Memoir Archives - Bridport Literary Festival

Event 26 | Greg Doran | Walking Shadow

£16.50

Greg Doran - Walking Shadow - Love, Loss and Shakespeare

Following the loss of his husband, Sir Antony Sher, former RSC Artistic Director Greg Doran set out on an extraordinary quest: to track down as many surviving copies of Shakespeare’s First Folio as possible. He weaves a moving account of Sher’s final illness together with a captivating travelogue spanning four continents. Seeking out more than two hundred Folios – from Tokyo to South Africa – Doran slowly uncovers their unique histories. Part love story, part literary detective story, Walking Shadow explores how he faced down deep personal grief with the inspiration of the world’s greatest playwright. Chaired by author Vivian French.

When: Monday 9 November 2026 @ 7.00 pm

Where: Electric Palace

Sponsored by: David & Angela Neuberger

BUY TICKETS Details
Event 36 | Brian Jackman | Lion Song

£12.00

Brian Jackman - Lion Song

For over five decades, Brian Jackman has reported from the front lines of African wildlife conservation. In Lion Song, Britain’s foremost safari writer reflects on a lifetime tracking the continent’s megafauna, from his first encounter with a roaring lion in the Maasai Mara to the famous Marsh Lions, which he documented for the BBC’s Big Cat Diary. Blending vivid field reporting with reverence for the natural world, Jackman chronicles Africa’s changing wilderness through meetings with legendary naturalists like George Adamson and firsthand accounts of the war against poaching. Part memoir and part call to action, this narrative charts the retreat of wild spaces while celebrating a continent where, for now at least, the rulers of the savanna are still free to greet the dawn. Chaired by Sam Rose.

When: Wednesday 11 November 2026 @ 10.30 am

Where: Bull Ballroom

BUY TICKETS Details
Event 42 | Debbie McGee | A Magical Life

£15.00

Debbie McGee - A Magical Life

Famously, and cruelly, the comedian Caroline Aherne asked Debbie McGee: “What attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?” But the ultimate magician’s “assistant” has had the last laugh. Her self-described “first and only” memoir depicts a rich and varied life. A dancer by trade, she spent time at the Royal Ballet School before joining Iran’s national ballet – having to flee the country during the revolution. While she is universally recognised as Daniels’ wife, few people know she was the first woman to be admitted to the Magic Circle. One of the great showbiz survivors talks to journalist Teddy Jamieson about her life on and off stage, facing breast cancer, coping with the public loss of her husband, and finding a new fanbase through Strictly.

When: Wednesday 11 November 2026 @ 6.30pm

Where: Electric Palace

BUY TICKETS Details
Event 47 | Ed Davey | Why I Care

£16.50

Ed Davey - Why I Care - And Why Care Matters

Care is the thread that runs through Sir Ed Davey’s life. At four, he lost his father. When his mother also became ill with cancer, Ed and his brothers nursed her until she died when Ed was just 15, and that experience was one of his main inspirations to enter politics. Now he and his wife care for their son, who has severe physical and learning disabilities. In Why I Care, the Liberal Democrat Leader reveals his deeply moving personal story. Shedding light on the often invisible, he calls for society and government to lift up the silent carers who form the backbone of our communities. He talks about his experiences with former BBC correspondent Andrew Cassell.

When: Thursday 12 November 2026 @ 2.30 pm

Where: Electric Palace

Sponsored by: Fenella Wynford

BUY TICKETS Details
Event 61 | Tony Parsons | Man and Dog

£16.50

Tony Parsons - Man and Dog - A Love Story

“Nobody will ever love you like a dog”: Tony Parsons wrote a newspaper column about the loss of his beloved spaniel, Stan, a bandy-legged bundle of joy, loyalty and bright red fur, the story went viral on the internet. Now it has inspired this deeply affecting and very funny memoir. Set against the backdrop of Tony’s life in Hampstead and daily walks across the Heath – with its rolling hills, ponds and cast of star-studded, dog-walking neighbours – Man and Dog brilliantly brings to life the eternal love affair between humans and their canine companions. He talks to Jo Willett. Tony Parsons is an award-winning journalist and bestselling novelist. His multi-million selling novel Man and Boy won the British Book of the Year prize in 2000.

When: Saturday 14 November 2026 @ 12 noon

Where: Electric Palace

BUY TICKETS Details