Fans of the cult Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted are in for a treat at the Isle of Wight Literary Festival this October.
As well as having a key role in Father Ted, Lissa Evans also produced/directed Have I Got News For You and Room 101, before becoming an award-nominated fiction author.
She will be speaking about her book Picnic on Craggy Island, at the festival which runs from October 9th-12th at Northwood House, Cowes.
The latest batch of authors announced for the festival includes writers on everything from politics to penguins, haunted houses to historical hiatus.
If football is your passion, then you can hear Southampton FC legend Francis Benali talk about his life and autobiography, which is subtitled Football Fran to Iron Man. As well as becoming a Saints hero on the pitch, Benali has raised a million pounds for Cancer Research UK.
Matt Blake, a Guardian and Daily Mirror journalist, has written Hearth of Darkness – If Your House Had a Dark Past Would You Want to Know? The house he bought had a very black history, having once been the lair of a notorious criminal – but was the evil totally gone from the premises?
A fascinating life lived by the author’s mother is the subject of Lady Pamela Berry – Passion, Politics and Power. Harriet Cullen explores the life of her titled mother, who, among other things, had a ten-year affair with Malcolm Muggeridge.
Fans of the natural world will love travel writer Jamie Lafferty’s book An Inconvenience of Penguins, which explores (literally) the world of these amazing creatures. Lafferty travels to their habitats from The Galapagos to African guano fields.
Returning will be author and broadcaster Tracy Borman, who will speak about her latest volume, The Stolen Crown, which covers the time after Elizabeth I’s death when James VI laid claim to the throne.
Tracy is one of Britain’s best loved historians and is now chief historian at the Historic Royal Palaces.
Suzanne O’Sullivan is a full-time neurologist and has been a doctor for 35 years.
In The Age of Diagnosis, she looks at the evolving journey of modern illness.
Art historian and the cultural editor of The Telegraph’s travel section Nick Trend explores the links between culture and romance in What Art Can Tell Us About Love.
And Tim Willasey-Wilsey presents a fascinating glimpse into the world of the Nazis and espionage in The Spy and The Devil, which details the story of the MI6 officer who penetrated Hitler’s inner circle.
Maggie Ankers, chairman of the festival, said:
“The latest announcements show the breadth of subjects we cover at the literary festival.
“There will be some fascinating talks which will cater for all tastes.”
Tickets will go on sale in August. For more information go to www.isleofwightliteraryfestival.com.
best line from father ted
I hear you are a racist now father