BBC Arts today announced the full line-up of The Big Book Weekend, a three-day virtual festival that brings together the best of the cancelled UK literary festivals, broadcast as-live during the first Bank Holiday weekend in May at bigbookweekend.com
Co-founded by the authors Kit de Waal and Molly Flatt with support from BBC Arts and Arts Council England, The Big Book Weekend is produced by the online book festival site MyVLF and will feature video interviews, panel discussions, and in conversation sessions. It is the first time a virtual book festival has been curated from events that would have taken place at UK book festivals around the country, cancelled under national lockdown.
The Big Book Weekend is part of BBC Art’s Culture In Quarantine initiative, bringing the very best arts and culture to the homes of everyone in the UK, at a time of national lockdown.
Highlights of the three-day festival include:
- Robert Webb, best known for his roles in Mitchell & Webb and Peep Show, discusses his literary work with acclaimed literary journalist Alex Clark.
- Bernardine Evaristo, winner of the 2019 Booker Prize, discusses Girl, Woman, Other with Creative Scotland’s Mairi Kidd.
- Neil Gaiman celebrates 100 years since the birth of legendary fantasy and sci-fi guru Ray Bradbury with the award-winning Bradbury biographer and writer Sam Weller.
- Maggie O’Farrell discusses the joy and importance of book festivals with Damian Barr.
- Alexander McCall Smith reads a special message to readers and festival organisers to inspire and uplift, written especially for the Big Book Weekend.
- Michael Morpurgo talks to Clare Mulley about his bestselling World War II books for children, commemorating the 75th anniversary of VE Day
- Luke Jennings talks about what drove him to create his female-centred thriller Killing Eve with crime novelist Sarah Hilary.
- Marian Keyes discusses writing, finding and using your voice, and growing into your own skin with bestselling author and co-founder of the Women’s Equality Party, Catherine Mayer.
- Sir Tim Rice discusses his life and career, the inspiration for his award-winning musicals and what it takes to pen some of the best-known lyrics ever written, with Daniel Hahn.
Lamia Dabboussy, Editor of BBC Arts, says: “Kit and Molly have put together a stellar line up for The Big Book Weekend. With so many highlights to choose from, there’s an event for people of all ages and literary tastes. BBC Arts is delighted to support the festival, and in doing so many of the cancelled literary festivals around the UK, while offering audiences unique books programming during national lockdown.”
Kit de Waal, author and co-founder of the festival, says: “It has been a joy working with so many of the literary festivals around the UK in bringing some of their events to an online audience. Molly and I have curated the events to offer something for everyone, and I’m particularly excited by our opening event on Friday, with Maggie O’Farrell in conversation with Damian Barr on why books festivals are so important, particularly at a time like this.”
Molly Flatt, Author and Co-Founder of the festival, says: “I’m delighted to reveal the full line-up of The Big Book Weekend, which Kit and I thoroughly enjoyed putting together. The technology from MyVLF has enabled us to bring the feel of a real-life books festival to an online audience and I can’t wait for the events to begin on Friday 8 May. In particular, I’m looking forward to our two events commemorating VE day – Michael Morpurgo on his bestselling WWII books for children, and Sir Terry Waite on how to cope in solitude.”
