Literary Festival celebrates 20th year with most successful year

The Henley Literary Festival has hailed its 20th anniversary as its most successful yet.

Although final figures are still being confirmed, the festival went into this year’s 20th anniversary event ahead of last year’s sales and organisers believe it will prove to be a record-breaking year.

“Our 20th year was the best yet. Venues felt so full, and there felt a real energy around the festival. It was just so brilliant and we are so thankful to everyone for coming out to support in their masses,” said Harriet Reed-Ryan.

Nigella Lawson opened the festival with her first event in two years, setting the tone for a programme that brought together some of the biggest names in literature, alongside emerging writers and a wide range of speakers.

Friday 9 October was the most popular day in the festival’s history, with 3,675 ticket holders attending events in Henley. This was more people in a single day than attended the entire first festival.

A further 1,000-plus people watched online, with events available free of charge to schools, care homes and through the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), extending the festival’s reach beyond Henley.

The festival also recorded 15 sell-out events at the Fane Stage marquee at Phyllis Court, the largest festival venue, with 500 seats.

The programme featured an impressive nine Dames, the highest number in the festival’s history, while the age range of speakers spanned generations. The youngest speaker this year was 25-year-old Adam Hart, 80 years younger than Colin Bell.

One of the most poignant moments came following the death of Jeffrey Archer, who died the day before he was due to appear on stage. Jeremy Vine and Cesca Major went ahead with their planned event in his honour, and his books sold out.

Three special events also raised more than £8,000 for charity, supporting the Ovarian Care Fund, the Bookmark Reading Charity and the restoration of Dunwich Heath following wildfires.

Another memorable moment saw Elif Shafak meet debut author Abigail Avis before they both headed to their sold-out events.

The festival also made use of Henley’s riverside setting, with several authors travelling by boat from the green room at Phyllis Court to events at The Relais Henley, thanks to Luxe Boating.

The 20th anniversary festival brought a packed programme of events, sold-out audiences and a lively atmosphere to the town, underlining its place as a major event in Henley’s cultural calendar.

Celia Imrie takes Henley audience on a hilarious journey

Actress Celia Imrie entertained the audience with tales from a life spent travelling the world, sharing amusing mishaps, memorable journeys and extracts from her new book, The Elegant Hustler: Adventures From a Life on the Move.

Joined by her frequent travel companion and writing partner, Fidelis Morgan, Celia offered a light-hearted look at her lifelong passion for slow travel, ocean voyages and iconic railways around the world.

Thanking the audience for coming, she quipped: “Why aren’t you at home watching the Traitors?”

Celia began by reflecting on her early acting career and the break that helped launch it. In 1975, Glenda Jackson offered her a part with the Royal Shakespeare Company, which proved to be a turning point.

Her subsequent career has taken her across film, television and theatre, including five seasons of the American comedy-drama Better Things. She recounted how difficulties obtaining an American visa led her to travel to Canada for an audition for Legends of Tomorrow, a science-fiction programme with a distinctly Canadian take on the Doctor Who formula.

However, it was her travel adventures that provided many of the evening’s funniest stories.

There was the time she organised a party on the London Underground’s Circle Line, travelling around five times. “Not the best idea – but when the MP’s got on at Westminster they thought it was great!”

Boat trips also featured prominently. On one occasion, Celia and Fidelis impersonated German tourists to get onto an early dinner sitting, only to find themselves having to sit in silence because they could not speak German.

She was less impressed by the Seacat ferry, suggesting it should be renamed the “sick cat”.

Celia loved her voyages on the Queen Mary 2, particularly the quizzes and she showed off some amusing answers from another team.

Rail travel across America on Amtrak provided further material, as did a particularly memorable encounter with the police. After trying to find their hotel, only to discover it had closed down and moved, the pair were picked up by police officers who gave them a lift. “We got a free taxi in a police car with the sirens going,” Celia recalled.

The audience was also treated to photographs of unusual food encountered abroad, along with mistranslated signs and menus that had caught their attention along the way. Celia shared stories of being mistaken for various people during her travels, adding to the sense that adventure was never far away.

The evening offered a different format from the usual literary festival talk with an interviewer and the absence of an opportunity for the audience to ask their own burning questions was a bit of a shame.

Nevertheless, Celia’s warmth and comic timing ensured there were plenty of laughs as she and Fidelis brought their extraordinary journeys to life.

Photo credit: Scarlet Page