Latest news with #HenleyLiteraryFestival
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Graham Norton and Sir Michael Palin join Henley Literary Festival line-up
Comedy legend John Cleese and actor and presenter Sir Michael Palin will feature at this autumn's Henley Literary Festival. Mr Cleese will discuss Fawlty Towers while Sir Michael will share insights into Venezuela at the event that will take place between October 3 and 12. They will be joined by a host of familiar faces from TV, sports, children's literature, and crime writing. John Cleese (Image: Henley Literary Festival) Festival director Harriet Reed said: 'From the menopause, farming, and the impact of empire to much-loved sitcoms, record-breaking sports stars, and wonderful children's authors and illustrators, we are so excited to share our most eclectic line-up and yet." Dame Mary Berry, who celebrated her 90th birthday in March, will be giving a talk, while Graham Norton, who previously delighted virtual audiences during lockdown, will be making his return to the festival. Mary Berry (Image: Henley Literary Festival) Professional dancer and Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse will be making her debut appearance at the festival. Oti Mabuse (Image: Michael Wharley) A host of stars familiar to younger audiences are also lined up, including Hugh Bonneville, who starred in Paddington, the UK's best-selling poet Donna Ashworth, award-winning author-illustrator Emily Gravett, and farmer Kaleb Cooper, who has risen to fame since appearing on Clarkson's Farm. Kaleb Cooper (Image: Ellis O'Brien) Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland, is returning to Henley with Empireworld, in conversation with Gary Younge. Also on the roster is Lord Heseltine, returning to his old constituency to reflect on his life with Simon Walters of The Independent. MENOLicious co-authors Mariella Frostrup and Belles Berry will be sharing food and health tips for anyone navigating midlife changes. Gavin and Stacey star and local resident Joanna Page will discuss her autobiography Lush!, with her sitcom co-star Larry Lamb joining All Creatures Great and Small actor Carol Drinkwater. For sports fans, England men's most capped rugby union player Ben Youngs will feature with his memoir, and Test Match Special favourite Phil Tufnell will deliver a timely look at the Ashes. Ben Youngs (Image: Jack Margerison) Thrillers dominate this year with an evening hosted by crime fiction enthusiast and Olympic icon Dame Katherine Grainger. Death in Paradise and Marlow Murder Club creator Robert Thorogood will join Jeremy Vine, who will present his first crime novel Murder on Line One. Jeremy Vine (Image: Toby Madden) The festival will offer more than 120 events at venues across the town. Previously announced speakers include Michael Morpurgo, Denise Lewis, Raymond Blanc, Mary Beard, Ben Okri, Joanna Lumley, Simon Armitage, and Cressida Cowell. The full programme will be revealed early next month, with tickets on sale to Gold and Platinum Friends on July 4, Friends of the Festival on July 8, and general public on July 14.
Edinburgh Live
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Anton Du Beke confronts ex Strictly partner over harsh response to career change-up
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Anton Du Beke seemingly wasn't expecting such criticism from his former Strictly Come Dancing partner, Judy Murray, when he sought advice from her about one of his novels. The 58-year-old, who rose to fame as a dancer on the BBC show, switched up his career in 2018 when he released his debut book One Enchanted Evening. When he later worked on a separate novel, he reached out to self-professed "grammar and spelling geek" Judy to proofread what he had written so far. In response, she sent him back notes about what he could improve on, which included grammatical errors. Seemingly caught off guard by her thorough feedback, Judy recalled how Anton called her up and half-jokingly queried why she couldn't have been more complimentary. As reported by the Western Mail, she remembered: "He phoned me and said, 'Could you not just have said, 'Well done, Anton. That was brilliant?'". In retort, Judy humorously reminded him that he had requested her honest opinion, which she provided. The mother-of-two went on to reveal that it was Anton who encouraged her to pen her own 2023 novel, The Wild Card, based on her experiences in the world of tennis. The pair struck up a friendship when they were paired together on the BBC programme in 2014. Judy managed an eight-week run in the competition, before losing out in a dance-off against actress Sunetra Sarker at Blackpool. Discussing her exit with host Tess Daly at the time, the mother of tennis stars Andy and Jamie Murray thanked Anton for his support. She commented: "He is great fun to be around and has made my Strictly experience very, very special." Judy has also previously told Good Housekeeping Magazine that participating in the show allowed her to reveal a different side to the public. She elaborated: "[Strictly] helped a lot because, up until that point, you get used to seeing horrible pictures of yourself in the paper portraying you as grotesque or aggressive. "It helped me to stop feeling that everyone thought I was a nightmare pushy mother." Anton has similarly also shown fans a different side to him in recent years by venturing into writing. The Strictly judge previously told fans that the inspiration behind him becoming an author, was through stories he heard in the world of dance. At the Henley Literary Festival, he was quoted by The Independent as saying: "I always wanted to do stories and dancing was a great avenue to tell stories through. Its just kind of the story and the narrative is everything." Meanwhile, Anton is also gearing up to return to the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel later this year, alongside Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, and Craig Revel Horwood. Names of the celebrity contestants signed up for the upcoming series are expected to be revealed from next month.
