The Borders Book Festival programme is returning this summer with a big-name guest list.
Tickets are now on sale, as organisers prepare to welcome back on stage big names in books; stars of stage and screen, and leading figures from the world of politics and current affairs.
Returning to its usual home at Harmony Garden, Melrose, in the Scottish Borders, for the first time since 2019, the four-day book extravaganza runs from Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 June.
The diverse programme of over 100 events includes the fabulous Joanna Lumley on her book about the Queen; the hilarious and best-loved comedian Julian Clary; comedian, presenter, turned psychotherapist Jack Dee; current affairs heavy weights Andrew Marr, Clive Myrie, Gavin Esler and Allan Little; former cabinet minister Ed Balls with his very personal memoir; crime-writing royalty Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre and Mark Billingham; journalists and social commentators Darren McGarvey, Jonathan Freedland and Fintan O’Toole; bestselling novelists Lisa Jewell and Jenny Colgan; much-loved Yorkshire writer and humorous raconteur Gervase Phinn; TV wine expert Helen McGinn and BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee judge, Esme Young.
Clive Myrie
Book Festival favourite Rory Bremner returns with two exclusive events: The Scottish Impressionists, alongside Ronni Ancona, and Lewis MacLeod, as well as I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Buccleuch, a special Borders Book Festival edition of the legendary BBC radio comedy panel game, I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, hosted by the inimitable Jack Dee, with panellists Miles Jupp, Rory Bremner, Pippa Evans and Tony Hawks and music by Colin Sell.
Taking time away from covering the war in Ukraine, Clive Myrie hosts a special Melrose edition of Mastermind, with well-known guests seated in the original black chair, lent by Sally Magnusson.
Celebrating the power of storytelling as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022, the book festival has an exciting strand of events to spotlight the wealth of stories inspired by, written, or created in Scotland. These events are woven throughout the four-days, involving some of Scotland’s finest writers, thinkers and performers, including: Alexander McCall Smith, Flora Johnston, Jean Findlay, Sue Lawrence, Andrew Douglas-Home and Claire Askew.
Festival director Alistair Moffat, said: ‘We’re raring to get the stage set and the show on the road to welcome our audience back to Harmony Garden after three long years.
Julian Clary (Photo: Michael Shelford)
‘We’re back with a bang! This year’s programme will delight the crowds with what everyone has come to expect of the Borders Book Festival: lively debate, a broadening of minds, insightfulness – and, of course, a good dose of fun and laughter along the way. And boy, do we need it!
‘We’re grateful to our principal sponsor Baillie Gifford, key sponsor McInroy & Wood, Family Book Festival sponsor Saltire Roofing and Building, and supporters Creative Scotland, VisitScotland and Scottish Borders Council, who’ve stood by us through this difficult period.
‘It seems more fitting than ever to be back for four days of fun and celebration of the written word in what is Scotland’s Year of Stories. And I’m sure this year’s festival will mean we’ll have even more stories of our own to tell for years to come!’
The McInroy & Wood Lecture is this year delivered by BBC correspondent Allan Little, focusing on the post-Cold War era, as Europe enters a new, more dangerous phase, following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Financial Times, as the book festival’s national media partner, hosts a series of events covering the big issues of the day: Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who served in cabinets under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, debates the future of naval base Faslane and the UK’s nuclear deterrent with CND campaigner Isobel Lindsay and military historian Trevor Royle; FT foreign affairs columnist Gideon Rachman explains why authoritarian leaders are again a fixture of global politics and just how big a role energy plays in geopolitics; and FT columnist Merryn Somerset Webb offers a survival guide for the cost of living crisis, in conversation with Claer Barrett, the newspaper’s Consumer Editor.
Rory Bremner
The Family Book Festival, sponsored by Saltire Roofing and Building, takes place throughout the day on the Saturday and Sunday (18 and 19 June).
The two-day programme is packed with thrilling author events, including: festival favourites Vivian French and Alan Windram; Mairi Kidd sharing Scottish Fairy Tales, Myths & Legends; the chance to learn about Scottish dinosaurs with Steve Brusatte, an actual palaeontologist; Dr Punam Krishan on How to be a Doctor; what we can do to help our planet with Christopher Lloyd and his latest book It’s Up To Us, the story of global climate change; Pamela Butchart tells her latest tale in the hilarious Wigglesbottom Primary series and Tolá Okogwu with her superpower adventure Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, as well as kids craft activities, storytelling and interactive creative workshops — perfect for curious young minds.
The winner of this year’s prestigious £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is to be announced at a special event at the book festival, chosen from a short list of four books: Colm Tóibín’s The Magician, Andrew Greig’s Rose Nicolson, Amanda Smyth’s Fortune and James Robertson’s News of the Dead.
In addition, throughout the four days, there will be live music, the Orchard tented food village and plenty of free, fun activities, making the book festival a great day out for all the family to enjoy.
Tickets now available at www.bordersbookfestival.
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