Arts & Culture

Enjoy a special live recording of Radio 4’s long-running variety show. Clive Anderson and guests offer an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy.

Want to reduce waste, use less energy when cooking but still achieve kitchen triumphs? The chef and bestselling food writer (A Modern Way to Eat, One: Pot, Pan, Planet) takes 12 hero ingredients that are guaranteed to make your food taste great, and gives 125 all-new dishes that you’ll want to cook on repeat. Think Double Lemon Pilaf with Buttery Almonds, Traybake Lemon Dhal, Miso Rarebit and Cherry and Chocolate Peanut Butter Sundae. Jones shares tips distilled from her 20 years of experience, with practical advice on layering, texture and seasoning, plus plenty of ideas for vegetarian swaps. She talks to Welsh presenter and producer Meinir Howells.

Enjoy a special live recording of Radio 4’s flagship satire show featuring topical sketches and characters drawn from the worlds of celebrity and politics.

Thomas Heatherwick – one of the UK’s most prolific designers – talks about his work, characterised by originality, inventiveness and humanity. He founded his studio in 1994 to bring together architecture, urban planning, product design and interiors into a single creative workspace, now comprising 200 makers and inventors. The team is currently working on more than 30 projects in ten countries, including Google's HQ in London. Recently completed are Bay View and Gradient Canopy, Google’s first purpose-built campuses in California, the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town and Coal Drops Yard in London’s King’s Cross. Heatherwick talks to technology entrepreneur and creative leader Suhair Khan.

Start your day with an hour of yoga blending movement, mantra, meditation and breathwork. The classes support detoxification and regeneration – physically, emotionally and spiritually. Our daily yoga classes are brought to you by a collective of ten highly skilled practitioners, all local to Hay-on-Wye. Each practitioner has their own style, but with all you can expect a mindful, student-focused practice with clear cueing and functional sequencing.

Whether you need grounding and recharging before a busy day at the Festival, an opportunity to stretch and move your body, or simply an hour to focus on your breathing, these classes are open and accessible to all. Practitioners will adapt to different levels of experience, providing options for deepening or softening within poses so that each student takes what they need from the practice. Beginners and experienced students are most welcome. Yoga mats are provided.

A fantastic opportunity to see behind the scenes of this unique and historic building. Visit at a time of your choice during Castle opening hours.

Hay resident Mary Morgan and local historian Elizabeth Bingham return to the Festival following previous years’ popular talks on local churches and castles. Now they’ve turned their attention to local monuments and memorials – their subjects include the Chartists’ cave, artists and actors, the Brute stonemasons, a Methodist martyr, a notorious ghost, aircraft crashes, Victorian vicars, a murdered pedlar, a Neolithic monument, a bulldog, water troughs and a wood.

Vanessa Walters discusses her British debut, a thriller about family, motherhood, identity and diaspora, with Alex Wheatle, author of Cane Warriors. Author of two books for young adults, this is Walters’ first adult fiction, described by writer Afua Hirsch as “a brilliantly original novel.”

Nicole Oruwari disappears during a boat trip. Born in south London, she had moved to Lagos to begin a new life with her perfect husband, but something went wrong. Back in London, her busybody aunt Claudine decides to fly to Lagos to investigate the mystery...

Ruby Wax speaks with Hay Festival guests about mental health issues. She is well known for advocating an open and honest approach, most recently in her book and touring show I’m Not as Well as I Thought I Was. Wax is one of our Hay Festival 2024 Thinkers in Residence – a group of writers and readers hosting events throughout the week questioning norms, finding new perspectives and challenging us to action.

Writer and broadcaster Horatio Clare is the author of Heavy Light: A Journey Through Madness, Mania and Healing. Journalist Bryony Gordon's latest book is Mad Woman and Robin Ince is a comedian, author and broadcaster.

Radical cultural historian, writer and activist Dr Diarmuid Hester brings to life the stories of seven remarkable figures – from EM Forster to Derek Jarman – and illuminates the connections between where they lived, who they loved and the art they created. He shows that a queer sense of place is central to the history of the twentieth century and powerfully evokes how much is lost when these spaces are forgotten. Hester is a research associate of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and a BBC New Generation Thinker. He co-founded Cambridge’s queer performance and music night Club Urania.

Pioneering human rights campaigner, patriot, traitor, romantic and LGBTQ+ martyr, Roger Casement is one of the 20th century’s most complex and compelling figures. Roland Philipps (author of A Spy Named Orphan) discusses his biography of this contradictory man, Broken Archangel: The Tempestuous Lives of Roger Casement.

Internationally celebrated for unearthing the grotesque violence of the Belgian Congo, Casement won a knighthood for his humanitarian work in the Amazon jungle. But his internal fault lines ran deep, caught between England and Ireland, Protestant and Catholic, contemporary mores and private emotions. He was tried and executed for treason – only now can we fully understand his surprisingly modern and deeply relevant life and legacy.

In the history and story of Africa is the history and story of human civilisation, and yet little of the continent’s early and modern story is widely known. Award-winning broadcaster and SOAS president Zeinab Badawi sets the record straight in her seminal book, An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence, which takes readers from the origins of our species, through ancient civilisations and medieval empires with remarkable queens and kings, to the miseries of conquest and the elation of independence. She tells Areeba Hamid, joint executive director of Greenpeace UK and the first woman and first person of colour to lead the organisation, about travelling to 30 countries in Africa, the people she spoke to, and why it’s essential the history of Africa is told through the voices of Africans themselves.

On an Eardisley farm, in conservative, rural Mid Wales, lives Dean Goodwin-Evans aka Boo La Croux: farmer, organiser of Hereford Pride, professional hairdresser, son of an Aston Villa footballer, husband of Paul, lover of horses, and Miss Drag UK 2021. Billie Charity is an award-winning portrait and reportage photographer who has worked closely with David Hurn, John Bulmer and Niall McDiarmid. She has published two critically-acclaimed photo books, People of Hay and Colour.

In a special Hay Festival live recording of their hit podcast, comedian Jon Richardson and the Futurenauts, Ed Gillespie and Mark Stevenson, explore the ‘Future of Friday Night’, with special guest, BBC Radio 6 Music’s Amy Lamé. As pubs and nightclubs close are we doomed to binge-drinking on the sofa at home in front of Netflix? Is flirting beyond dating apps dead? Will the Great British Friday Night Out go the way of the dodo, or is there a new era of conscious hedonism being born? Will the authentic visceral experience of live performance get us up and out? Can we twerk our tushes into a better tomorrow? Grab a cocktail, mocktail or whatever whets your whistle for the usual riotous adventures in the imagination of the possible.

How many times have you wished you were able to explain something clearly and confidently? In this event, the BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins, creator of the Ros Atkins on… explainer series, shares the secrets he’s learned from years of working in high-pressure newsrooms, identifying the ten elements of a good explanation and the seven steps you need to take to express yourself as persuasively and accurately as possible.

Whether you’re preparing for a presentation, taking an exam or interviewing for a job, in The Art of Explanation Atkins provides the ultimate guide to communicating as effectively as possible. Atkins is BBC News’ analysis editor and the creator and presenter of Outside Source on the BBC News Channel and BBC World News.

Make your summer more salad-full in this demo and tasting event with the River Cottage chef. Alderson demonstrates how, with a bit of creativity and flair, simple ingredients can be combined to make truly great salads. Watch him as he cooks knockout recipes in front of you using everyday foods, drawing on his book River Cottage Great Salads – and you get to taste the results. He redefines the idea of salad, as playful flavour pairings, clever techniques and vibrant dressings bring out the very best in seasonal produce. Executive Head Chef of River Cottage for over ten years, Alderson has worked with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to create the menus served in all six River Cottage restaurants.

Get an exclusive preview of Jodi Picoult’s new novel By Any Other Name, to be published in October. Moving between Elizabethan England and modern-day Manhattan, it explores the theme of identity and the ways in which two women, centuries apart – one of whom might be the real author of Shakespeare’s plays – are both forced to hide behind another name to make their voices heard. Jodi Picoult describes her 29th novel as the “book of my heart”, the one she was destined to write. She describes the sleuthing she carried out to establish her character Emilia’s links to Shakespeare, and her personal experiences as playwright and author.

Join comedian Robin Ince for his unique Book Club, in which he chats with guests about the weirdest books and strangest stories they have read, and their secret reading obsessions. He brings along many of his favourite pulpy horrors, awkward romances and most eccentric self help guides. Expect an exhilarating tour around these books, where readings from Crabs on the Rampage will be twinned with Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin. Robin was named Author of the Year by the Booksellers Association and his most recent book, Bibliomaniac: An Obsessive’s Tour of the Bookshops of Britain was described by the TLS as “a tonic”. Don’t miss this event exclusively designed for Hay Festival 2024.

Start your day with an hour of yoga blending movement, mantra, meditation and breathwork. The classes support detoxification and regeneration – physically, emotionally and spiritually. Our daily yoga classes are brought to you by a collective of ten highly skilled practitioners, all local to Hay-on-Wye. Each practitioner has their own style, but with all you can expect a mindful, student-focused practice with clear cueing and functional sequencing.

Whether you need grounding and recharging before a busy day at the Festival, an opportunity to stretch and move your body, or simply an hour to focus on your breathing, these classes are open and accessible to all. Practitioners will adapt to different levels of experience, providing options for deepening or softening within poses so that each student takes what they need from the practice. Beginners and experienced students are most welcome. Yoga mats are provided.

A fantastic opportunity to see behind the scenes of this unique and historic building. Visit at a time of your choice during Castle opening hours.

Hay Castle’s executive director Tom True introduces the key moments and characters from the castle’s past followed by a continental breakfast.

Featured in the BBC’s Digging for Britain, Snodhill Castle is the hidden gem of the Golden Valley. Explore the Norman ruins including the high keep, Royal Free Chapel and the newly-discovered ‘panic room’, and hear the story of its discovery and preservation. Guided by Garry Crook, castle expert and Chair of the Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust.

Plunge into a meditation on love and generational trauma with the author of the Man Booker Prize-winning The Gathering, in conversation with the Guardian literary critic. Nell is a young woman with adventure on her mind, but as she sets out into the world, she finds her family history hard to escape. For her mother, Carmel, Nell’s leaving home opens a space in her heart, where the turmoil of a lifetime begins to churn. And across the generations falls the long shadow of Carmel’s famous father, an Irish poet of beautiful words and brutal actions. Dublin-based author Anne Enright was the first Laureate for Irish Fiction, and in 2018 received the Irish PEN Award for Outstanding Contribution to Irish Literature.

Immerse yourself in the inspiring Welsh countryside with poet, playwright and rapper Ashleigh Nugent, Creative Director of RiseUp, a Manchester-based organisation that empowers individuals to better their circumstances, prospects and wellbeing. In a unique event curated by the Black British Book Festival, you’re invited to write lines that capture the essence of the natural world, inspired by your surroundings, allowing nature to infuse depth into your writing. Let Nugent’s live poetry performance transport you to new realms of imagination under the open sky of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.

This is your chance to sing with vocal coach and choir director Juliet Russell, as she teaches the 1980s classic ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ in honour of Wales’ own Bonnie Tyler. You’ll learn warm-ups, harmonies, breathing and performance techniques in this uplifting, inclusive and energising session. Russell has worked with Grammy, BRiT and MOBO artists. Her TV credits include The Voice and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.

In this demo and tasting event, the London-based chef celebrates recipes that have been passed down the generations. The daughter of Jamaican immigrants, her debut cookbook explores the connections food can foster between friends, families and strangers. Its 80 dishes include crispy saltfish fritters, slow cooked jerk pork, zingy lime and ginger cheesecake, confounding misconceptions that Caribbean food is all about intense heat, pungent smoke and a handful of familiar dishes. Mitchell takes us on a journey through the region’s myriad food cultures, emerging from the convergence of African, American, European and South Asian influences in its troubling history, its legacy transformed by the kinship of those who share food.

In historian and broadcaster Alice Roberts’ new children’s novel, Wolf Road, prehistoric Tuuli travels with her tribe through the seasons – making camp, hunting for food and protecting themselves against the hazards the climate throws at them. She knows there’s a bigger world out there, and when she spots a strange boy lurking outside their camp, she realises he might hold the adventure she is looking for. He is from another tribe, and as he and Tuuli strike up an unlikely friendship, they set out on a journey that will influence the rest of human history. Find out about the real anthropological discoveries that inspired this tale full of wild animals and heart-stopping danger.

Driving with a donkey stuffed in the back seat; jackdaws pecking brains out through the roof of a confessional box; cat piss and astronauts. This is the world not as you see it, but as it is, twisted from the maverick mind of Blindboy. Stories of the strange unsettlings in the souls of men caught in between the past and the possible; stories of heart-blinding rage and disquieting compassion. The satirist and musician reaches 1.2 million monthly listeners through his show The Blindboy Podcast, which the New York Times has called “a cultural phenomenon”. His new book takes its title from a twelfth-century English manuscript, which dehumanised the people and culture of Ireland to facilitate domination.

Immerse yourself in the inspiring Welsh countryside with poet, playwright and rapper Ashleigh Nugent, Creative Director of RiseUp, a Manchester-based organisation that empowers individuals to better their circumstances, prospects and wellbeing. In a unique event curated by the Black British Book Festival, you’re invited to write lines that capture the essence of the natural world, inspired by your surroundings, allowing nature to infuse depth into your writing. Let Nugent’s live poetry performance transport you to new realms of imagination under the open sky of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.

Join the award-winning and much-loved author, comedian and actor for a fun-filled event centred on his action-packed children’s books, The Boy With Wings and The Book of Legends. His latest title, Clash of the Superkids, sees the return of Tunde Wilkinson, an ordinary boy who happens also to be a winged superhero. Lenny chats to compère Mic Lord, a theatre maker, MC and recording artist, all about Tunde’s impossible mission and super powers, and reveals an extract from the book.

As a Bolton teenager with a paper round, Clive Myrie read all the newspapers he delivered from cover to cover and dreamed of becoming a journalist. Now with a long standing career in reporting, the BBC news anchor, award-winning presenter and host of Mastermind tells how his family history has influenced his view of the world. He introduces his Windrush generation parents, a great grandfather who helped build the Panama Canal, and a great uncle who became a prominent detective in Jamaica. He reflects on how being Black has affected his perspective on issues he’s encountered in thirty years reporting on some of the biggest stories of our time.

Two professional women discuss the triple-whammy of discrimination faced by women over 50 in work: they are not male, young or linear in their career paths. As a result, they are leaving corporate life, and taking their abundant wisdom, energy and ambition with them.

Leadership coach Dr Lucy Ryan conducted a unique doctoral research project into professional women at midlife. In her book Revolting Women, she argues that assumptions about declining midlife motivation and energy are often not true for women, highlights why women walk out of corporate life and shows how businesses can retain and develop this invaluable talent pool. Dorothy Byrne, President of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge (a college for women), was previously Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4, where she produced films on rape, domestic violence, ageism at work, fertility and the effects of poverty. She is author of Trust me, I’m not a Politician.