Hay Festival Reveals First Speakers, Including Billy Ocean and Stacey Dooley

The Hay Festival has announced the initial roster of speakers and events for its annual literature festival, scheduled for next May in the border town of Hay-on-Wye. Musician Billy Ocean, broadcaster Stacey Dooley, comedian Julian Clary, and novelist Jojo Moyes are among the participants in 44 events disclosed before tickets become available on Friday. The festival characterized this as its “biggest-ever earlybird event drop, hinting at the dynamic programme of 600+ events to come”. The complete lineup will be unveiled in the spring. Novelists such as Moyes, Alexander McCall Smith, Kit de Waal, and Matt Haig are slated to discuss their latest publications. Concurrently, broadcaster Susie Dent and comedian Julian Clary will be launching their crime novels. Personal narratives will be shared by comedian and actor Miranda Hart, lawyer Sayeeda Warsi, and Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood, who will speak about their memoirs. Journalists Emma Barnett and Stacey Dooley will delve into the challenges and rewards of motherhood. Music and comedy performances are anticipated from Billy Ocean, Tim Rice, Al Murray, Katherine Ryan, and Chris McCausland, a blind former student of Hereford College. Actor Tuppence Middleton, journalist Naga Munchetty, poet Michael Rosen, and geneticist Richard Dawkins are also prominent figures expected to appear across the festival’s eight stages. Festival CEO Julie Finch declined to specify which names would be part of the final announcement in March of next year, but she indicated that there would be “lots of surprises”. “Trust us to excite you,” she stated. Ms. Finch further noted that the event’s focus extends beyond famous personalities. She explained, “We also enable people to discover something new, something they’ve never imagined before.” She concluded, “Ultimately, I think it’s a place where you can try out new things. And we all need that space.” The Hay Festival is scheduled to run from May 22 to June 1, 2025. Tickets are currently available for members to purchase, with general sales commencing on Friday. For updates, follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.