Irvine Welsh among literature festival's stars

The writer Irvine Welsh, actor Hugh Bonneville, comedian Michael Palin and former politician Nick Clegg have been confirmed as household names who will appear at this year's Ilkley Literature Festival.

The annual event takes place over 17 days starting on 3 October and will cover themes ranging from the dangers of big tech to cooking and the Post Office scandal.

Other names who will be discussing their latest work include Wild Swans author Jung Chang, poet laureate Simon Armitage and "festival favourite" Gyles Brandreth.

Festival director Erica Morris told the BBC: "Bradford has an incredibly rich history of literary excellence and we are highlighting not only the people who come here from other parts of the UK and the world but the the homegrown talent - which is immense."

Comedian Alan Davies will be sharing his journey in the world of comedy with his latest memoir White Male Stand-Up, while Queen of Shops retail expert Mary Portas will take guests "behind the shop window" with I Shop, Therefore I Am.

Paddington and Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville will be introducing his first children's book, Rory Sparkes and the Elephant in the Room, while Brandreth will discuss his book Somewhere, A Boy and A Bear, which marks the centenary of the publication of Winnie the Pooh.

For The Dark Side of the Internet theme, journalist James Bloodworth shares his experiences investigating the toxic subcultures of the "manosphere" and Dr Kaitlyn Regehr will explain why screen addiction is on the rise and how we can quit our phones.

Ilkley Literature Festival has been going since 1973 and the very first one was opened by the legendary poet W.H. Auden - author of Funeral Blues.

Ms Morris said: "From the very earliest days, Ilkley was called - rather condescendingly - an 'outpost of progress' because it brought incredible writers and thinkers and artists to a relatively small Yorkshire town, back when the only other literature festival in the country was Cheltenham.

"It was very innovative right from the get-go and incredibly expansive in the subjects that it raised and the kind of writers that it included."

Other well-known faces include Sir Tony Robinson introducing his fiction debut and broadcasters Edward Stourton, Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie.

Irvine Welsh will be discussing the sequel to his bestseller Trainspotting.

Men in Love picks up the story Renton, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie in a new era as they head into rave and romance in the late 1990s.

Other "big ideas" up for discussion include how to save the planet in a climate crisis, explorations in philosophy and the science of politeness.

When asked who she is particularly excited to see, Ms Morris replied: "Nick Clegg."

She added: "I think Nick will be a really interesting person to to hear from and I think he's probably going to get some really interesting questions from our audience as well."

Tickets go on general sale on Tuesday 26 August, with priority bookings open for Friends of the Festival from Wednesday 20 August.

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