Hay Festival announces return of expert panel series The News Review for 2025
Spread over 11 days, the festival will feature an overflowing itinerary of over 600 events in Hay-on-Wye between 22 May and 1 June 2025. The star-studded lineup includes Yulia Navalnaya, Michael Sheen, Jameela Jamil and many more.
The Independent will host nine sessions of The News Review each morning, with the publication's journalists exploring current affairs with leading figures from politics, science, the arts and comedy.
Joining The Independent to dissect the breaking news of the day will be historians David Olusoga and Kehinde Andrews, comedian Sara Pascoe, broadcasters Jon Sopel and Anushka Asthan and world-renowned philosopher AC Grayling.
Journalists Lyse Doucet and Misha Glenny will address the shifting nuances of geopolitics while the subject of climate science will be discussed by academic Friederike Otto.
Hay Festival president Stephen Fry highlighted the festival's important role in this year's tumultuous social and political climate, stating: 'Besides the fun and joy of gathering to share stories, it is also the antidote to disinformation and division.'
Geordie Greig, Editor-In-Chief of The Independent, said: 'Hay Festival remains the world's greatest exchange for the best works of literature and a forum for ideas, philosophy, politics and provocative debate. I am so pleased that The Independent can once again be at the heart of this meeting of minds, bringing together our journalists with luminaries from all walks of life to discuss the pressing matters affecting us all.
' The Independent has more than 20 million readers in the UK alone, many of whom are passionate about culture in all its forms. I'm looking forward to a fascinating, thought-provoking series, discussing and shaping the news of the day.'
Meanwhile, Julie Finch, Hay Festival Global CEO, added: 'We're delighted to be working with The Independent on the News Review series, gathering festival guests each morning to discuss and debate the day's headlines. With the news agenda changing so quickly, this opens up a space in our programme to be reactive and keep pace with the world around us.'
The full breakdown of this year's News Review line-up can be found below:
Saturday 24 May 2025, 10am –Wye Stage
Mike Berners-Lee, sustainability researcher and professor in the Institute for Social Futures at Lancaster University, author of There is No Planet B; Misha Glenny, geopolitics journalist, author of McMafia.
Sunday 25 May 2025, 10am – Global Stage
Friederike Otto, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, Imperial College London.
Monday 26 May 2025, 10am – Meadow Stage
David Olusoga, historian and author of Black and British, presenter of Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners; Helen Rebanks, farmer and author of The Farmer's Wife.
Tuesday 27 May 2025, 10am – Discovery Stage
TBA
Wednesday 28 May 2025, 10am – Global Stage
Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Paralympic athlete and presenter; Sara Pascoe, award-winning comedian, host of BBC2's Great British Sewing Bee, author of Sex Power Money.
Thursday 29 May 2025, 10am – Meadow Stage
Kehinde Andrews, Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, author of The New Age of Empire; Havana Marking, award-winning director of Undercover: Exposing the Far Right.
Friday 30 May 2025, 10am – Discovery Stage
AC Grayling, philosopher, founder and principal of the New College of the Humanities at Northeastern University, London; Jon Sopel, former BBC North America editor, host of The News Agents, author of Strangeland.
Saturday 31 May 2025, 10am – Discovery Stage
Anushka Asthana, ITV's deputy political editor, author of Taken As Red: How Labour Won Big and the Tories Crashed the Party; Lyse Doucet, the BBC's Chief International Correspondent and Senior Presenter.
Sunday 1 June 2025, 10am – Wye Stage
Sigrid Rausing, publisher of Granta magazine and Granta Books; Philippe Sands KC, Professor of Law at University College London and author of East West Street.
Special guests at Hay this year include Good Omens star Michael Sheen, The Good Place actor Jameela Jamil, artist Grayson Perry, comedian Miranda Hart, musician and author Paloma Faith, ITV presenter Lorraine Kelly and activist Katie Piper. They will be joined by British screenwriter and producer Jesse Armstrong, one of the minds behind Succession, Peep Show and Four Lions.
As well as its usual literary offerings, the Festival will launch its first cinema section with the MUBI cinema hosting screenings of Bergman Island; How to Have Sex; Fallen Leaves; Queer; First Cow; Alcarràs; Dahomey; Decision to Leave; Aftersun; Priscilla; Perfect Days; Petite Maman; and The Worst Person in the World.
They will be followed by discussion and analysis by screenwriters including Hot Milk' s Rebecca Lenkiewicz, The Power 's Sarah Quintrell, and His Dark Materials producer Jane Tranter. Conclave novelist Robert Harris will also discuss the Oscar-nominated adaptation of his work.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
Iconic singer, 81, looking at 'all legal remedies' after son's elder abuse claim
Gladys Knight is considering legal options after her son, Shanga Hankerson, branded her tour schedule 'detrimental' to her health. The 81-year-old legend is set to resume her Queens Tour in the US next month and has insisted she is 'healthy and happy' despite her son's claims. Hankerson, 49, alleged that Knight's husband William McDowell — who is 33 years her junior — was mentally and financially abusing her. He told The Shade Room: 'I don't want my mom out on tour on a tour bus wondering where she's at.' After this, Hankerson claimed he had filed a complaint with North Carolina's Department of Human Services and that an investigation is underway. Knight hit back at this and reassured worried fans that her health and the tour had been 'misrepresented'. 'I want my fans and those concerned to rest assured I am doing very well for someone who has been on stage for three quarters of a century, hard to believe, right?' she told The Independent. 'I'm healthy and happy and visiting friends and family these last few months. I'm excited to get back on the road with my sisters and on stage with The Queens Tour. See you soon.' She told People she had been enjoying her time touring and was 'excited' to get back on the road for the autumn dates. However, Hankerson claimed that her memory is becoming a problem and that this touring is 'detrimental' to his mother. 'I did my best to give [McDowell] the space to play the role of husband and do what was in my mom's best interest, and he has not done that,' he alleged. 'Why is she working? Why is she in this situation where she's being made to believe that she has to work like this? That's really my issue with it.' The disagreement could escalate into a lawsuit as Knight's publicist said the James Bond singer was looking into 'any and all legal remedies' for his 'defamatory comments'. They also alleged that he 'has had no substantial contact with her'. Hankerson retorted that he is 'absolutely' ready to take this to court to make sure he can 'really take care' of his mother. 'This has nothing to do with money for me,' he insisted. 'I'm trying to get her to stop working.' Knight and McDowell married in 2001 after three months of dating but had known each other for around a decade. After releasing some tracks together, the couple regularly appear on red carpets together, including when she was awarded at the Kennedy Centre Honours, AMAs, Billboard Music Awards and BET Awards. More Trending Knight previously stated to Closer that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren 'love [McDowell] to death'. She is mum to three children, having welcomed Jimmy and Kenya in the early 60s with first husband James Newman, who she split with in 1973. Then she married Barry Hankerson, who is Shanga's father, the following year, but they broke up in 1979. Knight, known for hits like I Heard It Through the Grapevine and Midnight Train to Georgia, is touring throughout this year with Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle and Stephanie Mills. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Mark Hamill reveals he planned to leave the US when Donald Trump was re-elected
Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Star Wars actor Mark Hamill has revealed he planned to leave the United States when Donald Trump was re-elected as president in 2024. The 73-year-old, known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the iconic sci-fi franchise, gave his wife Marilou Tork – whom he married in 1978 – the choice between relocating to 'London or Ireland'. Hamill's wife, who worked as a dental hygienist and met Hamill while cleaning his teeth, ingeniously convinced her husband not to move countries by suggesting Trump was pushing them out of the US. 'She's very clever. She didn't respond right away but a week later she said, 'I'm surprised you would allow him to force you out of your own country,'' Hamill, a lifelong Democrat, told The Times. ''That son of a b****', I thought. I'm not leaving.' When asked about the political landscape in the United States, Hamill expressed exasperation over 'the bullying, the incompetence, the people in place' in the Trump administration. The actor added that the only way he could 'deal' with the his country's politics without becoming suicidal was to look at the situation 'like a thick, sprawling political novel' instead of reality. open image in gallery Actor Mark Hamill has revealed he planned to leave the United States after Donald Trump was re-elected in 2024 ( Getty ) Despite his horror, Hamill added that he 'still believes' there are 'more honest, decent people' in the country than there are those in a Maga crowd. 'If I didn't, I'd move back to England,' he said. Elsewhere in the interview, Hamill revealed his dislike of US gun culture is such that he almost didn't accept his role in a forthcoming adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel The Long Walk. Hamill will play The Major, a man who runs an annual walking contest in a dystopian version of America that sees 100 young men walk continuously at a pace of four miles an hour – or they'll be shot to death. 'Francis Lawrence, the director, understood what was troubling me,' he said of his initial reluctance to take on the role. open image in gallery Hamill as The Major in 'The Long Walk' ( Lionsgate/YouTube ) 'American society is gun violence and it's hard to get past that, but as I spoke to him I realised this is just the guy. He said he would have been surprised if I wasn't troubled by it.' The actor went on to compare the film to recent ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] arrests in the country, saying agents wearing masks, with no identification, had been 'pulling people out of their cars'. 'They were just brutalising people, kneeling on their necks,' he said. 'When I made the movie I wasn't thinking in terms of it being timely but it's proven to be just that.' Hamill led the three original Star Wars movies – Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983) – as Luke Skywalker alongside Carrie Fisher as Princess Leira and Harrison Ford as Han Solo. He reprised the role in all three films of the sequel trilogy: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), as well as in numerous TV spin offs, including The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian.
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Moses Itauma: ‘A lot of people are too enslaved to their emotions'
It's interesting. Moses Itauma, over the course of a 40-minute conversation, does not seem as cold as he once did. Yet the 20-year-old still touts a detached mindset as important for success – and peace. 'What makes me happy?' he asks. 'I don't really know, I don't chase happiness. I feel like a lot of people are too enslaved to their emotions, and that's where problems come. I'm disciplined to what I've got to do.' Itauma, perhaps the most exciting heavyweight prospect in years, might have worked on coming across slightly more gently. Indeed, he told The Independent earlier this year: 'I watch my interviews and think... 'I shouldn't have said that. Ah, I should be smiling.' When I first turned professional, I wanted to be unapproachable. But I [started] thinking: 'I look like a proper pr***.'' The unbeaten Londoner, whose roots trace back to Slovakia and Nigeria, touches on this theme again today, in a conversation with The Independent and other publications. 'I feel like everybody has to go through a period of like... a bit of an identity crisis, and actually discover themselves,' he says. Itauma has not only been discovering who he is outside the ring; he has been discovering whether his entire identity is tied to that ring. 'I was a very angry kid,' he admits. 'If you put an angry kid – and a big boy – in boxing, he's bound to do some damage... or receive some.' Thus far, it has been all the former, none of the latter, with Itauma going 12-0 with 10 knockouts. Perhaps the biggest statement so far was the southpaw's December evisceration of Demsey McKean – a sturdy, proven opponent. At least, the Australian had seemed sturdy, before suffering two sickening knockdowns in two minutes against Itauma. Yet Itauma has struggled to enjoy his success. While there was a window in which he might have broken Mike Tyson's record as the youngest-ever world heavyweight champion (a window that has now closed), Itauma revealed not long ago that he had fallen out of love with boxing. He now puts it down to frustration at being 'unable to surpass a barrier'. But he crossed that barrier with a coaching switch, joining Ben Davison, who will be in Itauma's corner for Saturday's major step-up in competition: a clash with British veteran Dillian Whyte in Riyadh. When Itauma first walked into Davison's gym, the trainer was already watching the heavyweight's fights on several screens, and was quick to point out habits to Itauma and discuss the means of reprogramming them. 'I don't want to disrespect any other coaches I tried or that I've worked with,' Itauma says. 'Obviously I love and respect them, but Ben taught me a different side to boxing. When I joined the gym, I was getting really frustrated in the first couple spars. He taught me there's actually a whole chess game.' This weekend's main event may not resemble chess, though, to the naked eye. Whyte is a fan favourite for a reason: he is a brawler, and that could lead to an explosive, swift showdown on Saturday. Itauma is the favourite, which says a lot about the expectations on him, but he is trying to stay grounded. 'The first fight I watched where I knew both opponents was Whyte vs Anthony Joshua,' Itauma says. 'I was like 10, and now I'm boxing Dillian, so I'm living the dream. I'm not saying: 'Okay, cool, I got the fight, I'm happy.' I've got an opportunity to showcase my skills, and I won't be happy with anything but a knockout.' Whyte is actually the first opponent that Itauma already follows on Instagram, a unique testament to his respect for the 37-year-old. 'I was thinking about unfollowing him, but I was like: 'This is childish.' I ain't got a problem with him, but it's kinda weird seeing his stuff [and thinking]: 'I'm about to punch your head in.' 'Even yesterday, me against Dillian was keeping me up at night. You know you have that time before you fall asleep, that period of emptiness? The first thought that comes to mind is the most important thing in my life right now: winning this fight. I'm still a kid, I ain't got no responsibilities. The thing that comes to mind is: 'How are we gonna beat him? If he does this, I'm gonna do this, so I can exploit that.' 'That might be a problem with a lot of people; they get too anxious in fights because they're too focused on the outcome. I'm not fussed about that, I'm fussed about my gameplan. When I box to my gameplan, I know I can beat Whyte. It's not keeping me up because I'm afraid, I'm just playing scenarios in my head.' 'When you're picturing Dilian before you go to sleep...' one journalist jumps in, suppressing a grin. 'Ah, come on, man,' Itauma laughs. 'Don't say it like that.' But he adds: 'I think of a scary, mean-looking guy who's ready to take my head off, because I feel like that's what he's gonna [try to] do.' Itauma does not seem to be picturing a fight with Oleksandr Usyk, this generation's greatest heavyweight and the reigning, undisputed champion. Still, he patiently answers repeated questions about the Ukrainian, 38, from various corners. 'Of course, I take my hat off to him, probably the best heavyweight for a long time, but I wouldn't say I admire Usyk,' Itauma says, explaining: 'The only reason is that I don't really like to admire any boxer. Once you put them on a pedestal, you might get a bit starstruck, and it won't lead to positions like Moses Itauma boxing Dillian Whyte at 20 years old. Imagine I see Whyte as the same guy I watched on TV when I was 10, and I'm like: 'Woah, now we're in the ring.' I don't really have time for that.' Yet, when pressed, he says: 'I don't think I'd lose anything from fighting Usyk. If I win, 'wahey'; if I lose, I don't think there's any wrongdoings from that. But I don't ever think I'm going to go into a fight and lose.' In any case, he's trying to dial down the noise. 'I've been tagged, mentioned, everything [to do with Usyk]; I just ignore it, bro. I just turn my Instagram off. I don't want to make the mistake of focusing on Usyk when I've got a serious operator in Whyte.' Saturday could provide a serious test – or more evidence that Itauma is something truly special.
