London Book & Screen Week 2020

About

The sixth London Book & Screen Week (9- 15 March 2020) will celebrate 40 years of the iconic Yes Minister, the incredible career of Lynda La Plante, and national favourite Doctor Who, explore coming of age classics, poetry beyond the page, and serve up delicious meat free meals with ‘One Pound Chef ’ Miguel Barclay.

Produced by The London Book Fair, London Book & Screen Week is the capital’s biggest celebration of books and the films, TV programmes and virtual worlds they inspire, bringing together readers, writers, game, film and TV fans for events across the creative capital of the world.

Heading up the 2020 programme as festival Ambassador, queen of crime drama Lynda La Plante will discuss her illustrious career across page, stage and screen. From early performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, in The Sweeney and Bergerac, to writing scripts for BAFTA-winning shows including Prime Suspect and Widows, recently adapted for a second time by Steve McQueen. Lynda has also achieved international success as author of over 30 novels and, in this special event, will offer a preview of her forthcoming book Buried (Zaffre, April 2020), the first in an exciting new series.

From the dramas of state to the angst of adolescence, the festival welcomes Joe Dunthorne and Lisa Owens to discuss the horror and the brilliance, the humour and the heartache of coming-of-age tales. Joe’s hugely successful debut Submarine was adapted for screen by Richard Ayoade and Lisa is the scriptwriter behind the much-anticipated 2019 release Days of the Bagnold Summer, adapted from Joff Winterhart’s graphic novel and directed by The Inbetweeners’ Simon Bird.

Led by poet, podcaster and booktuber Leena Normington, they will discuss the rich territory of coming of age stories, their experience of adaptation and recent novels The Adulterants and Not Working which explore the challenges of navigating your 20s and 30s.

Proving that poetry has life beyond the page, London Book & Screen Week will be joined by poet and performer Scarlett Sabet in conversation with legendary musician Jimmy Page. Hailed by Hunger Magazine as “one of the brightest new stars on the international poetry scene”, Scarlett has built a reputation for her beautiful prose and emotive readings. Inspired by the Beat poets, Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath, her work explores themes of women and friendship, loss and childhood, and the politics of isolation and despair. Alongside a reading by Scarlett, the two will discuss their latest project, Catalyst, a radical sonic re-interpretation of selected pieces of Scarlett ’s work, released digitally and on special edition vinyl last year.

Joining the festival from New York, Jonathan Lynn, co-creator of the phenomenally successful Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, will be in London to discuss the hit political satire 40 years after it first aired. The multi award-winning writer, director and producer, whose latest book Samaritans takes a satirical look at the American healthcare system, will be in conversation with author, broadcaster, political pundit and award-winning comedian Ayesha Hazarika. The two will discuss the modern political landscape, parallels between the UK and US, and the tour de force of political satire that still remains relevant today.

Fifteen years after it returned to our screens, journalist, broadcaster and lifelong fan Samira Ahmed will lead a conversation about one of the nation’s favourite TV shows, Doctor Who. The series not only draws in leading novelists to support scriptwriting but has inspired a wealth of print and audio adventures. Joining her will be actress and author Sophie Aldred, best known as companion of the seventh Doctor Who, Ace, writer Vinay Patel, who wrote the episode Demons of the Punjab, widely regarded as one of the highlights of series 11, and Simon Guerrier, who has written Doctor Who stories for BBC Books, Big Finish Productions, Doctor Who Magazine and the Doctor Who Figurine Collection. They will discuss what they’ve loved about the relaunched series, explore the secret to the show’s success across formats, and see what lies in store for the lucky number 13.

Rounding off the week, there will be a special brunch with bestselling author Miguel Barclay who shot to fame as ‘The One Pound Chef’. His goal is simple: to encourage people to cook simple and tasty meals at home for £1 per person. Miguel will discuss Meat-Free One Pound Meals and demonstrate recipes from his new book. Whether you’re veggie, adopting Meat-Free Monday, or just fancy trying something new, he will be serving up inspiration for nutritious vegetarian food without the expense.

Tickets to all events: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/london-book-amp-screen-week-9846697750

All events at the Groucho Club, Soho, EXCEPT Miguel Barclay on Saturday March 14th, which takes place at the Good Housekeeping Institute.