Dame Prue Leith, Dame Mary Berry and Celia Imrie are some of the speakers confirmed to be appearing at the Cheltenham Literature Festival 2026.
Believed to be the world’s oldest literature festival – first held in 1949 – the event features talks and discussions with a variety of authors, journalists and public figures.
In October, The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival will host more than 500 events across 10 days.
Programme Highlights
The programme includes conversations with 2025 Booker Prize winner David Szalay, Hamnet author Maggie O’Farrell, Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding and Life Of Pi author Yann Martel.
Other notable names also appearing are Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood, Russell T Davies, Katherine Parkinson, Anneka Rice, Richard Osman, Marina Hyde, Sara Pascoe and Sandi Toksvig.
During the festival, former The Great British Bake Off judge Dame Prue will appear alongside Gyles Brandreth and Kathy Lette to discuss “growing old disgracefully”.
Baking and Gardening Themes
Her Bake Off predecessor Dame Mary will also be in conversation with comedian and former Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc to discuss her second great love of gardening.
She is set to share seasonal wisdom, personal anecdotes and photographs from her own garden, while also introducing her forthcoming cookbook.
Actress and author Imrie will also speak about her memoir Elegant Hustler, sharing tales from her travels which have included voyaging on the Queen Mary 2, traversing America’s plains on Amtrak, Arctic quests for the Northern Lights and travels on India’s legendary railways.
Tributes and Memoirs
A panel event will also celebrate Rivals author Jilly Cooper, who died last year aged 88.
Hosted by Caitlin Moran, it will see Rivals actress Parkinson, producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Fielding, Cooper’s agent Felicity Blunt, and the author’s daughter Emily Tarrant explore Cooper’s legacy and the lasting appeal of her Rutshire novels.
Queer As Folk creator and former Doctor Who showrunner Davies will also be discussing his new memoir, The Queerest Of Folk.
Blur’s Dave Rowntree will also share the tales behind the band’s formative years through unheard stories alongside candid photos from his new bestselling book, No One You Know.
Following artist David Hockney’s death aged 88 in June, Will Gompertz will be joined by art critic and author James Cahill and writer and long-time Hockney collaborator Martin Gayford to celebrate his extraordinary life, work and legacy.
Fiction and More
This year’s fiction programme includes internationally acclaimed novelists and bestselling storytellers, with O’Farrell introducing her new book, Land, while Martel will speak about his new release Son Of Nobody, while Szalay explores masculinity and power with his novel, Fate.
Other authors set to speak about their latest works also include Elif Shafak, Victoria Hislop, Sebastian Faulks, Louise Kennedy, Jeffrey Archer, Matt Haig, Lionel Shriver and Barbara Kingsolver.
Ian Hislop in conversation to discuss his 40 years as the editor of Private Eye, with politicians past and present including former Foreign Secretary William Hague, former Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt, former Conservative Cabinet minister Sajid Javid, ex-Labour MP Margaret Hodge and MP Jess Phillips, also appearing.
Festival organisers have said the event will bring together “world-famous names alongside brand-new voices, reflecting the festival’s commitment to celebrating today’s leading names while championing the writers, thinkers and storytellers of the future”.
They added: “Through conversations, debates and storytelling, the programme will inspire people of all ages to rediscover the joy of reading as part of our everyday lives, while also tackling the most pressing cultural, political and social questions of our time, offering audiences fresh perspectives, informed discussion and unforgettable encounters with some of the world’s most influential voices.”
The Cheltenham Literature Festival 2026 runs from October 9 to 18. Priority tickets go on sale on Thursday August 27, while general tickets go on sale on Thursday September 3.
