MORE STAR NAMES JOIN HAY FESTIVAL 2023 PROGRAMME, PLUS FREE BBC MARQUEE SCHEDULE REVEALED

• Actors Denise Gough, Natascha McElhone and Dominic West star in Poetry Pharmacy Gala
• Winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Oleksandra Matviichuk joins line-up
• Plus, 36 free BBC events mix live recordings of popular shows with workshops

Hay Festival has today added 41 new events to the 2023 line-up (25 May–4 June), including the full schedule of free BBC Marquee broadcasts. 

Five new main stage events include a Poetry Pharmacy Gala, starring actors Denise Gough, Natascha McElhone and Dominic West; Nobel Peace Prize-winner Oleksandra Matviichuk on the global fight for democracy; journalist Lyse Doucet with historians David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell on politics and hope; broadcaster James Naughtie on his third novel, The Spy Across the Water; and, by popular demand, a repeat session with journalist Jeremy Bowen on The Making of the Modern Middle East.

Meanwhile, the full BBC Marquee schedule of free events has been revealed, offering a dynamic blend of live show recordings and workshops from BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Culture, BBC Academy, and BBC Hereford and Worcester Introducing…

BBC Radio 4 kick off the schedule of free events as Clive Anderson presents Loose Ends; Andy Zaltzman and guests find the funny in the week with a recording of The News Quiz; Tom Sutcliffe is joined by Festival guests for Start the Week; Aleem Maqbool leads a live recording of Beyond Belief; Katie Razzall presents The Media Show; Natalie Haynes offers a double performance of Stand Up for the Classics; and for the first time ever, the cast of The Archers perform a script-in-hand preview of that evening’s episode.

Leading BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds podcasts are brought to life with Greg Jenner unearthing the history of Folklore and Magic in Medieval Ireland with comedian Catherine Bohart and historian Dr Gillian Kenny in You’re Dead to Me; Jon Ronson discussing Things Fell Apart with special guest Dolly Alderton; Doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the themes behind their show A Thorough Examination; Danny Robins is joined by writer and comedian David Baddiel for Uncanny; Dr Sian Williams presents Life Changing; Dr Michael Mosley offers Just One Thing with special guest Professor Tim Spector; the team behind the I’m Not A Monster podcast share an inside look at The Shamima Begum Story; and Horatio Clare and Femi Oyebode ask Is Psychiatry Working?

BBC Radio 5 Live take over the Marquee for Nihal Arthanayake’s afternoon show; BBC Culture celebrate the world’s greatest children’s books; BBC Academy offers creative workshops for hundreds of young people with sessions themed around comedy, music, and Warhammer; and BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester Introducing… bring local talent to the Festival for an evening of performances.

BBC Radio 3 offers up double recordings of some of its flagship shows as Free Thinking explores memoir and nature writing; Ian McMillan The Verb; and Linton Stephens offers Classical Fix. 

BBC Radio Wales offers a trio of its cultural highlights as The Review Show, The Arts Show and The Aberystwyth Book Club are recorded live in front of a Festival audience. And BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester Introducing… bring local talent to the Festival for an evening of performances.

Hay Festival CEO Julie Finch said: “Here is a special bundle of Easter treats for Haymakers everywhere as we share even more events to inspire and spark debate at Hay Festival 2023. We are delighted to be expanding our work with the BBC this year, welcoming Festival favourites from BBC Radio 4, Radio 3, Radio Wales and Radio Hereford & Worcester alongside new programming with 5 Live and BBC Academy, opening access to Festival inspiration further. Join us on site or from afar; everyone is welcome.”

Mohit Bakaya, Director of Speech Radio for the BBC, commented: “It’s great to back at Hay Festival and I’m delighted to announce an exciting raft of programmes to add to this year’s line up – from classic Radio 4 favourites such as Start the Week and The Archers, to podcast hits including Uncanny andThings Fell Apart with Jon Ronson. There will also be an inside look at the making of The Shamima Begum Story, which showcases the best of the BBC’s ground-breaking investigative journalism. Whether you want to deepen your knowledge of today’s most pressing issues and debates, hear incredible real-life stories or simply enjoy some great drama and comedy, we’re glad to be offering something for everyone.”

Hay Festival is the world’s leading festival of ideas, bringing readers and writers together in sustainable events to inspire, examine and entertain on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. 

This year’s programme launches the best new fiction and non-fiction, while offering insights and debate around significant global issues. Award-winning writers, policy makers, pioneers and innovators take part from around the world, offering big thinking and bold ideas.

Guests previously announced include writers Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Eleanor Catton, Max Porter, Jonathan Coe, Leïla Slimani, Fflur Dafydd, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Alys Conran, Richard Ford, Jojo Moyes, Horatio Clare, Natalie Haynes, Richard Osman, Douglas Stuart, Elif Shafak, Katherine May; poets Simon Armitage, Owen Sheers, Carol Ann Duffy, Rufus Mufasa and Michael Rosen; YA star Alice Oseman; children’s heroes Cressida Cowell, Jacqueline Wilson, Julia Donaldson, Connor Allen; music icons Stormzy, Dua Lipa, The Proclaimers, the Levellers,  Judi Jackson, Baaba Maal, Zhadan and the Dogs; comedians Dara Ó Briain, Tom Allen, Jason Byrne, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Josie Long, Isy Suttie; stars of stage and screen Helena Bonham Carter, Richard E. Grant; politicians and policy makers Sadiq Khan, chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance; journalists George Monbiot, Alastair Campbell, Marina Hyde, Gary Younge, Lyse Doucet; activist Munroe Bergdorf; economist Mariana Mazzucato; historians Lucy Worsley, Simon Schama, Irene Vallejo; artist Tracey Emin; foodies Mary Berry, Jack Monroe, Ruth Rogers, Andi Oliver and Prue Leith; Thinkers in Residence Laura Bates, Will Gompertz, David Olusoga, Charlotte Williams; and many more. 

Providing exciting new platforms to discover fresh ideas, Hay Festival invites audiences to imagine the world as it is and as it might be. It is a catalyst for change and action, open and accessible to all.