2025 Speakers

SATURDAY

Ian Rankin

Salman Rushdie

Jung Chang

Niall Ferguson

Alain de Botton

Marlon James

Wes Streeting

Emily Maitlis

Michael Gove

Rachel Eliza Griffiths

Tristram Hunt

Merve Emre

Andrew Davies

Tina Brown

Peter Frankopan

James Marriott

Alex Burghart

Charles Moore

Sarah Vine

Jonathan Bate

David McCloskey

Lucy Boynton

Dambisa Moyo

Robert Douglas-Fairhurst

Nicholas Boggs

Gordon Corera

Freya Johnston

Sarah Churchwell

Yana Peel

Coleman Hughes

Anand Giridharadas

Geordie Greig

Marina Warner

Andrei Soldatov

Emily Benn

Rachel Kelly

James McAuley

Jake Wallis Simons

Minna Salami

Alice Loxton

Luke Pepera

SUNDAY

Salman Rushdie

Richard E Grant

Douglas Murray

Hallie Rubenhold

Elif Shafak

Anthony Horowitz

William Boyd

Peter Godwin

Helen Castor

Rachel Eliza Griffiths

Patrick Marber

Merve Emre

Andrew Davies

Peter Frankopan

Jonathan Freedland

Mark Rosenblatt

Lucy Hughes-Hallett

Robert Hardman

Georgia Beaufort

Deborah Davis

Adam LeBor

Tim Bouverie

Anne Somerset

Cindy Yu

Anne Sebba

Alice Loxton

Hugo Rittson-Thomas

Victoria Summerley

Catherine Fitzgerald

Carol Woolton

Alexandra Shulman

Caroline Derby

AND OUR FOUNDERS

Catherine Ostler, Natalie Livingstone, Simon Sebag Montefiore and Andrew Roberts.

[simple_tooltip content=’Jonathan Bate is Foundation Professor of Environmental Humanities at Arizona State University and a Senior Research Fellow’]Jonathan Bate[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Georgia Beaufort was born in London and educated at Oxford. For many years she combined working on the Obituaries Desk of The Telegraph…’]Georgia Beaufort[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Nicholas Boggs is the author of the biography Baldwin: A Love Story…’]Nicholas Boggs[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Alain de Botton‘]Alain de Botton[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Tim Bouverie is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain Churchill and the Road to War, shortlisted for the Orwell Prize…’]Tim Bouverie[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’William Boyd was born in 1952 in Accra, Ghana, and grew up there and in Nigeria…’]William Boyd[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Lucy recently starred in the title role in A Cruel Love – a limited 4 part drama about Ruth Ellis, based on Carol Ann Lee’s biography A Fine Day For Hanging…’]Lucy Boynton[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Tina Brown is an award-winning writer and the former editor in chief of Tatler, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker…’]Tina Brown[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Alex Burghart was first elected in Brentwood and Ongar on 8th June 2017 with a Conservative majority of 24,002…’]Alex Burghartt[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Helen Castor is an acclaimed medieval and Tudor historian, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and an Honorary Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge…’]Helen Castor[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Jung Chang was born in Sichuan Province, China in 1952. During the Cultural Revolution she worked as a peasant, a “barefoot” doctor, a steelworker, and an electrician…’]Jung Chang[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Sarah Churchwell is Chair of Public Humanities and Professor of American literature at the School of Advanced Study, University of London…’]Sarah Churchwell[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Gordon Corera is the co-host of ‘The Rest is Classified’ podcast which delves into the world of secrets and spies…’]Gordon Corera[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Andrew Davies is known for his many award-winning screenplays, which include the 1995 Pride and Prejudice, House of Cards…’]Andrew Davies[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Deborah Davis is the BIFA/BAFTA winning, Oscar/Golden Globe nominated screenwriter of THE FAVOURITE …’]Deborah Davis[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Caroline Derby is a historian, curator and storyteller…’]Caroline Derby[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Robert Douglas-Fairhurst is a Professor of English Literature and a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford…’]Robert Douglas-Fairhurst[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Merve Emre is the Shapiro-Silverberg Professor of Creative Writing and Criticism at Wesleyan University and the Director of the Shapiro Center…’]Merve Emre[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Sir Niall Ferguson, MA, DPhil, FRSE, is the Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and a senior faculty fellow of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard…’]Niall Ferguson[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Catherine FitzGerald is a garden designer working alongside Mark Lutyens (Lutyens FitzGerald Landscape Design)  and writes about gardens for publications such as House and Garden magazine…’]Catherine Fitzgerald[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Peter Frankopan is Professor of Global History at Oxford University. Often referred to as a ‘rock star historian’ (BBC, Der Spiegel)…’]Peter Frankopan[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist and former foreign correspondent…’]Jonathan Freedland[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Anand Giridharadas is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Persuaders, the international bestseller Winners Take All…’]Anand Giridharadas[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Peter Godwin was born and raised in Zimbabwe. He is the author of six nonfiction books including Mukiwa, which received the George Orwell Prize…’] Peter Godwin[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Michael Gove is the Editor of The Spectator. As the former Member of Parliament for Surrey Heath and UK Government Cabinet Minister, he served in Cabinet across five government departments for more than a decade…’]Michael Gove[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Richard E. Grant was born in 1957 in Mbabane, Swaziland and holds a degree in English and Drama from the University of Cape Town…’]Richard E Grant[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Geordie Greig is Editor-in-Chief of The Independent, it is his fifth national editorship. He has been Editor of Tatler, The Evening Standard, The Mail on Sunday and The Daily Mail…’]Geordie Greig[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Rachel Eliza Griffiths is a poet, visual artist, and novelist. She is a recipient of the Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award…’]Rachel Eliza Griffiths[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’A national and international journalist for more than 30 years, Robert Hardman is also a leading author, commentator and film-maker on the Royal Family…’]Robert Hardman[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Anthony is one of the most prolific and successful writers in the UK, working across many different media – YA fiction, detective novels…’]Anthony Horowitz[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Lucy Hughes-Hallett is a biographer, cultural historian and novelist. Her most recent book is The Scapegoat: the Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of Buckingham…’]Lucy Hughes-Hallett[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Coleman Hughes is an American writer, podcaster, and commentator on race, politics, and culture…’]Coleman Hughes[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Tristram Hunt is Director of the V&A, the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance. Since taking up the post in 2017..’]Tristram Hunt[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Marlon James was born in Jamaica in 1970. His most recent novel, Moon Witch, Spider King, is the second novel in his Dark Star fantasy trilogy…’]Marlon James[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Freya Johnston is a Professor of English at the University of Oxford and a Tutorial Fellow at St Anne’s College. She is the author of Jane Austen, Early and Late…’]Freya Johnston[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Rachel Kelly is a Sunday Times bestselling writer, public speaker and mental health campaigner who is focussed on young people’s mental health…’]Rachel Kelly[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Adam LeBor is a veteran former foreign correspondent who covered Central and Eastern Europe for national newspapers including The Times, The Independent and the Economist…’]Adam LeBor[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Natalie Livingstone was born and raised in London. She graduated with a first class degree in history from Christ’s College, Cambridge in 1998…’]Natalie Livingstone[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Alice Loxton is a 29 year old history presenter and author with over three million followers on social media…’]Alice Loxton[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Award-winning journalist and broadcaster Emily Maitlis was recognised by GQ Magazine as one of the most influential people in Britain…’]Emily Maitlis[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Patrick Marber is an Olivier Award winning playwright, Academy nominated screenwriter and Tony Award winning director…’]Patrick Marber[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’James Marriott is a columnist and book reviewer at The Times, covering society, ideas and culture…’]James Marriott[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’James McAuley is a writer and historian. His first book, The House of Fragile Things…’]James McAuley[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’David McCloskey is a former CIA analyst who worked in field stations across the Middle East and briefed senior White House officials and Arab royalty…’]David McCloskey[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Charles Moore joined the staff of the Daily Telegraph in 1979…’]Charles Moore[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Dambisa Moyo, a member of the UK House of Lords, is a principal at Versaca Investments, a family office focused on global growth investing…’]Dambisa Moyo[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Douglas Murray is a bestselling author, journalist, and one of the most popular conservative political commentators in the world…’]Douglas Murray[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Catherine Ostler is the author of The Duchess Countess, a historical biography published in the UK in 2021 by Simon & Schuster and in the USA this year Atria Books…’]Catherine Ostler[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Yana Peel is President of Arts, Culture & Heritage at CHANEL, serving on the Executive Team since she joined the House in 2020. She is also a board member of Fondation CHANEL…’]Yana Peel[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Luke Pepera is a writer, broadcaster, historian and anthropologist specialising in Africa…’]Luke Pepera[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Sir Ian Rankin is an international bestseller, known for his Inspector Rebus series of novels…’]Ian Rankin[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Hugo Rittson-Thomas is a British portrait, nature and interiors photographer…’]Hugo Rittson-Thomas[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Lord (Andrew) Roberts read Modern History at Caius College, Cambridge, from where he is a PhD. He has written over a twenty books including Salisbury: Victorian Titan…’]Andrew Roberts[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Mark is a writer and director for stage and screen…’]Mark Rosenblatt[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Hallie Rubenhold is the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling and Baillie Gifford prize-winning author of The Five: The Women Killed by Jack the Ripper…’]Hallie Rubenhold[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Salman Rushdie is one of the world’s most acclaimed, award-winning contemporary authors…’]Salman Rushdie[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Minna Salami is an author and speaker, and the publisher of Kaleido, a Substack newsletter naming what others miss about the current moment…’]Minna Salami[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Simon Sebag Montefiore is the internationally bestselling author whose prize-winning books have been published in forty-eight languages…’]Simon Sebag Montefiore[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Anne Sebba is the New York Times bestselling author of eleven works of non-fiction, mostly about iconic C20th women including Jennie Churchill’]Anne Sebba[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist and storyteller. She has published 20 books, 13 of which are novels…’]Elif Shafak[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Alexandra Shulman was the first female editor of a man’s glossy magazine when GQ launched in the UK…’]Alexandra Shulman[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Andrei Soldatov is a Russian investigative journalist, co-founder, and editor of Agentura.ru, a watchdog of the Russian secret services’ activities…’]Andrei Soldatov[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Anne Somerset’s most recent book is Queen Victoria and her Prime Ministers: a Personal History...’]Anne Somerset[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Wes Streeting is the Labour Member of Parliament for Ilford North and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care…’]Wes Streeting[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Author Victoria Summerley is a national newspaper journalist, who has worked on the Evening Standard…’]Victoria Summerley[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Born in Wales in 1967, Sarah moved as a child to Italy, returning to the UK as a teenager…’]Sarah Vine[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Jake Wallis Simons is a Telegraph columnist, broadcaster and foreign correspondent. He was formerly editor of the Jewish Chronicle…’]Jake Wallis Simons[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Marina Warner is a writer of fiction and cultural history and has published many award-winning works…’]Marina Warner[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Carol Woolton is the voice of jewellery: an editor, jewellery historian and author of multiple best-selling books…’]Carol Woolton[/simple_tooltip]

[simple_tooltip content=’Cindy Yu is a columnist and contributing editor at The Times and Sunday Times…’]Cindy Yu[/simple_tooltip]

Please note, on occasion, the programme and speaker list may be subject to change.