Talks programme
Monday 20th – Sunday 26th June 2022 | Various Prices
Over 150 fascinating talks for 2022 including Antarctica: Finding the Endurance; The life of Queen Elizabeth II; The Wartime Diaries of Churchill’s Youngest Daughter; Tutankhamun’s Trumpet; and a History of Football – there really is something for everyone.
Talks in Hiscox and Smith & Williamson Tents are individually priced.
Talks on the Outdoor Stages are included in the Outdoor Programme Ticket.
Monday 20th June
PREVIEW
| Time | HISCOX TENT | SMITH & WILLIAMSON TENT | IPGL OUTDOOR STAGE | HISTORY HIT OUTDOOR STAGE |
| Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Adult £10 Child FREE | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Adult £10 Child FREE | |
| 3.45-4.45 | 1. The Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room REDISCOVERING WOMEN IN HISTORY Philippa Gregory & Alison Weir £16 | 2. FOSSIL HUNTING ON THE JURASSIC COAST: NEW DISCOVERIES FROM THE KIMMERIDGE CLAY OF DORSET Steve Etches £13 | 3. EMPIRES OF THE NORMANS: MAKERS OF EUROPE, CONQUERORS OF ASIA Levi Roach (£ see above) | 4. AUDIENCE RE-ENACTMENT OF THE ASSASSINATION OF JULIUS CAESAR History Hit (£ see above) |
| 5.30-6.30 | 5. BRITAIN AND THE WORLD OF DIPLOMACY Peter Westmacott £15 | 6. THE TUDORS IN LOVE: THE COURTLY CODE BEHIND THE LAST MEDIEVAL DYNASTY Sarah Gristwood £14 | 7. WOLFBANE Michelle Paver (£ see above) | 8. POWER AND PRIVILEGE: A RECENT HISTORY Richard Beard & Simon Kuper (£ see above) |
| 7.30-8.30 | 9. THE HAPPY TRAITOR: SPIES, LIES & EXILE IN RUSSIA – THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF GEORGE BLAKE Simon Kuper £15 | 10. LIFE AFTER GRAVITY: ISAAC NEWTON’S LONDON CAREER Patricia Fara £14 | 11. HOW TENNIS INVENTED EVERYTHING Christian Howgill (£ see above) | 12. TUTANKHAMUN’S TRUMPET: THE STORY OF ANCIENT EGYPT IN 100 OBJECTS Toby Wilkinson (£ see above) |
| 9.00-10.00 | 13. THE FAIRY TELLERS: A JOURNEY INTO THE SECRET HISTORY OF FAIRY TALES Nick Jubber (£ see above) |
Tuesday 21st June
PREVIEW
| Time | HISCOX TENT | SMITH & WILLIAMSON TENT | IPGL OUTDOOR STAGE | HISTORY HIT OUTDOOR STAGE |
| Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Adult £10 Child FREE | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Adult £10 Child FREE | |
| 3.45-4.45 | 14. CROWN AND SCEPTRE: A NEW HISTORY OF THE BRITISH MONARCHY FROM WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR TO ELIZABETH II Tracy Borman £14.50 | 15. SHACKLETON’S ENDURANCE: AN ANTARCTIC SURVIVAL STORY Joanna Grochowicz £13.50 | 16. DEVIL-LAND: ENGLAND UNDER SIEGE, 1588 – 1688 Clare Jackson (£ see above) | 17. HISTORY HIT TV (£ see above) |
| 5.30-6.30 | 18. GEORGE III: THE LIFE AND REIGN OF BRITAIN’S MOST MISUNDERSTOOD MONARCH Andrew Roberts £15 | 19. THE SHORTEST HISTORY OF GREECE James Heneage £14 | 20. RURAL LIFE FROM THE 1940S TO THE PRESENT & BEYOND Simon Smart, Allen Chalk, James Holland (£ see above) | 21. PASSING: AN ALTERNATIVE HISTORY OF IDENTITY Lipika Pelham with Tom Holland (£ see above) |
| 7.30-8.30 | 22. BROTHERS IN ARMS: ONE LEGENDARY TANK REGIMENT’S BLOODY WAR FROM D-DAY TO VE-DAY James Holland £15 | 23. FREE: COMING OF AGE AT THE END OF HISTORY – GROWING UP IN COMMUNIST ALBANIA Lea Ypi £14 | 24. CONTROL: THE DARK HISTORY AND TROUBLING PRESENT OF EUGENICS Adam Rutherford (£ see above) | 25. U.S. CIVIL WAR: THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM, 17 SEPTEMBER 1862 Iain MacGregor (£ see above) |
| 9.00-10.00 | 26. TALES OF ANCIENT ROME: THE YEAR OF THE FOUR EMPERORS Tom Holland (£ see above) |
Wednesday 22nd June
PREVIEW
| Time | HISCOX TENT | SMITH & WILLIAMSON TENT | IPGL OUTDOOR STAGE | HISTORY HIT OUTDOOR STAGE |
| Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Adult £11.50 Child £3 | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Adult £11.50 Child £3 | |
| 10.30-11.30 | 27. SAS VETERAN JACK MANN Jack Mann with Paul Beaver £13 | 28. THE RISE OF EMPIRE Saul David £12 | ||
| 12.00-1.00 | 29. SOLDIERS: GREAT STORIES OF WAR & PEACE Max Hastings £15 | 30. THE HABSBURGS: THE RISE AND FALL OF A WORLD POWER Martyn Rady £13 | 31. THE PENINSULAR WAR Peter Caddick-Adams (£ see above) | 32. HISTORY HIT TV (£ see above) |
| 2.00-3.00 | 33. THE PATHFINDERS: THE ELITE RAF FORCE THAT TURNED THE TIDE OF WWII Will Iredale & Paul Beaver £13.50 | 34. GEORGE V: NEVER A DULL MOMENT Jane Ridley £13 | 35. DEFYING HITLER: THE WHITE ROSE PAMPHLETS Alexandra Lloyd, Rachel Herring & Amy Wilkinson (£ see above) | 36. THE LOST VIRTUE OF MANLINESS Joanna Grochowicz & Patrick Cordingley (£ see above) |
| 3.45-4.45 | 37. JANE AUSTEN AND HER WORLD Gill Hornby & Robert Morrison £14 | 38. HORDE: HOW THE MONGOLS CHANGED THE WORLD Marie Favereau £13 | 39. TRAVELS THROUGH TIME: 1815 WITH OSKAR JENSEN Violet Moller & Oskar Jensen (£ see above) | 40. THE GROWTH OF BRITISH NAVAL POWER Sam Willis (£ see above) |
| 5.30-6.30 | 41. IN SEARCH OF THE DARK AGES: A HISTORY OF THE ORIGINS OF BRITAIN Michael Wood £15 | 42. NOT FAR FROM BRIDESHEAD: OXFORD BETWEEN THE WARS Daisy Dunn £14 | 43. WAR AGAINST RUSSIA General Sir Richard Shirreff (£ see above) | 44. AUDIENCE RE-ENACTMENT OF THE BATTLE OF GUAGAMELA History Hit (£ see above) |
| 7.30-8.30 | 45. PRETORIA BOY: THE STORY OF SOUTH AFRICA’S ‘PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE’ Peter Hain £15 | 46. SBS: SILENT WARRIORS – THE WARTIME HISTORY OF THE SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE Saul David £14 | 47. SMUGGLING IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY Alex Preston (£ see above) | 48. VAGABONDS: LIFE ON THE STREETS OF NINETEENTH CENTURY LONDON Oskar Jensen (£ see above) |
| 9.00-9.45 | 49. SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT Michael Wood (£ see above) |
Thursday 23rd June
PREVIEW
| Time | HISCOX TENT | SMITH & WILLIAMSON TENT | IPGL OUTDOOR STAGE | HISTORY HIT OUTDOOR STAGE |
| Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Adult £12.50 Child £4 | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Adult £12.50 Child £4 | |
| 9.30-4.45 | 50. SECOND WORLD WAR DAY £72 (includes events 55. and 59.) THE ENCIRCLEMENT OF KIEV, 1941: HOW THE GERMANS WON THEMSELVES TO DEATH IN THE EAST Stephen Prince & James Holland | 10.30-11.30am 51. OUR BRILLIANT ISLES: OUR UNTOLD HISTORY REVEALED THROUGH ART James Hawes £12 | ||
| 12.00-1.00 | SECOND WORLD WAR DAY: THE MOSQUITO Des Curtis & John Lilley (included above) | 52. ARMY GIRLS: FORMER WWII FANY JOYCE WILDING Joyce Wilding & Tessa Dunlop £13 | 53. STORYLAND: A NEW MYTHOLOGY OF BRITAIN Amy Jeffs (£ see above) | 54. THE FATE OF THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER Matt Lewis (£ see above) |
| 2.00-3.00 | 55. A WAR OF EMPIRES: JAPAN, INDIA, BURMA AND BRITAIN, 1941 – 45 Rob Lyman (£ included above) or alone £13.50 | 56. THE MAKING OF OLIVER CROMWELL Ronald Hutton £13 | 57. SHADOWLANDS: A JOURNEY THROUGH LOST BRITAIN Matthew Green (£ see above) | 58. IN SEARCH OF US: ADVENTURES IN ANTHROPOLOGY Lucy Moore (£ see above) |
| 3.45-4.45 | 59. 1945: VICTORY IN THE WEST Peter Caddick-Adams (£ included above) or alone £14 | 60. CONSTABLE: A PORTRAIT James Hamilton £13 | 61. THE RED PRINCE: THE LIFE OF JOHN OF GAUNT, DUKE OF LANCASTER Helen Carr (£ see above) | 62. THE DEATH OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT Tristan Hughes (£ see above) |
| 5.30-6.30 | 63. ARE WE ALL MAD? THE HISTORY OF THE HUMAN MIND, ITS BRILLIANCE, AND ITS FRAILTIES Sebastian Faulks & Brett Kahr £15 | 64. RESISTANCE: THE UNDERGROUND WAR IN EUROPE 1939 – 1945 Halik Kochanski £14 | 65. A SHORT HISTORY OF ISLAMIC THOUGHT Fitzroy Morrissey (£ see above) | 66. AUDIENCE RE-ENACTMENT OF THE WARS OF THE ROSES History Hit (£ see above) |
| 7.30-8.30 | 67. RIDDLE, MYSTERY, AND ENIGMA: TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF BRITISH-RUSSIAN RELATIONS David Owen with Peter Caddick-Adams £15 | 68. ESPANA: A BRIEF HISTORY OF SPAIN Giles Tremlett £14 | 69. FALLEN IDOLS: TWELVE STATUES THAT MADE HISTORY Alex von Tunzelmann (£ see above) | 70. THE PARTITION OF INDIA: 75 YEARS ON Kavita Puri & Barney White Spunner (£ see above) |
| 71. STORYTELLING BY THE FIRE Nicole Schmidt (£ see above) |
Friday 24th June
PREVIEW
| Time | HISCOX TENT | SMITH & WILLIAMSON TENT | IPGL OUTDOOR STAGE | HISTORY HIT OUTDOOR STAGE |
| Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Adult £13.50 Child £4 | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Adult £13.50 Child £4 | |
| 10.30-11.30 | 72. THE WAR OF NERVES: INSIDE THE COLD WAR MIND Martin Sixsmith £13.50 | 73. THE TICKET COLLECTOR OF BELARUS Mike Anderson & Neil Hanson £12.50 | 74. ROTTEN BOROUGHS AND REFORM Ben Wilson (£ see above) | 75. AUDIENCE RE-ENACTMENT OF THE 100 YEARS’ WAR History Hit (£ see above) |
| 12.00-1.00 | 76. THIS BOY & THE GIFT OF A RADIO: GROWING UP IN THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES Alan Johnson & Justin Webb £14 | 77. THE LAST EMPEROR OF MEXICO: A DISASTER IN THE NEW WORLD Edward Shawcross £13 | 78. THE WESTERN FRONT WAY Anthony Seldon & David Walsh (£ see above) | 79. UNMASKING OUR LEADERS: CONFESSIONS OF A POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY-MAKER Michael Cockerell (£ see above) |
| 2.00-3.00 | 80. THE AMERICAS: THE COLONIES, THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR & INDEPENDENCE, 1749-1783 David Reynolds £14 | 81. NATIONAL TREASURES: SAVING THE NATION’S ART IN WORLD WAR II Caroline Shenton £13 | 82. SAS: SEA KING DOWN Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal (£ see above) | 83. KINDRED: NEANDERTHAL LOVE, LIFE, DEATH, AND ART Rebecca Wragg Sykes (£ see above) |
| 3.45-4.45 | 84. WINSTON CHURCHILL IN THE POST-TRUTH ERA Piers Brendon £14 | 85. WATERLOO AND THE TREATY OF VIENNA Adam Zamoyski £13 | 86. THE ILLUSTRATED SECRET HISTORY OF THE MONA LISA Natasha Solomons (£ see above) | 87. THE SHIP ASUNDER: A MARITIME HISTORY OF BRITAIN IN ELEVEN VESSELS Tom Nancollas (£ see above) |
| 5.30-6.30 | 88. THE HONG KONG DIARIES Chris Patten £15.50 | 89. ART OF THE EXTREME 1905-1914 Philip Hook £14.50 | 90. THE BBC: A PEOPLE’S HISTORY David Hendy (£ see above) | 91. THE LION HOUSE: THE COMING OF A KING – SULEYMAN THE MAGNIFICENT Christopher de Bellaigue (£ see above) |
| 7.30-8.30 | 92. HISTRIONICS QUIZ SHOW Ian Hislop, Dan Snow, Charlie Higson £15.50 | 93. EUROPE’S 100 BEST CATHEDRALS Simon Jenkins £14.50 | 94. HENRY V: 600th ANNIVERSARY Rory Cox (£ see above) | 95. HISTORY HIT TV (£ see above) |
| 9.00-10.00 | 96. TALES OF A MEDIEVAL PILGRIM Clare Goodall (£ see above) |
Saturday 25th June
PREVIEW
| Time | HISCOX TENT | SMITH & WILLIAMSON TENT | IPGL OUTDOOR STAGE | HISTORY HIT OUTDOOR STAGE |
| Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Booked in advance: Adult £16 Child £10 Family £47.50. Prices higher on the day. | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Booked in advance: Adult £16 Child £10 Family £47.50. Prices higher on the day. | |
| 10.30-11.30 | 97. FREEZING ORDER: A TRUE STORY OF RUSSIAN MONEY-LAUNDERING, STATE-SPONSORED MURDER, AND SURVIVING VLADIMIR PUTIN’S WRATH Bill Browder £16.50 | 98. POWERS AND THRONES: A NEW HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE AGES Dan Jones £15 | 99. DAUGHTERS OF YALTA: THE CHURCHILLS, ROOSEVELTS AND HARRIMANS, A STORY OF LOVE AND WAR Catherine Grace Katz (£ see above) | 100. THE GREAT BRITISH DIG: HISTORY IN YOUR BACK GARDEN Chloë Duckworth with Dan Snow (£ see above) |
| 12.15-1.15 | 101. SPIKE MILLIGAN’S WAR AGAINST HITLER, THE BBC, AND EVERYONE ELSE Ian Hislop with Charlie Higson £16.50 | 102. NAPOLEON: A LIFE IN GARDENS AND SHADOWS Ruth Scurr £15 | 103. LOVE AND DECEPTION: PHILBY IN BEIRUT James Hanning (£ see above) | 104. THE SHADOW OF EMPIRE: BRITAIN, IMPERIALISM, AND HOW WE VIEW THE PAST Samir Puri & Zareer Masani Chair: Ali Ansari (£ see above) |
| 2.00-3.00 | 105. DOOM: DISASTER IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Niall Ferguson £16.50 | 106. TUNNEL 29: LOVE, ESPIONAGE AND BETRAYAL – THE TRUE STORY OF AN EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE BENEATH THE BERLIN WALL Helena Merriman £15 | 107. HOW JAMES BOND WON THE COLD WAR AND SAVED THE WEST Charlie Higson (£ see above) | 108. THE WARS OF THE ROSES: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW Rory Cox & Dan Jones (£ see above) |
| 3.45-4.45 | 109. RUSSIA: REVOLUTION AND CIVIL WAR 1917-1921 Antony Beevor £16.50 | 110. PERFECT PITCH: 100 PIECES OF CLASSICAL MUSIC TO BRING JOY, SOLACE, EMPATHY, INSPIRATION (& EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN) Tim Bouverie £15 | 111. THE WRATH TO COME: GONE WITH THE WIND AND THE LIES AMERICA TELLS Sarah Churchwell (£ see above) | 112. HISTORY HIT’S BIG FAMILY QUIZ History Hit (£ see above) |
| 5.30-6.30 | 113. MARY CHURCHILL’S WAR: THE WARTIME DIARIES OF CHURCHILL’S YOUNGEST DAUGHTER Emma Soames & Nicholas Soames £16.50 | 114. TRAVELS IN YUGOSLAVIA WITH REBECCA WEST: WHEN DREAMS COLLIDE Nicholas Allan with Edward Stourton £15 | 115. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION Emma Griffin (£ see above) | 116. BEYOND THE NORTHLANDS: VIKING VOYAGES AND THE OLD NORSE SAGAS Eleanor Barraclough with Dan Snow (£ see above) |
| 7.30-8.30 | 117. UKRAINE: REPORTING FROM THE FRONT LINE Matt Frei £16.50 | 118. THE FLAME OF RESISTANCE: AMERICAN BEAUTY. FRENCH HERO. BRITISH SPY. THE UNTOLD STORY OF JOSEPHINE BAKER’S SECRET WAR Damien Lewis £15 | 119. OVERPAID, OVERSEXED AND OVER THERE: HOW A FEW SKINNY BRITS WITH BAD TEETH ROCKED AMERICA David Hepworth & Mark Ellen (£ see above) | 120. FREEDOM SONG: WHEN GOSPEL CAME TO THE EMPIRE IN 1871 Vox Holloway Choir (£ see above) |
Sunday 26th June
PREVIEW
| Time | HISCOX TENT | SMITH & WILLIAMSON TENT | IPGL OUTDOOR STAGE | HISTORY HIT OUTDOOR STAGE |
| Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Ticket prices for each individual event below: | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Booked in advance: Adult £15 Child £9 Family £45. Prices higher on the day. | Included in daily Outdoor Programme ticket: Booked in advance: Adult £15 Child £9 Family £45. Prices higher on the day. | |
|
10.30-11.30 | 121. QUEEN OF OUR TIMES: THE LIFE OF ELIZABETH II Robert Hardman £15.50 | 122. THE SIEGE OF LOYALTY HOUSE: A CIVIL WAR STORY Jessie Childs £14 | 123. WOMEN AT WAR Lucy Fisher, Judith Mackrell, Kate Vigurs (£ see above) | 124. TOUCHING THE PAST: WHAT EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY CAN TEACH US ABOUT HISTORY Natasha Billson, Chloë Duckworth, Caroline Nicolay, Luke Winter (£ see above) |
| 12.15-1.15 | 125. THE ANARCHY: THE RELENTLESS RISE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY William Dalrymple £15.50 | 126. A UNIQUE DESTINY: THE LAST TSAR OF BULGARIA, PRIME MINISTER OF A REPUBLIC Simeon von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha £14 | 127. TWO TERRIBLE VIKINGS Francesca Simon (£ see above) | 128. THE VIEW FROM THE HILL: FOUR SEASONS IN A WALKER’S BRITAIN Christopher Somerville (£ see above) |
| 2.00-3.00 | 129. THE AMUR RIVER: BETWEEN RUSSIA AND CHINA Colin Thubron £15.50 | 130. WHITE DEBT: THE DEMERARA UPRISING AND BRITAIN’S LEGACY OF SLAVERY Thomas Harding £14 | 131. ARGENTINA WORLD CUP 1978: FOOTBALL’S DARKEST HOUR Jonathan Wilson with Tony Pastor (£ see above) | 132. AFGHANISTAN: FROM THE FIRST AFGHAN WAR TO THE PRESENT DAY William Dalrymple, Elisabeth Leake, Tom Tugendhat (£ see above) |
| 3.45-4.56 | 133. IN THE SHADOW OF THE GODS: THE EMPEROR IN WORLD HISTORY Dominic Lieven £15.50 | 134. GOING WITH THE BOYS: SIX EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN REPORTING FROM THE FRONT LINE Judith Mackrell £14 | 135. OTHERLANDS: A WORLD IN THE MAKING Thomas Halliday (£ see above) | 136. THE FACEMAKER: ONE SURGEON’S BATTLE TO MEND THE DISFIGURED SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR I Lindsey Fitzharris with Dan Snow (£ see above) |
| 5.30-6.30 | 137. ANTARCTICA: DISCOVERING THE ENDURANCE Dan Snow £15.50 |
Talks in Hiscox and Smith & Williamson Tents are individually priced.
Talks on the Outdoor Stages are included in the Outdoor Programme Ticket.
