Ronnie Corbett
The legendary comedian talks about his autobiography And it’s Goodnight from Him.
Miranda July, Marina Lewycka, Ariane Koek
The screenwriter, July, launches her debut collection of stories Nobody Belongs Here More Than You. Lewycka discusses her comic jewel Two Caravans set amongst an international brigade of Kent strawberry pickers.
They talk to the Arvon Foundation Director.
Armando Iannucci
The entertainer, comedy writer and producer (Alan Partridge, The Day Today, The Thick of it) talks to Francine Stock.
Helon Habila, Ngugi Thiong'o
Habila’s Measuring Time is the story of twin brothers from a Nigerian village dealing with famine, religious zealotry and appalling violence. The great Kenyan exile Ngugi discusses his comic masterpiece Wizard of the Crow.
Chaired by Paul Blezard.
Peter Falk, Paul Blezard
The treasured Hollywood actor yarns his comedy career and the iconic TV role of Columbo in his autobiography, called, of course, Just One More Thing.
Dan Rhodes, Helen Oyeyemi, Lucy Eyre
Challenging and inspiring new fiction with Eyre’s philosophical adventures in If Minds Had Toes, the wry comedy of Rhodes’ Gold and the Nigerian-London-Cuban dislocations of Oyeyemi’s The Opposite House.
Chaired by Oneword’s Paul Blezard
Sebastian Faulks
The novelist’s new book Engleby engages a profoundly unstable protagonist with the last 35 years of English society. It’s elegant and darkly funny.
Louise Rennison
Naturally shy, and not one to dance around in the nuddy-pants for no good reason, Louise will talk about the hysterical Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging and other Confessions of Georgia Nicolson. 13 yrs +
Andrew Marr
The victory of shopping over politics, the collisions of government and people, and the resilience, comedy, cars and greatness of Britannia.
Maureen Lipman
The national treasure receives the 2007 Listening Books Award, celebrating outstanding contribution to the spoken word. Chaired by LBA Trustee Jim Naughtie.
Peter Carey talks to John Walsh
The double Booker Prizewinner (True History of the Kelly Gang, Oscar and Lucinda) discusses his lewdly funny new art world novel with the Independent writer.
Liz Smith talks to Sandi Toksvig
From the WRENS, the plastic bag factory, her first film with the young Mike Leigh, and on through a glittering career (pretty much every Dickens and The Royle Family), the actress has remained wonderfully amused.
Zadie Smith, George Saunders
Smith (White Teeth, On Beauty) in conversation with the American short story master of blackest comedy, and author of Pastoralia.