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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260321T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260321T110000
DTSTAMP:20260211T103502Z
CREATED:20260115T152941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T103502Z
UID:10000811-1774087200-1774090800@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:John Suchet - In Search of Beethoven: A Personal Journey
DESCRIPTION:BOOK TICKETS FOR JOHN SUCHET\n  \nA Presto ‘Book of the Year’ from star journalist and Classic FM presenter\, John Suchet \nJohn Suchet’s most personal book is dedicated to the life of an extraordinary composer. Part biography\, memoir and travelogue\, it draws on Suchet’s own life and career as a new anchor and foreign correspondent to show how Beethoven’s music has accompanied him through the best and worst of times. It was with him as a music-loving and adventurous teenager\, as a journalist in war-torn Beirut\, and\, as he has continued to explore the old cities of Bonn and Vienna\, in search of the man behind the music. In this compelling book\, we see Beethoven brought vividly – and sometimes painfully – to life. Suchet traces Beethoven’s footsteps from his early years in Bonn to his dying days in Vienna\, taking us on a journey both literal and symbolic\, as he uses his own experience as a Beethoven aficionado to show the life-changing power of great music. \nJohn Suchet OBE is a bestselling author\, journalist\, radio and TV presenter. He was the voice of morning radio on Classic FM for almost a decade and before that\, he was one of the UK’s best-known television journalists and newscasters\, regularly presenting ITN’s flagship News at Ten for nearly 20 years. A recognised authority on Beethoven\, he is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Beethoven: The Man Revealed (2020)\, as well as biographies of Mozart\, Strauss\, Verdi and Tchaikovsky. \nBOOK TICKETS FOR JOHN SUCHET
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/john-suchet-in-search-of-beethoven-a-personal-journey/
LOCATION:Guildhall\, Bore Street\, Lichfield\, Staffordshire\, WS13 6LU\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/John-Suchet-In-Search-of-Beethoven-21st-March-scaled-e1768828221470.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260320T203000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260320T213000
DTSTAMP:20260318T093058Z
CREATED:20260115T153020Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T093058Z
UID:10000812-1774038600-1774042200@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Pierre Novellie - Why Can’t I Just Enjoy Things? A Comedian's Guide to Autism
DESCRIPTION:This event is now Sold Out. Join the waiting list below for returned tickets\, or we think you might like: Robert Newman – Intelligence \nJOIN WAITING LIST\n  \n‘Like a Martian’s guide to living on Earth. Funny\, enlightening and gobsmacking’ – Frank Skinner \n Why were the other kids at school obsessed with Britney Spears instead of The Goon Show? Why don’t people ever say what they mean? And… why is everyone chewing so loudly? Comedian Pierre Novellie was on stage when a heckler suggested he was autistic. Usually\, this disruption would be water off a duck’s back but two things made this heckler different: first\, he was himself autistic. Second\, he turned out to be absolutely right. \nThis random encounter led to a diagnosis of autism at the age of 31 that unravelled his world\, explained his struggles and answered questions that had bothered him for his entire life. At once a hilarious and insightful journey through autism and neurodivergence\, an entertaining explainer for the uninitiated and observational comedy for the neurodiverse\, this is the perfect read for anyone who has ever asked themselves: why can’t I just enjoy things? \nPierre Novellie is a stand-up comedian\, writer\, radio host and podcaster. His new Radio 4 show – Why in the name of Pierre Novellie – is currently airing this January\, and he is co-host on both The Frank Skinner Show (Absolute Radio) and the hit Budpod podcast (with Phil Wang). His TV appearances include World’s Most Dangerous Roads (Dave)\, The Mash Report (BBC2)\, and Stand Up Central (Comedy Central). On the radio\, Pierre has performed on The Now Show (Radio 4) and hosted the BBC Sounds podcast series Obsessed With… SAS: Rogue Heroes. As a writer\, Pierre was one of the regular writers on the rebooted Spitting Image (ITV/Britbox) and has also written on shows including Mock the Week (BBC2)\, The News Quiz (Radio 4) and The Mash Report (BBC2). Pierre has performed stand-up around the world\, including sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe\, residencies in Soho and nationwide tours. \nBOOK TICKETS FOR PIERRE NOVELLIE
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/pierre-novellie-why-cant-i-just-enjoy-things-a-comedians-guide-to-autism/
LOCATION:The Hub at St Mary’s\, Market Square\, Lichfield\, WS13 6LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/Pierre-Novellie-20th-March-e1768828141459.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260320T184500
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260320T194500
DTSTAMP:20260221T212314Z
CREATED:20260115T153042Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260221T212314Z
UID:10000813-1774032300-1774035900@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Andrew Lownie - Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York
DESCRIPTION:This event is now sold out\, please join the waiting list for any returned tickets\, or we think you might like: Lucia Osborne-Crowley – The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell \n  \nJOIN WAITING LIST FOR ANDREW LOWNIE\n  \n‘The most devastating royal biography ever written’ – Daily Mail \nPacked with extraordinary revelations\, Entitled is the first joint biography of the now former Duke and Duchess\, revealing how their lives are still deeply entwined. Drawing on four years’ research\, numerous FOI requests and interviews with over 100 people who have never spoken before\, Andrew Lownie traces the lives of the late Queen’s second son and his ex-wife\, through their childhoods\, courtship\, marriage\, divorce\, careers and royal and charitable activities. It reveals new details of how the couple have been able to financially sustain their extravagant lifestyles\, delving into ever-deepening links with Jeffrey Epstein. Chronicling their lives in parallel\, the picture that emerges is of a spoilt prince unable to connect and a duchess pushed by her insecurities into a desperate need to maintain her ‘royal’ status. \nANDREW LOWNIE was educated at Magdalene College\, Cambridge\, where he was President of the Union\, before taking his master’s and doctorate at Edinburgh University. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society\, he later returned to Cambridge as a visiting fellow at Churchill College. He has been a bookseller\, publisher\, journalist writing for The Times\, Telegraph\, Wall Street Journal\, Spectator\, Guardian and since 1988 has run his own literary agency.  He is President of the Biographers Club\, sits on the board of Biographers International Organisation and is a Trustee of the Campaign for Freedom of Information. His books include the prize-winning Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess (2015) and the top ten Sunday Times bestsellers The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves (2019) and Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (2021). \nPhoto credit: Nick Gregan \n 
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/andrew-lownie-entitled-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-house-of-york/
LOCATION:The Hub at St Mary’s\, Market Square\, Lichfield\, WS13 6LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260320T140000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260320T150000
DTSTAMP:20260211T101444Z
CREATED:20260115T153122Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T101444Z
UID:10000815-1774015200-1774018800@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Simon Hart - Ungovernable: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip
DESCRIPTION:This event is now sold out. Join the waiting list below in case returned tickets become available\, or we think you might like Vernon Bogdanor & Andy Beckett – Making the Weather / The Searchers \nJoin Waiting List\n  \nAn insider’s story from the heart of government – as told by a man who knows… \nFormer Chief Whip and MP Simon Hart had a front-row seat to the most turbulent times in Britain’s recent political history: Brexit\, Liz Truss’s 49-day premiership\, the invasion of Ukraine… he’s seen and heard it all. In the oft misunderstood position of Chief Whip\, Simon oversaw a record fifteen Conservative MPs fall by the wayside\, for offences ranging from Matt Hancock’s unauthorized appearance on I’m A Celebrity… to Lee Anderson’s comments about the London Mayor. Each involved a noisy and vitriolic public commentary; none stopped him from becoming one of the few Chief Whips to survive an entire premiership. In an unflinching look at life as a Chief Whip\, Ungovernable is a revealing\, blow-by-blow account – offering a glimpse of what truly goes on in Westminster behind closed doors. \nSimon Hart was MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire between 2010and 2024. Previously a chartered surveyor\, Simon cut his political teeth as the former CEO of the Countryside Alliance. He served on four select committees and then\, following Theresa May’s election as prime minister in 2016\, became her representative on the Committee for Standards in Public Life. He was appointed as Minister for Implementation in the Cabinet Office under Boris Johnson\, and then joined the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Wales. He later resigned from his government the day before Johnson himself surrendered. In October 2022\, Rishi Sunak invited him to become Chief Whip. He is married with two adult children\, and lives in Pembrokeshire. \n  \n 
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/simon-hart-ungovernable-the-political-diaries-of-a-chief-whip/
LOCATION:The George Hotel\, Bird Street\, Lichfield\, WS13 6PR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/Simon-Hart-Ungovernable-20th-March-scaled-e1768393640680.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260320T120000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260320T130000
DTSTAMP:20260216T172035Z
CREATED:20260115T153140Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260216T172035Z
UID:10000816-1774008000-1774011600@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Andrew Ziminski - Church Going: A Stonemason's Guide to the Churches of the British Isles
DESCRIPTION:This event is now sold out\, please join the waiting list for any returned tickets\, or we think you might like: Charles Saumarez Smith – John Vanbrugh: The Drama of Architecture \n  \nJOIN WAITING LIST FOR ANDREW ZIMINSKI\n  \n‘A joyous and illuminating exploration of our glorious heritage’ – Sir Tony Robinson \nChurches are many things to us – places of worship\, vibrant community hubs and oases of calm reflection. To know a church is to hold a key to the past that unlocks an understanding of our shared history. \nAndrew Ziminski has spent decades as a stonemason and church conservator\, acting as an informal guide to curious visitors. This is his handbook to the medieval churches of the British Isles\, in which he reveals their fascinating histories\, features and furnishings\, from flying buttresses to rood screens\, lichgates to chancels. Beautifully written and richly illustrated\, it is a celebration of the architectural history of the British Isles. \nAndrew Ziminski is a stonemason\, church conservator and author living and working in Frome\, Somerset. He has four decades of experience working on some of the greatest cathedrals and churches in Britain\, including the tower of Salisbury Cathedral and the dome of St Paul’s in London. He is a SPAB William Morris Craft Fellow\, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries\, and conservation advisor to the Salisbury Diocesan advisory committee for the care of churches. He is the author of The Stonemason: A History of Building Britain. \nJOIN WAITING LIST FOR ANDREW ZIMINSKI
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/andrew-ziminski-church-going-a-stonemasons-guide-to-the-churches-of-the-british-isles/
LOCATION:The George Hotel\, Bird Street\, Lichfield\, WS13 6PR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/Andrew-Ziminski-Church-Going-20th-March-e1768827957744.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260320T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260320T110000
DTSTAMP:20260211T104044Z
CREATED:20260115T153158Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T104044Z
UID:10000817-1774000800-1774004400@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Charles Saumarez Smith - John Vanbrugh: The Drama of Architecture
DESCRIPTION:BOOK TICKETS FOR CHARLES SAUMAREZ SMITH\n  \nA special Literature Festival event to mark the tercentenary of the great architect’s death \nSir John Vanbrugh was one of Britain’s greatest architects and the designer of some of the most important and best beloved English country houses\, including Castle Howard and Blenheim Palace. By the standards of architects of the time\, Vanbrugh was a worldly figure\, friend and ally of the great\, with a strong sense of the imaginative characteristics of architecture\, its power of evocation\, and a building’s emotional impact\, particularly when compared to the more disciplined and scholarly work of his contemporaries\, Wren and Hawksmoor. Charles Saumarez Smith paints a fascinating portrait of a man whose architecture was shaped by his personality\, exploring Vanbrugh’s activities as a playwright and theatre manager\, his circle of friends\, his place in 18th-century society\, and\, his influence on later architects from Robert Adam to Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. \nCharles Saumarez Smith did a PhD. on ‘Charles Howard\, third Earl of Carlisle and the Architecture of Castle Howard’ at the Warburg Institute.  His first book\, The Building of Castle Howard\, was published by Faber and Faber in 1990 and won the Alice David Hitchcock Medallion.  After a career working in museums and galleries\, he retired in 2018\, since which he has returned to writing about architecture as the architecture critic of The Critic.  His book\, John Vanbrugh: The Drama of Architecture was published by Lund Humphries in November and an exhibition of the same title will open in February 2026 at Sir John Soane’s Museum. \nCharles will be in conversation with Lichfield’s very own Annette Rubery\, an academic\, theatre historian\, editor and author with a special interest in Vanbrugh and his circle. \nBOOK TICKETS FOR CHARLES SAUMAREZ SMITH
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/charles-saumarez-smith-john-vanbrugh-the-drama-of-architecture/
LOCATION:The George Hotel\, Bird Street\, Lichfield\, WS13 6PR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/Charles-Saumarez-Smith-20th-March-scaled-e1768827899137.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260319T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260319T203000
DTSTAMP:20260211T104118Z
CREATED:20260115T153215Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T104118Z
UID:10000818-1773948600-1773952200@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Ben Benton - All You Can Eat: The Search for a New British Menu
DESCRIPTION:BOOK TICKETS FOR BEN BENTON\n  \n‘Ben Benton is the rarest of beasts\, in that he both cooks and writes beautifully’ – Meera Sodha \nA chef’s tour of the best and most innovative foods in Britain sees Ben Benton on a mission. British food is usually seen as a dire affair – if people think of it at all\, they picture fish and chips\, tea and cakes\, stiff sandwiches and limp vegetables. But the truth is that British food today is one of the world’s most diverse cuisines\, and Benton is setting out to catalogue the best dishes from across the country – from Black Isle to the Balti Triangle\, from Liverpool to Land’s End. Whether sampling seafood on the coast of Northern Ireland or jollof rice in an Essex carpark\, join Ben for a delectable tour celebrating the extraordinary variety of cultures and people in Britain today\, a moreish adventure that offers a chef’s perspective on how to find and cook delicious food where you live. \nBen Benton is a chef\, food writer and co-host of the Go-To Food podcast. He has cooked at Rochelle Canteen and the Dock Kitchen and was head chef at LeCoq\, before co-authoring Max’s Sandwich Book and writing for Vittles\, The Guardian\, The Spectator and The Daily Telegraph. \nBOOK TICKETS FOR BEN BENTON
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/ben-benton-all-you-can-eat-the-search-for-a-new-british-menu/
LOCATION:The Hub at St Mary’s\, Market Square\, Lichfield\, WS13 6LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/Ben-Benton-All-You-Can-Eat-19th-March-scaled-e1768827309806.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260319T170000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260319T180000
DTSTAMP:20260211T104203Z
CREATED:20260115T153232Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T104203Z
UID:10000819-1773939600-1773943200@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Robert Colls - George Orwell: Life and Legacy
DESCRIPTION:BOOK TICKETS FOR ROBERT COLLS\n  \n‘Everything is freshly presented – his imperial origins and shifting politics\, truth-telling journalism and relations with women. If you want a new view of Orwell\, read Colls’ – The New Statesman \nAn authentic account of Orwell’s life and work from his birth in the high noon of British imperialism\, to his death on the eve of the Cold War in 1950 – a life played out against a background of two world wars\, the rise of communism\, and the war-time pre-eminence of the US. Yet no matter how alert he was to the world order\, and how guarded his personal life\, Orwell never shied away from the question of who he was\, and the contradictions that entailed. His modern masterpieces Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) arrived to define the age he lived in. Interest in him has never abated since; no writer is more quoted or misquoted\, leaving him in danger of being lost to soundbites. Colls reveals the author once again. \nRobert Colls was professor of English History at the University of Leicester before joining the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University\, also in Leicester. He has written widely on modern British history\, and for The New Statesman and the Literary Review\, as well as for other newspapers and journals\, and on television and radio including\, most recently\, The Rest is History podcast. His This Sporting Life (OUP 2020) won the Aberdare Prize for sport history writing. His Identity of England (OUP 2002)\, George Orwell English Rebel (OUP 2014) and This Sporting Life (OUP 2020) were Books of the Year in The Times\, The Sunday Times\, The Observer\, The New Statesman and the BBC History Magazine. \nBOOK TICKETS FOR ROBERT COLLS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/robert-colls-george-orwell-life-and-legacy/
LOCATION:The Hub at St Mary’s\, Market Square\, Lichfield\, WS13 6LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/Robert-Colls-George-Orwell-Life-and-Legacy-e1768827789326.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260319T140000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260319T150000
DTSTAMP:20260309T133355Z
CREATED:20260115T153249Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260309T133355Z
UID:10000820-1773928800-1773932400@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Alwyn Turner - A Shellshocked Nation: Britain Between the Wars
DESCRIPTION:This event is now sold out\, please join the waiting list for any returned tickets\, or we think you might like: Vernon Bogdanor & Andy Beckett. The Hub @ St Mary’s 22 March \n  \nJOIN WAITING LIST FOR ALWYN TURNER\n  \nFrom Times Book of the Year writer and historian\, Alwyn Turner \nThe Great War left Britain shattered and the years that followed were wracked by crises: the Spanish Flu\, the General Strike\, the Depression\, the Abdication. In these confused times\, people looked for meaning in the oddest places – Spiritualism and Stonehenge enjoyed renewed popularity\, newspaper horoscopes were invented\, and strange phenomena observed\, from Tutankhamun’s Curse to ‘Nessie’ and the Cottingley Fairies. \nIt was also a time of escapism – the Jazz Age\, the birth of the BBC\, Bertie Wooster and Hercule Poirot\, Gracie Fields and Ivor Novello\, of greyhound racing and Butlin’s. As George Formby sang\, ‘It’s turned out nice again.’ Perhaps the most striking feature of the time is not what happened\, but what didn’t happen. Even as countries across Europe fell to dictatorship\, Britain remained immune to extremist politics. \nAlwyn Turner is a writer and historian who teaches at the University of Chichester. He is best-known for his chronicles of twentieth-century Britain\, which take in political\, cultural and social history\, and for his studies of British culture\, from the Daleks to the Biba boutique\, and from the Last Post bugle call to the early days of rock ’n’ roll and glam rock. A Shellshocked Nation follows his earlier Little Englanders: Britain in the Edwardian Era\, which was a Times Book of the Year. He spent his teenage years in Lichfield\, where his father was a musician in the Staffordshire Regiment. \nBOOK TICKETS FOR ALWYN TURNER
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/alwyn-turner-a-shellshocked-nation-britain-between-the-wars/
LOCATION:The George Hotel\, Bird Street\, Lichfield\, WS13 6PR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/Alwyn-Turner-Shellshocked-19th-March-e1768309826113.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260319T120000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260319T130000
DTSTAMP:20260211T104348Z
CREATED:20260113T102352Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T104348Z
UID:10000821-1773921600-1773925200@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Tom McTague - Between the Waves: The Hidden History of a Very British Revolution 1945-2016
DESCRIPTION:BOOK TICKETS FOR TOM MCTAGUE\n  \n‘A lucid\, thoughtful and richly provocative book’ – The Sunday Times \nA riveting story of the clashing ideals that have pulled at Britain’s public imagination for more than seven decades\, Between the Waves chronicles the battle of ideas\, events and personalities that first took the country into the Common Market in 1973… only to take it out of the EU in an explosive referendum a little over 40 years later. \nIn a story of ambition and underhand politics\, of nation\, identity and belief\, Tom McTague unearths the roots of ideological conflict that raged between the leading politicians of the 20th century as they fought for the future of Europe – Charles de Gaulle\, Harold Macmillan\, Jean Monnet\, Enoch Powell and Margaret Thatcher. Alongside these famous figures are the lesser-known actors in Britain’s great post-war drama: a coterie of Eurosceptic student radicals\, eccentric billionaires and political strategists who turned the tide of history. \nTom McTague is the Editor-in-Chief of The New Statesman. He has previously held positions as Political Editor at UnHerd and The Independent on Sunday\, staff writer at The Atlantic and Chief UK Correspondent at POLITICO. He has been highly commended at the British Press Awards and co-anchored the geopolitical history podcast These Times. He is co-author of Betting the House\, named by The Times as a 2017 Political Book of the Year. He grew up in County Durham in the northeast of England and now lives in London with his wife and three children. Between the Waves is his first work of history. \nTom will be interviewed by Jo Durrant\, now a regular Festival event chair. Jo is a broadcaster\, event host\, podcaster\, and presents the award-winning arts & science podcast Jo Durrant’s Beautiful Universe. \nBOOK TICKETS FOR TOM MCTAGUE
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/tom-mctague-between-the-waves/
LOCATION:The George Hotel\, Bird Street\, Lichfield\, WS13 6PR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/Tom-McTague-Between-the-Waves-19th-March-scaled-e1768827650856.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260319T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260319T110000
DTSTAMP:20260211T104444Z
CREATED:20260113T102352Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T104444Z
UID:10000822-1773914400-1773918000@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Annie Garthwaite - The King's Mother: There Can Only Be One
DESCRIPTION:BOOK TICKETS FOR ANNIE GARTHWAITE\n  \nThe sweeping sequel to the best-selling Cecily sees the Duchess of York plotting for supremacy in the Wars of the Roses \n1461. Through blood and battle Edward has gained England’s throne – king by right and conquest – eighteen years old and unstoppable. Cecily has piloted his rise to power and stands at his shoulder now\, first to claim the title King’s Mother. But war is come again\, as brother betrays brother\, and cousins turn treacherous\, other mothers rise up to fight for other sons. Cecily must focus her will to defeat every challenge. Wherever they come from. Whatever the cost. For there can be only one King\, and only one King’s Mother. \nFrom the Wars of the Roses to the dawn of the Tudor age\, this is a story of mothers and sons; of maternal ferocity and female ambition – of all they can build and all they can destroy. \nAnnie Garthwaite is the acclaimed author of two novels that bring the women of the Wars of the Roses to life. Cecily (Viking\, Penguin 2021) was named a ‘top pick’ by The Times and Sunday Times\, a ‘Best Book of 2021’ by independent bookshops and Waterstones\, and has recently been optioned for television. The King’s Mother (Viking\, Penguin 2024) was named ‘Book of the Month’ by The Times immediately upon publication. Annie came to writing after a 30-year international business career\, determined to cast light on female histories often overlooked. \nBOOK TICKETS FOR ANNIE GARTHWAITE
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/annie-garthwaite-the-kings-mother/
LOCATION:The George Hotel\, Bird Street\, Lichfield\, WS13 6PR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/Annie-Garthwaite-The-Kings-Mother-19th-March-e1768827547598.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251205T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251205T211000
DTSTAMP:20251211T130432Z
CREATED:20250530T133056Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T130432Z
UID:10000790-1764961200-1764969000@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Ex Cathedra - Christmas Music
DESCRIPTION:Take an evening to escape the festive rush and immerse yourself in a concert of spellbinding seasonal music\, as Ex Cathedra return with this popular atmospheric concert\, performed by candlelight. Expect some of your favourite carols\, and discover a treasure trove of gorgeous new – and old – music and readings that explore the magic\, humour and peace of Christmas. \n“Ex Cathedra stood out for the way they combine technical excellence with humanity and warmth. They’re seriously professional but also love the music into being\, and I don’t think any choir in Britain does that better.” (Michael White\, Catholic Herald) \nEX CATHEDRA\nJeffrey Skidmore conductor \nNicholas Wearne organ \nProgramme includes:\nAway in a manger – WJ Kirkpatrick\, arr. Willcocks\nBethlehem Down – Peter Warlock\nGentle Flame – Liz Dilnot Johnson\nHymn to the Virgin – Benjamin Britten\nIn the stillness – Sally Beamish\nO Adonai – Roderick Williams\nOnce in royal David’s city – HJ Gauntlett/C F Alexander\nThe Long Road – Ēriks Eŝenvalds\nThus Angels sung – Orlando Gibbons \nPlus readings by George Herbert\, Ben Okri\, Gervase Phinn\, and from the Gospel of Luke. \nThe running time is approx. 2 hours 10 minutes\, including interval.\nRefreshments will be available to purchase during the interval. \nEarly booking is advised to avoid disappointment. \n \nBOOK TICKETS\n  \nKindly sponsored by McArthurGlen West Midlands \n \nAccess \nEveryone is welcome at Ex Cathedra’s concerts\, and the choir is committed to doing all it can to ensure you have a great experience. \nLevel access is available via the West End entrance.  Detailed access information is available on the cathedral website here Accessibility at Lichfield Cathedral. Designated seats have been allocated for wheelchair users and companions on the ends of rows; please telephone the box office to book these. \nThis concert is not amplified\, the atmosphere can be quite still\, and audiences usually reserve applause for the end of each half.  If you have any questions\, please contact Ex Cathedra or Lichfield Festival\, we are happy to help.
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/ex-cathedra-christmas-music-by-candlelight-2025/
LOCATION:Lichfield Cathedral\, 19A The Close\, Lichfield\, Staffordshire\, WS13 7LD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Christmas
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250330T160000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250330T170000
DTSTAMP:20250128T133322Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250128T133322Z
UID:10000702-1743350400-1743354000@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Mary Hollingsworth -  Catherine de’ Medici: The Life and Times of the Serpent Queen
DESCRIPTION:History is rarely kind to women of power but few have had their reputations so brutally shredded as Catherine de’ Medici\, the Italian-born queen of France and influential mother of three successive sons. Thrust suddenly into the spotlight by the untimely death of her husband\, her position was ambiguous and not made easier by the frailties of these sons\, nor by her courtiers\, villainous characters who placed their own ambitions before loyalty to the crown.  \nFew recognize her achievements in the arts\, as one of the most impressive patrons of the period. For most she was a witch\, steeped in the arts of poison and other vicious practices of her homeland; others accused her of starting the religious wars which threatened to destroy France and\, and most sinister of all\, as instigator of the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre (1572)\, in which thousands of innocent Protestants were slaughtered.  \nMary Hollingsworth is a scholar of the Italian Renaissance\, whose previous works have dealt with the papers of Cardinal Ippolito d’Este\, the patronage of Renaissance art\, plus titles including The Borgias\, The Medici and the Princes of the Renaissance.  \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/mary-hollingsworth/
LOCATION:The Hub at St Mary’s\, Market Square\, Lichfield\, WS13 6LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/book-1-e1737033432305.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250330T140000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250330T150000
DTSTAMP:20250306T140346Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250306T140346Z
UID:10000701-1743343200-1743346800@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:David Spiegelhalter - The Art of Uncertainty: How to Navigate Chance\, Ignorance\, Risk and Luck
DESCRIPTION:This event is now SOLD OUT  \nWe think you may like: \nMike Berners-Lee – A Climate of Truth: Why We Need It and How To Get It | Lichfield Festival \nFrom ‘the UK’s greatest living statistician’ (Daily Telegraph)\, a clever and data-driven guide to how we can live with risk and uncertainty \nWe live in a world where uncertainty is inevitable. How should we deal with what we don’t know? And what role do chance\, luck and coincidence play in our lives? \nThe Art of Uncertainty shows us how the principles of probability can help us think more analytically about everything from medical advice to pandemics and climate change forecasts… explaining along the way why roughly 40% of football results come down to luck rather than talent\, and why we can be so confident that two properly shuffled packs of cards have never\, ever been in the exact same order. \nDrawing on a wide range of captivating real-world examples\, this is an essential guide to navigating uncertainty while also having the humility to admit what we do not know.  \nProfessor Sir David Spiegelhalter is Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Cambridge University. Together with his writing and media appearances\, he works to improve the way in which risk and statistical evidence are taught and discussed in society.   \nPhoto: Amanda Benson \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/david-spiegelhalter/
LOCATION:The Hub at St Mary’s\, Market Square\, Lichfield\, WS13 6LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Art-of-Uncertainty-David-Spiegelhalter-19-Sept-scaled-e1736510908753.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250330T120000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250330T130000
DTSTAMP:20250128T133525Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250128T133525Z
UID:10000700-1743336000-1743339600@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Tess Gerritsen - The Summer Guests
DESCRIPTION:The Summer Guests is the exhilarating and gripping new thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author of The Spy Coast  \nThe Martini Club isn’t open to everyone. Maggie Bird’s ‘book group’ is an unusual one – a group of retired spies living an anonymous life in the seaside town of Purity. And this summer they plan little more than ‘reading’ (whilst sipping martinis)\, and some gentle birdwatching. \nBut trouble is just around the corner as the summer guests arrive to packed streets\, bar brawls\, petty theft. And now\, a missing teenager down by the lake.  \nWhen their good friend becomes a prime suspect in the girl’s disappearance\, they must put down their binoculars and roll up their sleeves\, to prove they are not just a meddlesome group of retirees\, but able to uncover one of the deadliest scandals their small town has ever seen…  \nInternational bestselling author Tess Gerritsen began to write fiction whilst on maternity leave as a physician. She has since sold over forty million copies of her books in forty countries. Now retired from medicine\, she lives in Maine and writes full time.  \nPhoto: Josh Gerritsen \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS\n 
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/tess-gerritsen/
LOCATION:The Hub at St Mary’s\, Market Square\, Lichfield\, WS13 6LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Summer-Guests-scaled-e1736510555117.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250330T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250330T110000
DTSTAMP:20250128T133633Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250128T133633Z
UID:10000699-1743328800-1743332400@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Roman Krznaric - History For Tomorrow: Inspiration from the Past for the Future of Humanity
DESCRIPTION:What can we learn from our shared history that could inspire solutions to humanity’s most pressing challenges today? \nHistory for Tomorrow unearths fascinating insights and inspiration from the last 1000 years of world history that could help us confront the most pressing concerns of the 21st Century. From bridging the inequality gap and reducing the risks of genetic engineering\, to reviving our faith in democracy and avoiding ecological collapse\, History for Tomorrow shows that history is not simply a means of understanding the past but a dynamic way to reimagine our relationship with the future.   \nKrznaric reveals how\, time and again\, societies have risen up to tackle challenges and overcome crises. History offers a vision of radical hope that could turn out to be our most vital tool for surviving and thriving in the turbulent decades ahead.  \nRoman Krznaric is a social philosopher whose books\, including the acclaimed The Good Ancestor\, have been published in more than 25 languages. Named by The Observer as one of Britain’s leading popular philosophers\, he is Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University’s Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing and founder of the world’s first Empathy Museum. \nPhoto: Kate Rayworth \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/roman-krznaric/
LOCATION:The Hub at St Mary’s\, Market Square\, Lichfield\, WS13 6LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/history-for-tomorrow-cover-scaled-e1736510259739.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250329T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250329T203000
DTSTAMP:20250306T140603Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250306T140603Z
UID:10000698-1743276600-1743280200@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Bendor Grosvenor - The Invention of British Art
DESCRIPTION:This event is now SOLD OUT  \nWe think you may like: \nHelen Lederer – Not That I’m Bitter: A Truly\, Madly\, Funny Memoir | Lichfield Festival \n‘An intellectually thrilling 400-page romp through 12\,000 years of our history’  Daily Telegraph \nBritain has produced some of the world’s most famous artists and paintings. But what made British art ‘great’? Was it the individual genius of artists like Hogarth and Constable\, or were careers shaped by a distinctly ‘British’ society\, culture and history?   \nThe Invention of British Art takes a journey of discovery through an incredible array of artworks and artists from 10\,000 BCE to the 19th Century\, revealing how the art from these isles was created and why it took so long to emerge. From folk art to the role of female artists\, from ‘invader’ influences to the colonised territories of the Empire\, the book embraces previously overlooked contributions to the story of British art and explores the many that helped to shape it. \nDr Bendor Grosvenor is an art historian\, broadcaster and writer. He is best known for finding and researching previously lost Old Master paintings\, including works by Botticelli\, Rubens\, Van Dyck\, Titian\, Ramsay\, Lawrence and Reynolds. He has presented BBC programmes including Fake or Fortune?\, Britain’s Lost Masterpieces and The Culture Show. \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/bendor-grosvenor/
LOCATION:The Hub at St Mary’s\, Market Square\, Lichfield\, WS13 6LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250329T170000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250329T180000
DTSTAMP:20250128T141042Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250128T141042Z
UID:10000697-1743267600-1743271200@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Charles Moore & Kate Ehrman - The Fall of Margaret Thatcher: A Whodunnit
DESCRIPTION:Love her or loathe her\, Margaret Thatcher more than made her mark on the UK’s political and social history. Today’s special Festival event commemorates the centenary of her birth in 1925.  \nCharles Moore is the authorised biographer of Margaret Thatcher. His final volume\, Herself Alone\, was published in 2019. \nFor his Literature Festival appearance\, Charles will give a semi-dramatisation of Margaret Thatcher’s last three days in office.  Partly a voicing of the characters with Kate Ehrman\, combined with illustrated narrative and explanation\, this event will give a fascinating insight on the critical moments prior to the Prime Minister’s resignation based on Moore’s unique access to Thatcher herself\, her papers and her closest associates.  \nCharles Moore has been the Editor of The Spectator\, The Sunday Telegraph and The Daily Telegraph. He continues as a columnist for the Daily Telegraph and The Spectator. He was created Lord Moore of Etchingham in 2020. \nKate Ehrman was formerly on the editorial staff of The Spectator and assisted Charles Moore in the preparation of all three volumes of his biography of Margaret Thatcher. She writes book reviews for The Oldie and also works for Garsington Opera.   \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/charles-moore-kate-ehrman/
LOCATION:The Hub at St Mary’s\, Market Square\, Lichfield\, WS13 6LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/91OiPPIozLL._SL1500_-e1736509460809.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250329T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250329T160000
DTSTAMP:20250128T134900Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250128T134900Z
UID:10000696-1743260400-1743264000@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Mark Lane - The Future of Gardens
DESCRIPTION:BBC Gardeners’ World presenter and journalist\, Mark Lane\, visits the Festival for the first time with his new book The Future of Gardens  \nHow could our gardens grow? Designer and broadcaster Mark Lane considers the green spaces of the future\, amazing advances in technology\, and the challenges of an increasingly extreme climate.  \nAs our world continues to change\, the gardeners of the future will face many obstacles and dilemmas. But there is still joy to be found through plants. Whether it’s a window box\, a vegetable patch\, or a field of wild flowers\, Lane presents a vision of gardens for everyone: providing crucial microclimates for wildlife\, acting as community hubs\, and transforming our physical and mental health. \n‘The Future of Gardens’ looks at this evergreen discipline with a bold\, vibrant and inquisitive eye. Lane’s own vision for inclusivity\, sustainability and forward-thinking design shines throughout this extraordinary addition to the FUTURES Series. \nAlongside his many TV and broadcast appearances\, Mark Lane writes for BBC Gardeners’ World magazine\, the RHS\, many of the UK’s major newspapers and has regular columns in Platinum magazine\, Garden News and Waitrose Weekend. \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/mark-lane/
LOCATION:Minster Hall\, Dam Street\, Lichfield\, WS13 6AE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/1R_TFo_Gardens-e1736434728699.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250329T120000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250329T130000
DTSTAMP:20250128T134938Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250128T134938Z
UID:10000695-1743249600-1743253200@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Simon Mayo - Black Tag
DESCRIPTION:Sunday Times bestselling author and legendary broadcaster Simon Mayo brings his cutting-edge new thriller to Lichfield! \nIf everything is about to burn\, what do you rescue first? \nWhen the West End Gallery in London’s fashionable Coal Drops Yard is set alight\, the fire service must use the list of paintings lodged with it – a grab list – to snatch the key pieces of art from the flames. But something has been altered. It’s the wrong list… \nThen the ashes reveal another tragedy: an unidentified dead body. Someone who shouldn’t have been in the gallery. Crusading journalist Famie Madden wants to know who it is and why they were there. \nSoon it becomes apparent that the ashes are hiding much more than they should be – and that this is much more than a casual act of arson… \nSimon Mayo MBE is a writer and broadcaster. His previous books include the Sunday Times bestseller Knife Edge\, Mad Blood Stirring\, Blame and the Itch trilogy\, filmed for TV by the ABC (and now also an acclaimed opera). He hosts Drivetime on Greatest Hits radio and hosts the The Take film-review podcast with Mark Kermode. \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/simon-mayo/
LOCATION:Wade Street Church\, Wade Street\, Lichfield\, Staffordshire\, WS13 6HL\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/Black-Tag-Hbk-jacket-scaled-e1737366471473.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250329T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250329T110000
DTSTAMP:20250128T135021Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250128T135021Z
UID:10000694-1743242400-1743246000@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Nathen Amin -  Son of Prophecy: The Rise of Henry Tudor
DESCRIPTION:Historian Nathen Amin returns to the Festival following his successful appearance in 2021 (The House of Beaufort).  \nAs England’s most celebrated dynasty\, it’s often overlooked that the Tudors have their origins in rural Wales\, far from the centres of English power where they dared to become great.  \nWhen Henry Tudor won the crown by defeating Richard III\, he was a stranger to those he now ruled\, an ‘unknown Welshman’ in the words of his defeated foe. At home\, however\, Henry had long been championed as the Son of Prophecy\, a foretold national messiah who would free his oppressed people from their misery.   \nSon of Prophecy deftly explores how one family thrived during lean years of political chaos and inter-generational bloodshed to leave behind a complex legacy that changed the face of England and Wales forever. The Tudors\, before they became THE Tudors…  \n  \nNathen Amin is from Carmarthenshire. He focuses on the 15th Century and the reign of Henry VII\, and has written five highly acclaimed books. A trustee and founding member of the Henry Tudor Trust\, in 2022\, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/nathen-amin/
LOCATION:Wade Street Church\, Wade Street\, Lichfield\, Staffordshire\, WS13 6HL\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/books-e1736434713765.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250328T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250328T203000
DTSTAMP:20250203T110706Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250203T110706Z
UID:10000693-1743190200-1743193800@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Helen Lederer - Not That I’m Bitter: A Truly\, Madly\, Funny Memoir
DESCRIPTION:‘Helen Lederer is the third funniest woman in the world’ – Dawn French  \nWhat was it like as one of a handful of women at the heart of the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s? It had its ups – but also its downs. Helen Lederer was a regular on the stand-up circuit and new-wave sketch shows in the decade that launched the careers of today’s national treasures\, sharing stages with Ben Elton\, and TV screens with Harry Enfield\, and French and Saunders. From the iconic Absolutely Fabulous\, to Bottom\, French and Saunders and Girls on Top\, it’s difficult to think of a comedy show that Helen wasn’t a part of.   \nPlain sailing then? Well\, not really. Not That I’m Bitter\, her powerful\, frank and characteristically funny memoir\, reveals exactly how choppy the waters could be\, with limited room at the top for so many women.  \nA genuinely funny memoir in which Helen pulls no punches – brilliantly written\, revealing\, moving\, and laugh-out-loud funny…  \nPhoto: Steve Ullathorne \nHelen will be interviewed by Jo Durrant\, award-winning presenter of the independent arts & science podcast Jo Durrant’s Beautiful Universe. A highly respected and accomplished interviewer and event chair\, Jo is familiar face at literature\, history\, and science festivals. For over 20 years Jo was a presenter\, producer & reporter with BBC radio and interviewed hundreds of people\, from Melanie C to Tim Peake. \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/helen-lederer/
LOCATION:The Hub at St Mary’s\, Market Square\, Lichfield\, WS13 6LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250328T170000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250328T180000
DTSTAMP:20250203T111904Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250203T111904Z
UID:10000692-1743181200-1743184800@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Sonia Purnell -  Kingmaker: Pamela Churchill Harriman's astonishing life of seduction\, power & intrigue
DESCRIPTION:When Pamela Churchill Harriman died in 1997\, the obituaries that followed were scathing. Written off as a social climber\, her glamorous social life and infamous erotic adventures overshadowed her true legacy. Much of what she did behind the scenes to shape the 20th century remained invisible… until now. With a wealth of fresh research\, Sonia Purnell unveils the spectacular story of how Harriman left an indelible mark on the world today as\, over five decades\, she influenced figures including Churchill\, the Kennedys\, Sinatra\, Nelson Mandela\, Truman Capote and Gloria Steinem.  \nSonia Purnell is a prize-winning and bestselling biographer hailed as having ‘the eye of an historian for rigour\, a journalist’s for detail and a storyteller’s for drama (Financial Times). Purnell is interested in setting the record straight on 20th century women whose lives have been overlooked\, misrepresented or misunderstood by history\, including spy Virginia Hall and Clementine Churchill (and winning major awards for both).   \nPhoto: James Eckersley \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/sonia-purnell/
LOCATION:The Hub at St Mary’s\, Market Square\, Lichfield\, WS13 6LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/Kingmaker-new-jacket-scaled-e1736431531941.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250328T143000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250328T153000
DTSTAMP:20250203T111646Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250203T111646Z
UID:10000691-1743172200-1743175800@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Mensun Bound & Mark Frary - Wonders In The Deep: Extraordinary Shipwreck Discoveries from Spanish gold to Shackleton’s Bible
DESCRIPTION:An awe-inspiring deep-dive into the treasures found on the sea floor and what they reveal about our past.  \nWonders In The Deep sees renowned archaeologist Mensun Bound left\, who headed the team that discovered Shackleton’s Endurance\, join forces with our guest today\, journalist Mark Frary below left\, to argue that human history is as much about maritime exploration as it is about what happens on land. Using the many treasures Bound has discovered on the seafloor\, they have created a maritime history of the world from 3000 BC to present\, via the Ancient Romans and Egyptians\, right through to the US Navy. The objects range from skeletons to sewing pins\, all preserved in shipwrecks hundreds of years old. Interwoven with beautiful photographs\, Wonders In The Deep is a riveting story of ambition\, defeat and ingenuity.  \nPhoto: Becky Kerr Photography \n  \n  \n  \n \nMark Frary has published 12 books and has written for The Times and Sunday Times\, on subjects including science\, technology\, travel and business. Co-author and underwater archaeologist\, Mensun Bound\, is the bestselling author of The Ship Beneath The Ice. He has directed many large-scale shipwreck surveys\, including the 6th century BC Giglio shipwreck\, and the raising of the Hoi An hoard.  \nMark will be talking to former Literature Festival programmer\, Anna Millward\, in today’s event. \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS\n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/mensun-bound-mark-frary/
LOCATION:Wade Street Church\, Wade Street\, Lichfield\, Staffordshire\, WS13 6HL\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/wonders-in-the-deep-9781398507401_xlg-e1736431194691.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250328T120000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250328T130000
DTSTAMP:20250128T140024Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250128T140024Z
UID:10000690-1743163200-1743166800@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Mary Wellesley - The Savage Remains: Women\, Treason\, Fire
DESCRIPTION:The Savage Remains: Women\, Treason\, Fire is a history of women burnt at the stake for treason in Britain between the 15th and 18th centuries. Mary Wellesley’s Festival talk will focus on a midwife and healer named Agnes Sampson\, burnt at the stake during the North Berwick Witch Trials – the first of the major witchcraft trials to grip Scotland in this period\, where a young James VI/I personally interrogated suspected witches\, convinced that witchcraft was being used to harm him and his bride.  \nDr Mary Wellesley is an Associate Fellow of the Institute of Historical Research and an Associate Member of Oxford University’s English Faculty. Her first book\, Hidden Hands: the Lives of Manuscripts and Their Makers  was one of The Sunday Times’ history books of the year. Mary frequently contributes to both the London and New York Review of Books; for the former\, she also co-hosts a hit medieval literature podcast series. \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/mary-wellesley/
LOCATION:The George Hotel\, Bird Street\, Lichfield\, WS13 6PR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://lichfieldfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/Photo-MW-1-scaled-e1737028330233.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250328T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250328T110000
DTSTAMP:20250306T140453Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250306T140453Z
UID:10000689-1743156000-1743159600@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Gareth Russell - Queen James: The Life and Loves of Britain’s First King
DESCRIPTION:This event is now SOLD OUT  \nWe think you may like: \nMary Wellesley – The Savage Remains: Women\, Treason\, Fire | Lichfield Festival \n‘Elizabeth was king\, Then James was queen’ – English author (1603)  \nJames Stuart\, King of England\, Scotland\, and Ireland did not always love wisely\, but he never failed to do so boldly. He fell in love three times – once with George Villiers\, ‘the handsomest man in the whole world’ – and he was infatuated three more times. We have so much on the six wives of Henry VIII\, why not the six loves of James I?   \nThis groundbreaking book (released in the 400th anniversary year of his death) puts James – genius\, liar\, witch-hunter – and the men he loved at the dramatic centre of British royal history. Featuring his father’s mysterious murder\, kidnapping\, witchcraft trials\, his mother’s beheading\, poison\, espionage\, and a love affair that ended in assassination\, it is one of the most gripping stories in British history\, retold in Russell’s Queen James with scholarship\, biographical insight and wit.   \nGareth Russell is an historian and broadcaster. His books include Young and Damned and Fair\, The Ship of Dreams\, Do Let’s Have Another Drink and The Palace. He is the host of the podcast Single Malt History with Gareth Russell and he divides his time between Belfast and London.  \nPhoto: Jake Douglas \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/gareth-russell/
LOCATION:The George Hotel\, Bird Street\, Lichfield\, WS13 6PR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250327T194500
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DTSTAMP:20250305T160044Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250305T160044Z
UID:10000687-1743104700-1743108300@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Sarah Gristwood - Secret Voices: A Year of Women’s Diaries
DESCRIPTION:Please note that time and venue for this event have been changed from our earlier printed material \nA groundbreaking anthology of women’s diaries from the last four centuries\, with a captivating selection of extracts for every day of the year \nFeaturing more than a hundred diarists\, some famous\, others less familiar\, Secret Voices is a rich treasury of women’s experience through the years and across the world\, from Lady Anne Clifford dealing with an unreasonable 17th century husband\, to a teenage Ma Yan yearning for education in the 21st. Here\, also\, are first-hand accounts of historic events: Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne\, the Kennedy assassination\, and life and loss through two World Wars. By turns tragic and hilarious\, this fascinating book provides an essential insight into the lives of women from a spectrum of backgrounds throughout history.  \nSarah Gristwood is a biographer\, journalist and commentator on royal affairs. Her previous books include the bestselling Arbella: England’s Lost Queen\, The Tudors in Love\, and biographies of Beatrix Potter\, Churchill and Queen Elizabeth II. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the RSA\, and regularly contributes to TV series and news channels including the BBC\, CNN and Sky.  \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/sarah-gristwood/
LOCATION:The George Hotel\, Bird Street\, Lichfield\, WS13 6PR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250327T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250327T203000
DTSTAMP:20250128T140139Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250128T140139Z
UID:10000688-1743103800-1743107400@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Mike Berners-Lee -  A Climate of Truth: Why We Need It and How To Get It
DESCRIPTION:From the best-selling author of There Is No Planet B and How Bad Are Bananas?  \nWe have all the technology we need to live better than ever\, and yet humanity is still accelerating into a climate and ecological emergency. To understand why – and to give us a chance of doing better – we have to look at the challenge from new angles. A Climate of Truth does this by standing back from the problem to gain perspective\, digging deeper to see the root causes\, and by joining each element of the challenges we face\, learning from failures so far. The need for radically higher standards of honesty – in politics\, media and business – emerges as the most critical point of leverage for those seeking change. This urgent\, practical book shows how we can maximise our impact and be part of the evolution that humanity so urgently needs.   \nMIKE BERNERS-LEE thinks\, writes\, researches and consults on sustainability and responses to the challenges of the 21st century. He is professor at Lancaster University’s Institute for Social Futures\, where he develops practical tools for thinking about the future\, and researches the global food system and carbon metrics.   \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/mike-berners-lee/
LOCATION:The Hub at St Mary’s\, Market Square\, Lichfield\, WS13 6LG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250327T141500
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250327T151500
DTSTAMP:20250203T110924Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250203T110924Z
UID:10000686-1743084900-1743088500@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Raphael Cormack - Holy Men of the Electromagnetic Age
DESCRIPTION:‘Extraordinary. A delightfully engaging and highly original chronicle of our willingness to believe six impossible things before breakfast.’  \nExploring death\, religion and science\, the acclaimed author of Midnight In Cairo presents a startling history of the occult between the wars\, when Spiritualism was an international obsession. This was a golden age of the uncanny\, when clairvoyants\, fakirs and mind-readers assured the masses that\, just like the newly discovered invisible forces of electricity\, radiation and magnetism\, unseen spiritual powers commanded a realm of hidden human potential.   \nFollowing two of the age’s most charismatic figures – Tahra Bey\, the ‘Oriental’ missionary who took 1920s Paris by storm\, and Dr Dahesh\, who harnessed Western science to create a pan-religious faith – Cormack shows how these forgotten ‘holy’ men\, who embodied the allure of the unexplained\, speak to our own unstable world today.   \n  \nRaphael Cormack is an award-winning editor\, translator and writer. He is Assistant Professor of Modern Languages at Durham University.  \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/raphael-cormack/
LOCATION:The George Hotel\, Bird Street\, Lichfield\, WS13 6PR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250327T120000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250327T130000
DTSTAMP:20250306T140312Z
CREATED:20240115T100421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250306T140312Z
UID:10000685-1743076800-1743080400@lichfieldfestival.org
SUMMARY:Sophie Shorland - The Lost Queen: The Surprising Life of Catherine of Braganza
DESCRIPTION:This event is now SOLD OUT  \nWe think you may like: \nMary Wellesley – The Savage Remains: Women\, Treason\, Fire | Lichfield Festival \n‘A good story\, embracing character\, emotion and  drama…’ The Times  \nDespite Catherine of Braganza’s crucial place in British history\, and that of its Empire\, she has since been overshadowed by stories of Charles II’s many mistresses and forgotten as his ‘boring\, powerless wife’. This could not be further from the truth. \nTopping the list of history’s ‘forgotten women’\, Catherine popularised tea\, brought the first Indian possession into British hands and is why New York’s ‘Queens’ has its name. In her Festival talk\, biographer Sophie Shorland will consider why Catherine\, and many other  such women\, have been forgotten by the history books. \nDr Sophie Shorland is a former Research Fellow at the University of Warwick. She was a semi-finalist in the BBC New Generation Thinkers programme (2019) and shortlisted for the Tony Lothian Prize (2020). The Lost Queen was listed as one of 2024’s ten best history books (Smithsonian Magazine). A podcast regular\, she also writes for History Today.  \nLFF Priority Booking Opens: Platinum/Founder/Millennium/Gold – 4th February | Silver/Bronze: 11th February | General Booking Opens: 18th February \nBOOK TICKETS
URL:https://lichfieldfestival.org/event/sophie-shorland/
LOCATION:The George Hotel\, Bird Street\, Lichfield\, WS13 6PR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Literature
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