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Celia Imrie
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Fidelis Morgan
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Triona Adams

Orphans of the Storm

Celia Imrie and Fidelis Morgan Chaired by Triona Adams

Friday, 16 September 2022

2:00pm

1 hour

Sheldonian Theatre

£7 - £12.50

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Olivier award-winning actress and bestselling novelist Celia Imrie talks about her latest work, Orphans of the Storm, and about her life on stage and screen. She will be joined by friend and fellow actress and writer Fidelis Morgan, who did the research for the novel.

Imrie’s fifth novel is an epic tale based on the sinking of the Titanic. Seamstress Marcella Caretto is resolved to divorce her cruel and controlling husband Michael and win custody of their two boys. Meanwhile, New York socialite Margaret Hays is heading home on the Titanic, which is also carrying two infants with false names. The paths of Marcella, Michael and Margaret are about to cross, and nothing will be the same again.

Imrie is best known for her roles in the films The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Calendar Girls, Nanny McPhee, Bridget Jones’s Baby, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, Year by the Sea, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again and A Cure for Wellness. She is also known for television roles in After You’ve Gone, A Dark Adapted Eye and Acorn Antiques. Imrie has also performed on many of London’s top stages including winning the Olivier Award for best actress in a musical for Acorn Antiques: The Musical! She is also writer of the bestselling novels Not Quite Nice and Nice Work (If You Can Get It) and of an autobiography, The Happy Hoofer.

Morgan is a theatre historian and actor. Her non-fiction books include The Female Wits, the first study of women playwrights of the Restoration and the biographies, A Woman Of No Character, and The Well-Known Troublemaker. Her four historical murder mysteries featuring the Countess Ashby dela Zouche have been translated into several languages. Morgan’s theatrical adaptation of Samuel Richardson’s Pamela won her a nomination as most promising playwright, while her adaptation of Patrick Hamilton’s Hangover Square played for an extended run at the Lyric Hammersmith. Screen appearances include Jeeves and Wooster, As Time Goes By, and Mr Majeika. She has played in theatre and directed Drama At Inish, with Paul O’Grady and Celia Imrie, But It Still Goes On (lost play by Robert Graves) with Alan Cox and Sophie Ward, and Imrie’s revue/cabaret Laughing Matters.

They will be introduced by Triona Adams, director of the festival’s crime fiction programme.

Jewish Book Week Partner of Oxford Literary Festival Oxford University Department for Continuing Education Princeton University Press Prestige publishing partner. Celebrating 25 years in Europe in 2024 Goldmoney Properties Felicity Bryan Associates Voltaire Foundation Confucius Institute Critchleys Accountants to the festival Oxford Brookes University Oxford International Centre for Publishing Old Parsonage Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Old Bank Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Oxford Business College Where learning meets opportunity: education partners of the festival Pasture to Plate Compassion in World Farming Symington Wines of the Douro Valley Blackwell’s Festival on-site and online bookseller elBullifoundation Cervantes Institute, London The Cervantes Institute, London Spanish Embassy The Spanish Embassy: supporters of the programme of Spanish literature and culture Oxford Mathematics Oxford Martin School Festival ideas partner Bodleian Libraries Festival cultural partner Cultural Relations Platform Supporter of the festival's Voices of Europe programme European Union Supported by the Delegation of the European Union to the UK University of Oxford The Telegraph Festival media partner Other donors Mary and Cecil Quillen Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture David Isaac Ian and Carol Sellars Martin and Elise Becket Smith Tim and Marion Stevenson Miles Young Jim Mellon Brasenose College Brasenose College founded in 1512 Pusey House Founded 1884 Reuben College Reuben College founded in 2019 Magdalen College Magdalen College founded 1458 Trinity College Trinity College founded 1555 Lincoln College Lincoln College founded 1427 Worcester College Worcester College founded 1714 Exeter College Exeter College: college home of the festival. Founded 1314 New College New College founded 1379 Yale University Press London The Oxford Times Windrush Group Schoolreaders The Litmus Partnership CAV Oxford Oxford University Images Oxford University Images Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies The Sheldonian Theatre University of Oxford Alumni Office Alumni Office Paul Bloomfield Ltd Racalia Olive Oil Olive oil from Sicily Bear Ram Elk Festival Digital Strategy & Web Design MACROVegan Human Ecology Project New Dutch Writing Conference Oxford BBC Radio Oxford Local radio partner OX magazine Ox in a Box
 

The Oxford Literary Festival sponsors, donors & partners

Jewish Book Week Partner of Oxford Literary Festival Oxford University Department for Continuing Education Princeton University Press Prestige publishing partner. Celebrating 25 years in Europe in 2024 Goldmoney Properties Felicity Bryan Associates Voltaire Foundation Confucius Institute Critchleys Accountants to the festival Oxford Brookes University Oxford International Centre for Publishing Old Parsonage Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Old Bank Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Oxford Business College Where learning meets opportunity: education partners of the festival Pasture to Plate Compassion in World Farming Symington Wines of the Douro Valley Blackwell’s Festival on-site and online bookseller elBullifoundation Cervantes Institute, London The Cervantes Institute, London Spanish Embassy The Spanish Embassy: supporters of the programme of Spanish literature and culture Oxford Mathematics Oxford Martin School Festival ideas partner Bodleian Libraries Festival cultural partner Cultural Relations Platform Supporter of the festival's Voices of Europe programme European Union Supported by the Delegation of the European Union to the UK University of Oxford The Telegraph Festival media partner Other donors Mary and Cecil Quillen Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture David Isaac Ian and Carol Sellars Martin and Elise Becket Smith Tim and Marion Stevenson Miles Young Jim Mellon Brasenose College Brasenose College founded in 1512 Pusey House Founded 1884 Reuben College Reuben College founded in 2019 Magdalen College Magdalen College founded 1458 Trinity College Trinity College founded 1555 Lincoln College Lincoln College founded 1427 Worcester College Worcester College founded 1714 Exeter College Exeter College: college home of the festival. Founded 1314 New College New College founded 1379 Yale University Press London The Oxford Times Windrush Group Schoolreaders The Litmus Partnership CAV Oxford Oxford University Images Oxford University Images Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies The Sheldonian Theatre University of Oxford Alumni Office Alumni Office Paul Bloomfield Ltd Racalia Olive Oil Olive oil from Sicily Bear Ram Elk Festival Digital Strategy & Web Design MACROVegan Human Ecology Project New Dutch Writing Conference Oxford BBC Radio Oxford Local radio partner OX magazine Ox in a Box