Sir Philip Pullman, Graham Norton, John Cleese and Lyse Doucet head up a stellar  Stratford Literary Festival this Autumn. 

The Festival, which runs from Thursday 30 October to Sunday 2 November in the centre of Stratford upon-Avon, will feature a programme of over 70 events over four days for the first time, and including broadcasters, bestselling authors, celebrities, thought leaders, leading experts, comedians, and historians as well as emerging writers, workshops and immersive events for families. 

Sir Philip Pullman will be launching The Rose Field, the final instalment of his globally successful The Book of Dust trilogy - a momentous occasion for the many millions of his fans who have followed the adventures of Lyra over 30 years. Graham Norton, a bestselling author as well as leading broadcaster, will be talking about his latest novel Frankie, and the veteran comedian John Cleese will be celebrating 50 years of Fawlty Towers. The BBC’s Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet will be talking about the hopes and tragedies of Afghanistan through the lens of one of its most famous  hotels. 

BBC Radio 6 presenter Mark Radcliffe will share his hilarious travelogue, while broadcaster and Goggleboxer Gyles Brandreth celebrates 100 years of Winnie the Pooh and the darker story behind the creation of the beloved bear. Actor and Time Teamer Sir Tony Robinson turns to fiction, and the creator of the massively successful Slow Horses phenomenon Mick Herron reveals the latest Slough House instalment. 

Following on from the Lionesses Euros success, Baroness Sue Campbell and Dame Denise Lewis talk about the transformative power of sport, and legendary football coach Martin O’Neill considers the great football managers of recent times. 

The programme’s politics and current affairs strand considers challenges to law and democracy with events with former Supreme Court Judges Lady Brenda Hale and Lord Jonathan Sumption, and leading KC Michael Mansfield, and former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon will be talking about her book Frankly. 

Ancient and contemporary history will be covered by Iain MacGregor with his book about the bombing of Hiroshima, Jonathan Dimbleby on Stalin in 1944, Andrew Bayliss on the legendary Spartans, Victoria Bateman on women’s contribution to world economics, Sir Anthony Seldon on Europe between the wars, Andrew Lownie with his explosive expose of the Duke and Duchess of York and the award-winning writer Alice Loxton on historical figures at 18. 

Issue-led events include conversations about resilience with crisis manager Lucy Easthope, toxic masculinity with the two authors of Clown World: Four Years Inside Andrew Tate's Manosphere, and Clare Hunter and James Fox champion the  importance of craft in a digital world. Former prison governor and government counter terrorism advisor Ian Acheson and prison officer Gen Glaister consider the crisis on  our prisons, while journalists Nicola Kelly and Aamna Mohdin will look at our failed asylum system, and Saabira Chaudhuri and Julia Shaw have important revelations about environmental crime carried out by global corporations. 

This autumn there’ll be plenty of laughs with the Live at the Apollo comedians Cally Beaton and Rhys James on the programme. There’s a special tribute to the genius that was Victoria Wood, and Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page will be talking about a career that’s includes Love Actually and the iconic series set on Barry Island. You can also join in a frantic evening of Speed Scrabble. 

The Festival continues to champion great writing with novelists Clare Leslie Hall,  Claire Lynch, Caroline Lea, Luke Kenard, Aimee MacDonald and Lucie McKnight  Hardy sharing their latest work. Emerging writers can join the Writer’s Weekend which runs from 1st to 2nd November with exclusive tutorials from Caroline Lea and Hodder Editor Phoebe Morgan. The programme also features advice on Kindle publishing, successful social media posting and the power of the book jacket. 

For families, the author Maz Evans brings the Bard to life with a new adventurous tale, there’s crafting and free Halloween fun, and a comic workshop with Phoenix Comic star Thiago Moraes. Gamers can also learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons. 

‘This is the biggest autumn festival we’ve staged yet,’ says Festival Director Annie  Ashworth, ‘and we’re really excited by the stature of some of the speakers and the broad reach of the programme which we think includes something for everyone - whether your interest is comedy, history, world affairs, great fiction, wine, crafting, or you simply want to come and hear experts and learn new things. 

‘We are so grateful to our sponsors, including lead sponsor Pragnell the jewellers, and our supporters, and to our audience which grows every year. In a confusing world, people have a real appetite for live events and important conversations.’  

Tickets are available from stratlitfest.co.uk from Monday 18 August (Thursday 14 August for Festival Friends and Benefactors.)