As tickets go on sale today for the return of Whitby Lit Fest, the event has announced it has added the acclaimed actor, Hugh Bonneville, to its line-up.
Having played the role of Lord Grantham in Downton Abbey and Mr Brown in Paddington, Hugh Bonneville joins the festival as a headline guest thanks to his other role as a bestselling children’s author.
Bonneville will take to the stage on the Saturday of Whitby Lit Fest – which runs from Thursday November 19 to Sunday November 22 at venues across Whitby – for a special family event.
Packed with storytelling, spies, secret codes and some extremely suspicious cups of tea, he will introduce his latest book, Rory Sparkes and the Spy Who Loved Tea.
His latest adventure follows unlikely young hero Rory Sparkes, who discovers a series of secret coded messages hidden inside a neighbour’s recipe book and becomes convinced a mysterious family is involved in a covert conspiracy.
Things become stranger still when Rory’s mum, teachers and seemingly every adult around him develop an obsession with a particularly unpleasant new brand of tea. Could Rory finally have uncovered a genuine spy plot?
The book is aimed at readers aged seven to 11 and Bonneville will talk about creating Rory’s world, bring the story to life and take questions from young audience members and their families.
His addition provides another major name in an already packed Whitby Lit Fest programme spanning crime, fiction, history, poetry, politics, food, film, children’s literature and the stories of the Yorkshire coast.
Among this year’s headline guests are John Boyne, author of the international phenomenon The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas with his new novel, The Weight of Angels; Number One Sunday Times bestseller Ann Cleeves, marking 40 years in print and the publication of her 40th novel; Chocolat author Joanne Harris; Hairy Biker Si King; bestselling crime writers Elly Griffiths and Mark Billingham, and internationally acclaimed actor Greta Scacchi.
The festival will also welcome Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae for a special family event celebrating her picture book Put Your Records On, inspired by her much-loved hit song.
Other guests across the four days include Peter Oborne, Channel 4’s Chief Correspondent Alex Thomson, Louise Minchin, Lucinda Hawksley, Sally Coulthard, Jess Kidd, Laura Purcell, Andrew Lownie, Alistair Moffat, Sian Williams, Nicky Hambleton-Jones, Zaffar Kunial and many more.
Lois Kirtlan, chair of Whitby Lit Fest, said: “We were already incredibly proud of the programme we had assembled for Whitby this November, so to be able to announce Hugh Bonneville as a surprise addition just as tickets go on sale is fantastic.
“Hugh is loved by audiences of all ages, from Downton Abbey to Paddington, and we think families are going to have enormous fun discovering another side to him as the creator of Rory Sparkes.
“The whole programme reflects what we want Whitby Lit Fest to be – big-name writers alongside exciting new voices, events inspired by Whitby and the Yorkshire coast, and everything from crime and history to politics, poetry, food, film and children’s books.
“We would encourage people to take a look at the full programme and book early, particularly for some of our headline events and smaller-capacity venues.”
Events will take place at venues across the town, including Whitby Pavilion, Eighteen91, Flowergate Hall, Whitby Museum, Whitby Library, the Coliseum and the Jet Black Jewel.
Whitby Lit Fest opens on Thursday 19 November, with bestselling author Jess Kidd launching proceedings with a suitably seaside-themed mystery, before four days of conversations, performances, workshops, family events and literary encounters.
Hugh Bonneville is at Whitby Pavilion (Northern Lights Suite) on Saturday November 21, 1pm. Tickets £11 (adults) and £5 (children).
For the full programme and booking information, visit the Whitby Lit Fest website
