Poets, politicians and TV personalities announced for Bradford Literature Festival
LEGENDARY poet John Cooper Clarke, BBC broadcaster Mishal Hussain and food critic Grace Dent are among the acts announced for this year's Bradford Literature Festival.
Politician Jeremy Corbyn, Gavin and Stacey Legend Larry Lamb, Islamic scholar Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and TV presenter Katie Piper will also be in the city for events during the ten day literary event which runs from June 27 to July 6.
The event will take place at venues throughout Bradford city centre, and this year's festival will be the first since swathes of the centre were transformed by new pedestrian areas and green space.
This year's programme builds on record-breaking momentum from 2024, when over 155,000 attendees from 24 countries took part in 699 events, a 34 per cent rise in attendance from the previous year.
This year's festival will be particularly special – falling right in the middle of Bradford's year as City of Culture.
Headliners for 2025 include:
• John Cooper Clarke, the legendary punk poet, who will reflect on his extraordinary life before delivering a blistering live reading of his most iconic work.
• Grace Dent, in conversation with Nisha Katona, launching the Big Tasty Read, a national celebration of food, literature and community.
• Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, one of the world's leading Islamic scholars, appearing in a landmark event exploring compassion and sacred history.
• Katie Piper, who shares her empowering new book on ageing, resilience, and redefining life's milestones.
• Mishal Husain, BBC broadcaster and journalist, who will discuss her powerful new memoir Broken Threads, tracing her family's journey through empire, independence, and identity across India, Pakistan, and Britain.
Other guests during the festival include broadcaster Steph McGovern, journalist and activist Ash Sarkar, politician Jeremy Corbyn, actor Larry Lamb, comedian Jessica Fostekew, poet, academic and musician Anthony Joseph, and comedian, actor and writer, Robin Ince.
The crowd at Bradford Literature Festival (Image: Bradford Literature Festival)
Issues being discussed at the festival include Gaza 2040: Imagining the Future, Freedom of Expression: Who Gets to Speak?, Islamophobia Now, and The Great Unravelling: Democracy & Development in the Age of Populism.
Key themes include Art and Architecture, Faith, Mysticism and Philosophy, Poetry, Neurodiversity,
History, Nature and Citizenship as well as programming around 250 Years of Jane Austen.
Doha Debates returns to BLF for a second year with a town hall discussion on the future of national identity and the nation state, with Wael Hallaq, Shashi Tharoor, David Engels and moderated by Malika Bilal.
Beyond the talks and panels there will be numerous events open to the public, from exhibitions and comedy nights to heritage walking tours and live performances and film screenings.
These include four free family fun days in City Park, superhero storytelling and manga drawing workshops, behind-the-scenes TV writing masterclasses and a screening of David Attenborough's Ocean with a talk from co-creator Colin Butfield.
This year's festival will also feature a selection of book launches, including Liz Mistry's Deadly Reckoning, the latest instalment in the Solanki and McQueen crime series, and Pauline Brown's Diego's Team, a tale of kindness, courage and alpacas.
Founder and Artistic Director Syima Aslam said: 'Bradford Literature Festival was founded on the belief that culture is not a luxury—it's a necessity.
'At a moment rich with possibility for reimagining how we live, learn, and listen to one another, we remain committed to offering space for reflection, dialogue, and creativity.
'This year's programme is our most ambitious yet: a bold, joyful, and deeply thoughtful celebration of ideas, imagination, and identity.
'BLF continues to be shaped by the communities we serve—international in scope, proudly rooted in Bradford, and grounded in the principle that everyone deserves access to culture, no matter who
they are or where they come from. This year, we are also especially proud to celebrate Bradford's designation as the UK City of Culture 2025—an accolade that reflects the vibrant cultural landscape and creative energy the festival has helped to nurture and shape over the years.'
Over the past 11 years, BLF has hosted 3,484 events, welcomed 3,544 artists, and reached nearly 710,000 people.
For more information on this year's event and to book tickets, visit www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk.
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