In Around the World in 80 Games he asks why some appear universal while others have a particular connection to the culture of the people playing them. The Oxford Professor for the Public Understanding of Science looks at the genesis of games new and old, explores how to invent one and explains the fascination of a popular lockdown pursuit.

VICTORIA HISLOP

3pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

The No.1 bestselling author of The Island and One August Night returns to Greece with her latest novel that goes back to the dark days of the country’s brutal military dictatorship. The Figurine, is told through Helena whose remote, cruel grandfather was one of the regime’s generals. When she inherits his apartment in Athens she discovers an array of valuable objects and antiquities. A fascinating tale unfolds. Victoria, one of the Festival’s best-loved bestsellers returns after several full-house events. This event is sponsored by Phyllis Court

MARGARET RAND WINE TASTING WITH LAITHWAITES

6pm · Town Hall · £15 inc 4 wine tasters

A wonderful way to relax into the weekend on Festival Friday. No book has had a greater impact on what wine we drink than Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book. Hugh may now be retired, but Margaret Rand is now in the hot seat, having been been general editor of the internationally bestselling series for over 15 years, including the current 2023 edition. Enjoy tasting four top wines, specially chosen to surprise and intrigue as she shares her wisdom with Laithwaites wine guy, Grant Hedley.

SHAPARAK KHORSANDI AND VIV GROSKOP

6pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £12.50

Two of our best-loved comedians and writers unite to discuss their brilliant books on living life on your own terms. Scatter Brain is a hilarious journey of self-discovery, as stand-up star and Nina Is Not OK novelist Shaparak describes the difference the diagnosis in her 40s of ADHD has made. As an award-winning writer, podcaster and performance coach Viv is the perfect guide to the cringe-free confidence we all deserve to enjoy and in Happy High Status shows how to achieve this without feeling daunted or arrogant.

MUMS NIGHT OUT: GILL SIMS

LOUISE BOYCE AND CLARA BATTEN

8pm · Town Hall · £15 inc a glass of Laithwaites wine

If you’re looking for a guide to ‘perfect’ motherhood…keep looking! But how about an evening celebrating getting through another week with three brilliant voices? Actor and TikTok sensation Clara Batten tackles those everyday parenting issues with humour in Gin & Phonics . Calpol and wine feature in Mama Still Got It! from model and Instragram creator Louise Boyce. And Gill Sims, author of the bestselling Why Mummy series of novels, returns with the hilarious and honest The Saturday Night Sauvignon Sisterhood.

This event is sponsored by The Relais

MARK WATSON

8pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

Writing about death sounds gloomy, but when the author is comedian Mark, its as eye-opening, revealing and painfully funny as you would expect. In Mortification he recounts how he’s died many times. Not just on stage - though he’ll tell you about thatbut there’s been the deaths of his innocence and his panel-show career. It’s a book about death that reminds us how to live, from the stand-up known for his Radio 4 series, his 24-hour shows and his acclaimed novels.

ROBERT PESTON

8pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £18 book & ticket | £12.50 just ticket

One of our leading journalists joins us in Henley between party conferences. Previously BBC business editor, Robert has been ITV political editor and host of Peston since 2016 and his non-fiction books have included Who Runs Britain? and How Do We Fix This Mess? His debut thriller The Whistleblower was a Sunday Times bestseller and called “a hell of a read” by The Observer, now The Crash sees BBC journalist Gil uncover the rotten heart of the financial system – but what price will he pay?

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ANITA MANGAN: DRAWING WORKSHOP

10am · Town Hall · £8 · 8+

Grab a pencil and paper (we’ll have them ready for you!) and join celebrated illustrator and graphic artist Anita for this fun, interactive event. Having produced iconic designs for LEON and books for Fearne Cotton and Dawn O’Porter, she illustrated the bestselling Be a Unicorn series before creating her first children’s book Escape the Rooms with her brother Stephen Mangan. Their latest The Unlikely Rise of Harry Sponge is a high-energy, laugh-out-loud adventure as grumpy old King Chisel seeks an heir to his kingdom - fast!

MOG STORYTELLING

10am · Kenton Theatre · £8 · 5+

‘Bother that cat!’ Mog is a very forgetful cat. She forgets that she has a cat flap, she forgets that she’s already eaten her supper and she forgets that cats don’t have eggs for breakfast. Celebrate the centenary year of Mog and The Tiger Who Came To Tea creator Judith Kerr – who made one of her final public appearances at the 2018 Festival – with our favourite professional storyteller Liz Fost and a very special event based on picture book perennial Mog the Forgetful Cat.

SIMON SCHAMA

10am · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

Citizens engulfed by panic and death, desperate for vaccines but fearful of what inoculation may bring. The world has just gone through this with Covid-19, but as Foreign Bodies: Pandemics, Vaccines and the Health of Nations shows it has happened before. Sir Simon makes his long-awaited Henley debut with his gripping history of vulnerable humanity caught between the terror of contagion and the ingenuity of science, taking us to London, Mumbai and Paris in the 18 th and 19 th centuries.

NATHAN GRAY

12pm · Town Hall · £12.50

Hold on to your seats! With 140 combat missions to his name, from flying ops in Helmand province to pursuing Bin Laden, Nathan is one of the most decorated British military aviators today. Now with Hazard Spectrum: Life In The Danger Zone By The Fleet Air Arm’s Top Gun he drops in to Henley. From making it out of an ‘unsurvivable’ crash as a trainee to being the first to land the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft in front of millions on TV, this will not be dull.

DERMOT O’LEARY

12pm · Baillie Gifford

Marquee at Phyllis Court

£8 · 7+

Will one tiny bird help to win a world war – and prove that the size of your heart is as important as that of your wings? Find out with brilliant broadcaster and bestselling children’s author Dermot! His funny actionadventure Wings of Glory sees Linus the swift volunteer for the Royal Bird Force. Featuring courageous loop-the-loops, top secret plans and more than a smattering of bird poo, you will laugh, cry and learn with the Radio 2 host and Toto the Ninja Cat creator.

BRIAN MCLAUGHLIN & ALAN JOHNSON

12pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

Brian joined HMV as an assistant in Portsmouth when the company had little more than a dozen outlets dotted around the country. By the 1980s, he had worked his way up to become its director of operations as it became an iconic part of both the music industry and the high street. His Master’s Voice is a fascinating journey of a landmark company and here he is in conversation with Festival favourite, former Home Secretary, author and music fanatic Alan.

REBECCA WAIT & LIV LITTLE

2pm · Town Hall · £10

The authors of two of the most acclaimed novels of the last year come to Henley for the first time to share their stories. Rebecca followed her thriller Our Fathers with the gorgeous comic novel of mothers, daughters and sisters, I’m Sorry You Feel That Way, a Fiction Book of the Year for The Guardian and The Times. Gal-dem founder Liv was featured in the BBC’ s 100 Women and Bernadine Evaristo called her debut Rosewater, which follows the fiercely independent Else, “wonderfully fresh, zesty and sexy”.

TALKING TO YOUR TEENAGE SELF: DAISY BUCHANAN, ISABELLA DORTA, JASPREET KAUR

4pm · Town Hall · £10

Three vibrant voices sharing life lessons, with heart and humour. In The Letters I Will Never Send, TikTok phenomenon Isabella Dorta follows bestseller How Sunflowers Bloom Under Moonlight with poems on love, mental health and self-discovery. Jaspreet Kaur’s Brown Girl Like Me: The Essential Guidebook & Manifesto for South Asian Girls & Women is an empowering call-to-arms. And Daisy Buchanan has a knack for writing about young women navigating the world, from How To Be A Grown-Up to novels Careering and Limelight.

JULIA BRADBURY

4pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

What does connecting with nature actually mean? And how do we do it? From presenting Countryfile to ambassador roles for Keep Britain Tidy and the National Trust Julia is the perfect guide. She knows firsthand nature’s profound impact: it has helped her survive breast cancer and continue through failed IVF treatments. Walk Yourself Happy explores how nature can soothe anxiety and stress and how walking, one of the most accessible activities for most of us, can help you eat well, sleep better and move more. Julia will be in conversation with Louise Robinson, editorial director at Saga Magazine.

This event is in partnership with Saga Exceptional

EMMA GANNON

6pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

Speaking engagements around the world, Sunday Times bestselling non-fiction and novel with (Dis)Connected, The Multi-Hyphen Method , and Olive Emma, host of the hugely popular Ctrl Alt Delete podcast, had everything she’d longed for, but was burned out, unhappy and still striving for more. She realised that our overly celebrated traditional version of success is making us lonely and unfulfilled. In the bold and brilliantly thoughtprovoking The Success Myth she explores how we can do things differently, in her typically engaging style.

LOCAL LIVES: DAVID WILLIAMS, EMMA ARMSTRONG & CHRISTINA HARDYMENT

6pm · Town Hall · £10

Three writers from in and around Henley talk about what inspires them and what the area means to them. Naturalist Emma Armstrong has a book about the climate emergency aimed at people who never thought they would read one. Restauranteur David Williams shares his story of the Palm Suite Restaurant with Hamburgers, Cocktails, Rock & Roll . And the elaborate Ewelme tomb of Chaucer’s granddaughter inspired The Serpent of Division by biographer and anthologist Christina Hardyment. You will certainly be entertained by tales of this trio.

ROB RINDER

6pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £12.50

The barrister turned broadcaster adds another string to his bow with his first thriller The Trial. The title couldn’t really be anything else…and the hero? A trainee defending a man accused of murdering a police hero at the Old Bailey. Since starring on Judge Rinder, Rob has won acclaim for his BBC documentaries My Family, the Holocaust and Me and The Holy Land and Us , as well as becoming a regular on Good Morning Britain, with the latter making an appearance in his funny and gripping novel!

This event is sponsored by KJ Smith Solicitors

BEN OKRI

8pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

Few writers are held in the same high regard as Sir Ben. His novel The Famished Road won the 1991 Booker Prize and he has continued to wow with words in the decades since. Poignant and timely, Tiger Work comprises poems, short stories, essays, a letter and an interview, all inspired by the climate crisis as he evokes the magic of nature and the urgency to protect over environment. A chance to spend time with a literary icon, as he discusses his career and latest work with Daniel Hahn.

This event is sponsored by HW Fisher

BEN MILLER

10am · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £8 · 7+

Armstrong & Miller, Paddington and Johnny English star Ben last joined us in 2016 for a sell-out The Aliens Are Coming! event for grown-ups. Now he returns in another very successful guise: bestselling children’s author of the Christmas Elf series, The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale and many more. Once Upon a Legend sees Marcus determined to get expelled from his new, highly unusual school, Merlin’s, but when things take a turn for the magical, he faces a giant.

LOUIS DE BERNIÈRES

12pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £12.50

What an honour for Henley to be the first to hear about Louis’ latest book Light Over Liskeard , a week ahead of publication. A new book from the Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and Red Dog author is always a treat and this entertaining and heart-warming novel pokes fun at modern mores, and makes us reconsider what is really precious in our short and precarious lives. Come hear what drew the novelist, poet and musician to write about Cornwall and the oddities of modern life. Louis will be in conversation with Martin Chilton, The Independent’s chief book critic. In partnership with The Independent

ALEX WILLMORE: SPYCERATOPS

12pm · Town Hall · £8 · 5+

Meet the little dinosaur who is the GREATEST SECRET AGENT IN THE WORLD! Spyceratops has all the skills: sneaking, peeking, blending in, daredevil manoeuvres. She has all the kit: groovy gadgets, loyal sidekick, awesome spymobile. And now the perfect opportunity has arisen for her to share her espionage expertise with YOU as she uncovers Grandad’s secret plotting. Illustrator of the award-winning Runaway Pea series and author of I Did See a Mammoth! Alex joins us with his latest creation.

SOPHY HENN

2pm · Kenton Theatre · £8 · 6+

Pow! Join award-winning Bad Nana & Ted author-illustrator Sophy and her reluctant superhero Pizazz for a fun, interactive event, tracing their journey from doodle to a six-book series. Don’t miss a thrilling comic book sound effects game, readings, tips on creating comic characters and a draw along with the two-time World Book Day illustrator and creator of our fab programme cover: it will be SUPER!

LINDA YUEH

2pm · Town Hall · £12.50

Since the Wall Street Crash financial meltdowns have sent shockwaves through our world over the last tumultuous century. The Great Crashes: Lessons From Global Meltdowns & How To Prevent Them takes us through the dot com boom and bust, currency crises, COVID and more. Former BBC chief business correspondent and Bloomberg economics editor Linda was recently appointed by HM Treasury to examine banking crises and help the government on mitigating the next one, having previously advised the World Bank and European Commission.

JUDY MURRAY

2pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £15

No one knows tennis better than Judy: a former international player turned top coach and mother of a Wimbledon champion. So who better to write a high-stakes novel set in that world? The Wild Card finds a faded tennis star on an unexpected winning streak, on a wild card entry to Wimbledon against all odds heading to the final. But will a dramatic secret from her past come out? Game, set and match to Judy as she returns to Henley after a previous sell-out. Judy will be in conversation with Louise Robinson, will editorial director at Saga Magazine This event is in partnership with Saga Exceptional

JEREMY DYSON & ANDY NYMAN

4pm · Town Hall · £12.50

Together they created theatrical triumph Ghost Stories and its film adaptation. Individually, The League of Gentlemen founder Jeremy writes short stories and for Killing Eve, while Olivier-winning actor Andy has been a close collaborator of Derren Brown for two decades. Fiendishly clever thriller The Warlock Effect draws on their shared passions of comedy, magic and horror. Having fled Nazi Germany as a child Louis Warlock creates extraordinary magic in 1950s Soho that is used to defeat a plot against the government. Intrigued? Don’t miss this dazzling duo!

CLARE BALDING

4pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £27 inc book

We are a canine nation. From guiding humans to hunting, hearths and herding sheep, they have accompanied us through centuries of change. Who could be a better guide to explore dog-loving Britain’s unique heritage than BAFTA-winning broadcaster Clare, who grew up with boxers and lurchers before becoming a long-time terrier-owner. Isle of Dogs moves from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home to Shetland via Buckingham Palace – and she even visited a Sonning Common doggy-daycare as part of her research! This event is sponsored by Sofas & Stuff

Ticket price includes a copy of Isle of Dogs (RRP £22) which will be given to you at the event.

ANNA MURPHY

4pm · Kenton Theatre · £12.50

From the fashion director of The Times and How Not to Wear Black author comes

Destination Fabulous: Finding your way to the best you yet - a wise, inspiring and invigorating guide to making the most of life as a grown-up woman. At 50, Anna Murphy feels more visible than at any point in her life to date. Hear her tell how to embrace your age and celebrate the wisdom and inner beauty that comes with it. It’s about the future you want.

This event is sponsored by Cecilia Quinn Shoe Boutique

DANNY CIPRIANI

6pm · Baillie Gifford Marquee at Phyllis Court · £12.50

Danny has always been searching for something. On the pitch, a line-break or space. An angle that no-one else could see. Off the pitch, a path through the pressure and chaos which came with being anointed ‘the saviour of English Rugby’. From sharp insights into playing under Martin Johnson, Stuart Lancaster and Eddie Jones to escaping his demons with drink, drugs and women, this is an extraordinarily candid memoir from the former Wasps, Sale and England star, one of the most charismatic players in world rugby. This event is sponsored by Shiplake College

20 SEPTEMBER 2023

SARA PASCOE

7.30pm · Christ Church · One ticket inc book

£15, two tickets inc one book, £20

Not only a brilliant comedian on stage, TV and Radio 4, Sara won critical acclaim for her non-fiction books Animal and Sex Power Money . Now she comes to Henley in the week her highly anticipated first novel Weirdo is published. Frankie Boyle calls it “genuinely hilarious” while Cariad Lloyd says “if Camus was raised in Essex and lived in the patriarchy, this is the book he would have written”; a frank, funny and fantastic evening lies in store.

LIAM BRADY

5pm · Christ Church · £25 inc book

25 October 2023

After being expelled from school for playing football for his country, at 15 Liam travelled from Dublin to London to join Arsenal, becoming a key player and and beloved by the fans. One of the Republic of Ireland’s greatest-ever footballers, he won 72 caps and went on to play for Juventus, Sampdoria, Inter Milan and West Ham, as well as managing Celtic and Brighton & Hove Albion. It was a wonderful career and ‘Chippy’ is a wonderful raconteur as Born to be a Footballer proves.

Ticket price includes a copy of Weirdo (RRP £14.99) which will be given to you at the event.

Ticket price includes a copy of Born to be a Footballer (RRP £20) which will be given to you at the event.

25 October 2023

PHIL TUFNELL: SPINNING A YARN

7.30pm · Christ Church · £27 inc book

They used to say what goes on tour stays on tour. Not now thanks to Test Match Special summariser Phil’s The Tourist . As a cricketer, broadcaster and celebrity jungledweller, he has travelled the world far and wide. Did he really once push a baby grand piano down the stairs of a plush hotel? Did he accidentally eat a rat? Was he blamed for England being bowled out for 46 against the West Indies without even being in the team? Find out with Phil.

RICK STEIN

12.30pm · Christ Church

£28 book & ticket | £15 just ticket

30 October 2023

His meals have had us salivating for decades; in bestselling books and hit BBC shows from T aste of the Sea to Rick Stein’s India and in-person for those fortunate enough to visit his restaurants in Cornwall and beyond. Now Rick joins us in Henley for a special lunchtime event to discuss his amazing career and new book Simple Suppers. Delicious recipes from one of our most respected cooks that are also straightforward and informal? What a treat. This event is sponsored by Shiplake Meadows

Ticket price includes a copy of The Tourist (RRP £22) which will be given to you at the event.

Ticket price includes a copy of Simple Suppers (RRP £28) which will be given to you at the event.

17 November 2023

PHILIPPA GREGORY

5pm · Town Hall

£25 book & ticket | £15 just ticket

A landmark work of non-fiction from one of our greatest historical novelists, spanning nine centuries of female protest, enslavement and liberation. Normal Women is a radical reframing of Britain from 1066 to 1994, eschewing monarchs to show the agency, persistence and effectiveness of ordinary women doing extraordinary things. The The Other Boleyn Girl author redefines ‘normal’ female behaviour to include heroism, rebellion, crime, treason, money-making, jousting, sainthood and much rioting, blazing the trail for women today.

Ticket price includes a copy of Normal Women (RRP £25) which will be given to you at the event.

JAMES O’BRIEN

7.30pm · Town Hall · £20 book & ticket | £15 just ticket

We’re living in a country almost unrecognisable from a decade ago, with the economy tanking, freedoms shrinking and divisions growing. That is the starting point for the LBC host and How to be Right author. In How They Broke Britain James reveals the shady networks, agendas and misleading of the public that have resulted in strikes, shortages and scandals, focusing on 10 individuals including Murdoch, Corbyn, Farage and several of the decade’s Prime Ministers.

Ticket price includes a copy of (RRP £20) which will be given to you at the event.

WITH THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

HEADLINE SPONSOR

Baillie Gifford is an independent investment partnership based in Edinburgh. The firm is a long-term supporter of Henley Literary Festival and a major sponsor of literary events taking place across the UK and further afield. Bailie Gifford is also the lead sponsor of the UK’s leading non-fiction prize, The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. More details of their literary sponsorship programme, including exclusive interviews with leading authors and thinkers, can be found in Trust magazine.

VENUE SPONSORS

Ever since Tony Laithwaite went to Bordeaux in the 60s, family and friendship has been central to our journey. We owe everything to the many growers and wine lovers we support and serve today. For over 50 years we’ve been delivering wine the right way - from the people who love making it to the people who love drinking it. We never overcomplicate things. By keeping it simple at every stage, we’ve been able to keep costs down and guarantee authenticity with every single bottle.

Gower Cottage Brownies produce award winning artisan chocolate brownies, gift wrapped delivered to your door, described as “the best brownies we’ve ever tasted” by BBC Good Food Magazine. We’ve also added to our collection, Brownie Butter “Outrageous new product Gower Cottage Brownies has launched a range of brownie ‘butters’; their extremely good brownies in spreadable/pourable form”. Jay Rayner

MAGAZINE PARTNER

One of the UK’s best-selling monthly magazines, Saga Magazine brings together the best stories and latest news on what matters to you most. Every issue is packed with insightful articles, brainteasing puzzles, in-depth celebrity interviews and expert health and money-advice. All this, plus monthly musings from our stellar columnists Jeremy Paxman, Jenni Murray, Joe Fattorini, Paul Lewis, Dr Mark Porter and Susie Dent. Inspiring real-life stories, practical gardening tips and delicious recipes keep our readers going until the next issue arrives. Subscribe today for just £5 for your first 3 issues and save over 70% off the cover price by visiting www.henleyliteraryfestival.co.uk/sagamagazine

WITH THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS WITH THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

FURNITURE PARTNER

Visit Sofas & Stuff Henley showroom: 2-4 Reading Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 1AG. 01491 390830

www.sofasandstuff.com

Sofas & Stuff creates bespoke British sofas, chairs and beds, offering customers a high level of choice and creativity. Each made-to-order piece from Sofas & Stuff is individually and authentically designed to suit your lifestyle, enhance your home, and give you comfort for many years to come. Fine quality fabrics lie at the very heart of the company. Sofas & Stuff’s remarkable fabric library includes distinctive woven and printed linens, and exclusive collections created in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). These exclusive fabrics sit alongside collections from celebrated British and international fabric houses, such as Colefax & Fowler, Linwood and Sanderson.

CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL SPONSOR

Overlooking the river, just two miles upstream from Henleyon-Thames, Shiplake College is a co-educational boarding and day school offering a holistic education to just over 500 pupils from Years 7 to 13. In September 2023 girls joined Year 7 as it transitions to become fully co-educational, an environment already established in the Sixth Form. Flexi, weekly and full boarding is available from Year 9. The College focuses on its core values, known as the Three i’s – Inclusive, Individual, Inspirational.

EVENT SERIES SPONSORS

Shiplake Meadows is a class leading retirement community just 3 miles from Henley. Our spacious, light and sociable cottages and apartments are set within lovely landscaped grounds, and each of them has a private garden, patio or large, full width balcony, plus private car parking. One of the unique features is the residents Clubhouse, which offers a Deli, Restaurant, Gym, Physio and Hairdressing, Concierge, and Personal Care if required. Cottages offer 2/3 Bedrooms, with 2 bathrooms and wetroom. There are several designs of 2 and 3 bedroom ground and first floor apartments, with some stunning duplex apartments offering up to 2400 sq ft of luxurious living space, quite unlike anything else available in the locality. Show Homes Now Open.

WITH THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

NEWS PARTNER

The Independent has been at the front line of journalism since its launch in 1986, with its purpose to challenge, debate and make change happen way ahead of its time. It is the UK’s largest quality digital news brand and a top 10 news brand in the US, and was the first of the quality news brands to become fully digital (in 2016). Publishing from 12 countries and in six languages, and with a network of global correspondents, The Independent is a truly international news organisation.

VENUE PARTNER

Phyllis Court Club is delighted to be sponsoring the Henley Literary Festival for another year! Based on the banks of the River Thames, Phyllis Court enjoys spectacular views of the river and surrounding Chilterns countryside. The Private Members Club offers Members an enhanced social life, varied dining opportunities, a Fitness Centre, beautiful grounds, access to Reciprocal Clubs and over 30 Interest Groups - so there really is something for everyone.

GREEN ROOM SPONSOR

HW Fisher is a top 30 chartered accountancy firm based in London. Our specialist Authors and Journalists group are passionate about the publishing industry and helping authors to succeed, whether they be on their first or 50th novel. We have been advising authors and journalists for many years, helping them to manage their finances. Hear from some of the authors we work with at www.hwfisher.co.uk/authorstories. For more information, please contact Andrew Subramaniam.

WITH THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS WITH THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

HOTEL PARTNER

Where the River Thames meets the historic market town of Henley discover the perfect waterside retreat, a 16th-century coaching inn now reimagined for a life well lived today. Enjoy the easy familiarity of spending time in one of the 40 individually designed rooms at The Relais Henley, inspired by the liveliness of the Thames as it flows through the surrounding English countryside. Live our centuries of stories, as you discover dining at the Clipper Restaurant, cocktails at the Quarterdeck bar or al fresco meals in our inner courtyard. Dip into our meeting and workspace in the Palm Court, Petit Palm or Clip Bar while watching the rowers on the river. Fully renovated in 2020/2021.

EVENT SPONSORS

PARTNERS

WITH THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS WITH THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS OUR BOOK PARTNER

Henley Literary Festival works in partnership with The Bell Bookshop who offer copies for signing at the end of each event throughout the festival. The Bell Bookshop specialises in children’s books for all ages, new and general fiction in hardback and paperback, classics, biographies, travel guides, history books, cookery books and other non-fiction. Find out more by visiting the shop at 52 Bell Street, Henley on Thames RG9 2BL. See p. 82 for map.

• We’re using the world-leading platform for online events Crowdcast; there’s nothing to download – you’ll be sent an email with the link to watch on the day.

• Events will work on phones and tablets but are best watched on a computer or laptop – wherever you have the strongest internet connection.

• Our tech team will work with all authors and interviewers to ensure internet, sound and vision is optimised for the best possible viewing experience.

• Should your internet fail you or prevent you watching live, the event will remain available to view for another 24 hours using the link sent to you.

REGISTER FOR AN EVENT AND JOIN!

Each Crowdcast event takes place at a single URL. That means you’ll use the same link to register, attend live, and watch the replay of an event.

Here’s how you can register:

First, navigate to the Crowdcast event link provided to you by the event host. Then, click the “Save my spot!” button. If you’re not signed into an existing Crowdcast account, you’ll be asked to enter your email address.

If this is your first time using this email address to watch a Crowdcast event…

After entering your email address, you’ll be prompted to provide your name. This is how you’ll appear to the host and to others in the event when you engage in the chat or Q&A. You also have the option to add a password. Note: The password field is optional.

If you set a password, you can easily log back into Crowdcast with an email and password combination. It’s ok if you don’t want to set a password. When you return to Crowdcast in the future, you’ll see a login link option that you can use instead.

Check your email for a registration confirmation message and a link to join the event. You’ll be signed directly into your newly created Crowdcast account when you click that link.

Go ahead and say hello in the chat! You can start interacting with any available polls, chat, and Q&A – even before the event goes live!

If you’re a returning attendee using the same email to access another event…

Click the “Save my spot” button, and enter the email address you’ve used previously.

If you’ve set a password in the past, go ahead and enter it again. Or, you can use the “Email me a login” link option to receive an email with a link that will sign you directly into your account and allow you to access the event.

WITH THANKS TO... PLATINUM FRIENDS

OF THE FESTIVAL

Mr and Mrs Tim & Susie Keown, Miss Sarah Phipps, Mr Colin Blears, Jimmy Gordon, Mr Angus McKibben, Mr Simon Pitcher, Patrick Burrowes, Mrs Daniela Shanly, Mrs Siobhan Cassidy

GOLD FRIENDS OF THE FESTIVAL

Mrs Sarah Blomfield, Mr John Luker, Mr Alan Pontin, Mrs Dianne Sayer, Sue Laing, Mr Robert Weeks, Mrs Anne Menzies, Mr Julian Brookes, Mrs Rae Ward, Mr Maggie & John Mills, Mrs Diana and Roger le Clercq, Mrs Jane Franks, Mr Nick Dunlop, Mrs Anne Collinson, Mr Brian Ennion, Dr Rick Morton, Mr Tim Jones, Mrs Ceri Tanner, Mrs Aideen Jones, Mrs Margot Sutton, Mr Robert Oliver Taylor, Mr James Munn Mr. Muhammad Muneeb Qadir

*As of 22 June

The Henley Literary Festival Team

Harriet Reed-Ryan

Jade Beveridge

Sarah Haynes

Saskia Williams

Emma Pells

Alexis Lane

Jess Dean

Sue Ryan (Festival Founder) Committee

Cindy Burrowes, Jon Ryan, Louise Hall, Pam Morris and Virginia Van Zwanenberg

Special thanks to

Jon Ryan for writing the programme

Robbie Everett, Matt Golden and all the team at ITM

Connor at Emoji Media

Emma Farmar, Samantha Bullingham, Paula Beegan, Linda Clifford, Melissa Grierson, Martha Stone (venue managers)

Paddy Burrowes, Sue Gentilli, Monkey Chambers, Jane Chesters, Moira Bradley (chaperones)

Scarlet Page for being the Festival photographer

Simon Haynes for our new website design

BBC Radio Berkshire, Henley Standard & Henley Herald

Hannah Wrankmore and Lorraine Yearwood

Tom Ryan for his consistent support

The Festival volunteers

All the wonderful publicists

And finally... Sophy Henn for the beautiful cover design

EVENTS FOR SCHOOLS

Our 2023 school programme is running from Monday 2 October - Friday 6 October. The line-up features award-winning authors and illustrators Kate Pankhurst, J.T. Williams, A.F. Steadman, Greg James & Chris Smith, David Baddiel, A.M. Dassu plus many more!

All events will be live-streamed from the venue directly to classrooms and school halls free of charge. This means that schools from across the country can join in the fun too.

To find out more, please visit our website: henleyliteraryfestival.co.uk/for-schools

After the success of 2022, we are streaming our schools programme again this year to thousands of classrooms and school halls, meaning more students get to benefit from our events - none of which would be possible without the donations we recieved from our wonderful supporters:

Sarah Blomfield

Dianne Sayer

Mr and Mrs Tim & Susie Keown

Sarah Phipps

Jimmy Gordon

Paddy & Cindy Burrowes THANK YOU FROM ALL THE TEAM AT HENLEY LITERARY FESTIVAL

AT A

Pop-up events

Baillie Gifford Marquee

Phyllis Court Club, RG9 2HT

15 mins stroll from Henley Station

Laithwaites Stage at the Kenton Theatre

19 New Street, RG9 2BP

10 mins stroll from Henley Station

Gower Cottage Brownies Stage at the Town Hall Market Place, RG9 2AQ

9 mins stroll from Henley Station

Kings Arms Barn, Kings Road, RG9 2DG

10 mins stroll from Henley Station

The Bell Bookshop

52 Bell Street, RG9 2BL

10 mins stroll from Henley Station

Christ Church

46 Reading Rd, Henley-on-Thames RG9 1AG

3 mins stroll from Henley Station

HLF HQ

RAISING A GLASS TO GREAT STORIES AND A PERFECT PARTNERSHIP

Every wine has a story to tell. And some of the best stories start with a glass of something delicious. That’s why Laithwaites are very proud to sponsor the Henley Literary Festival for a 13th successive event. Come and see us at the Kenton Theatre where you can enjoy our wines and listen to literary greats.

laithwaites.co.uk