11 unmissable Hay Festival Digital events to watch online

An all-star cast brings alive the Romantic poetry of William Wordsworth and the journals of his sister Dorothy as part of a year-long celebration of the Cumbrian poet’s birth in 1770.

“Let Nature be your teacher,” proclaimed William, whose most famous works include Tintern Abbey and Daffodils. The Prelude, which is now considered his masterpiece, was the first major autobiography in verse.

Join Simon Armitage, Margaret Atwood, Benedict Cumberbatch, Monty Don, Stephen Fry, Tom Hollander, Toby Jones, Helen McCrory, Jonathan Pryce and Vanessa Redgrave to celebrate these famous literary siblings. Shahidha Bari hosts.

Friday 22 May 2020, 6.30pm – 7.25pm BST

Image: Benedict Cumberbatch, William Wordsworth by William Boxall (1800–1879) National Portrait Gallery / Art UK (CC BY-NC-ND), Margaret Atwood

Who better to retell the Greek myths than actor, author, raconteur and Hay stalwart Stephen Fry?

Although he has already toured Mythos - his trilogy of books which divides into Gods, Heroes and Men - the third volume, on Troy, is only now about to appear.

Expect the abduction of Helen, heroes such as Achilles, Menelaus and Odysseus racing to the rescue, and some expert storytelling.

Friday 22 May 2020, 9pm – 9.35pm BST

The full title of Greg Jenner's session and book is Dead Famous: An Unexpected History Of Celebrity From Bronze Age To Silver Screen.

You're Dead To Me! is the title of historian Jenner’s phenomenally popular comedy podcast for BBC Radio 4 (“for people who don’t like history… and those who do”).

The podcast is indicative of Jenner's ability to marry historical accuracy with shameless entertainment. In his latest book, Dead Famous, with the help of murderers, actors, fraudsters, singers and sportspeople, Jenner sets out to prove that celebrity and our obsession with it is no modern invention.

Saturday 23 May 2020, 11.30am – 12.15pm BST

A real-life Lord of the Flies story.

Following his recent Guardian article on “The real Lord of the Flies”, Dutch historian Rutger Bregman found himself bombarded with approaches from producers seeking film rights. While William Goldman’s novel focuses on the selfish, cynical side of humanity, Bregman’s real-life Tongan schoolboys story offers just one of his examples of more optimistic outcomes for humankind. Hosted by activist, model and actor Lily Cole.

Saturday 23 May 2020, 2.30pm - 3.10pm BST

Elif Shafak's talk is titled, Imagine the world in the time of the Coronavirus 1: Social Justice and dignity.

Hay Festival has commissioned a series of short talks to engage with the idea of renewal, and this one by Turkish author Elif Shafak is the first. The best-selling writer and activist has been asked to reflect on issues such as “social justice, dignity, human rights, equality, public benefit, diversity…. and a new kind of political action.”

Shafak, who was once put on trial for “insulting Turkishness”, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2019 for her most recent novel, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.

23 May 2020, 8.30pm – 8.45pm BST

What is the future of journalism in our newly wrangled world?

As a writer and documentary maker, and a former barrister, Hirsch is well-placed - and unafraid - to ask awkward and urgent questions. Her closely-argued answers to questions about journalism's future will be instructive. Hirsch is currently Wallis Annenberg Chair in Journalism and Communication at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The session is chaired by Rosie Boycott.

Sunday 24 May 2020, 4pm – 4.40pm BST

A second literary outing for the uncompromising singer-songwriter.

Singer-songwriter Amos’s second book, Resistance, allows her an opportunity to deploy her songs to prompt stories on the themes contained in its title. Lyrically, in a career spanning 40 years, she has been unafraid to tackle subjects such as sex, religion and the broadly political.

Here, Tori reflects on her songs from the perspective of the present. Dylan Jones hosts.

Monday 25 May 2020, 9pm – 9.45pm BST

Curator and “poetry powerhouse” Allie Esiri discusses all things Bardic with actors Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West.

Both Bonham Carter and West have significant Shakespeare film and theatre credits, and they worked together as a fetching Taylor and Burton in film for BBC Four. Expect badinage, intriguing insights and, of course, readings of “scenes, soliloquies and sonnets”.

Saturday 30 May 2020, 5.30pm – 6.20pm BST

The idea that women have a voice and it shall be heard is central to this powerful conversation.

The Eight Women of the session title is a combination of Rubenhold’s The Five: The Untold Lives Of The Women Killed By Jack The Ripper and Taddeo’s Three Women, with whom the author spent eight years documenting their lives and desires. Both titles are best-selling non-fiction accounts.

Sunday 31 May 2020, 2.30pm – 3.20pm BST

Sandra Birgitte Toksvig, OBE, has been called many things but the term which seems to have stuck is ‘national treasure’.

So, with her customary excellent timing, her memoir arrives. In it, the Copenhagen-born comedian, actor, and host of QI and The Great British Bake Off, views her life from the top of the number 12 bus. She is in conversation with Lennie Goodings.

Sunday 31 May 2020, 5.30pm - 6.30pm BST