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Celia Imrie
Fidelis-morgan
Fidelis Morgan
Triona-adams
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

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.

The Feathers Hotel Woodstock festival hotel The Randolph Hotel by Graduate Hotels Sponsor of the festival crime fiction programme Blackwell’s Festival on-site and online bookseller International Literary Properties Supporters of the festival green room The Dorchester Hotels Collection Festival London hotel partner Italian Embassy Supporter of Italian programme Republic of Panama Event generously supported by Republic of Panama Cervantes Institute, London Spanish Embassy Event generously supported by the Spanish Embassy Oxford Martin School Festival ideas partner Bodleian Libraries Festival cultural partner Owen Mumford Supporter of programme of science and medicine and annual science and innovation award BBC World Service International radio partner Cultural Relations Platform Supporter of the festival's Voices of Europe programme European Union Delegation of the European Union to the United Kingdom Netflix University of Oxford FT Weekend Title partner Marlene Hauser Mary and Cecil Quillen Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture Jill Dunsmore David Isaac Carole and John Allen Lucian Hudson Pank Koria CEO of Project People Masumi and Jonathan Dobson Miles Young Emily Rose and James Marrow Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture George Warren Lady Hatch Patron donor for the programme of Irish literature and culture John Roberts Trinity College Trinity College St Cross College St Cross College Lincoln College Lincoln College Worcester College Worcester College New College Exeter College Exeter College: college home of the festival Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies British Academy Royal Academy of Arts Project People Institute of Hospitality Thje Menu Partners Foodbuy Jewish Book Week Partner of Jewish programme Bantam Doubleday Doubleday Transworld TORVA Books which change you, your mind, your world Princeton University Press Prestige publishing partner Symington Wines of the Douro Valley Compassion in World Farming Pasture to Plate Oxford Brookes University Oxford University Images Oxford University Images The Sheldonian Theatre Critchleys Accountants to the festival CAV Oxford Felicity Bryan Associates Conference Oxford Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies University of Oxford Alumni Office Alumni Office Paul Bloomfield Ltd Bear Ram Elk Festival Digital Strategy & Web Design BBC Radio Oxford Local radio partner The Oxford Times Regional media partner Racalia Olive Oil Olive oil from Sicily Schoolreaders The Litmus Partnership K T Bruce Photography K T Bruce Photography Ox in a Box OX magazine Siren Communications Siren Communications - corporate consultants Chêne Bleu Wines of Provence The Wild Geese James Currey Society Pusey House Confucius Institute Literature Ireland Flip through Flanders La Leccia
 

FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival sponsors, donors & partners

The Feathers Hotel Woodstock festival hotel The Randolph Hotel by Graduate Hotels Sponsor of the festival crime fiction programme Blackwell’s Festival on-site and online bookseller International Literary Properties Supporters of the festival green room The Dorchester Hotels Collection Festival London hotel partner Italian Embassy Supporter of Italian programme Republic of Panama Event generously supported by Republic of Panama Cervantes Institute, London Spanish Embassy Event generously supported by the Spanish Embassy Oxford Martin School Festival ideas partner Bodleian Libraries Festival cultural partner Owen Mumford Supporter of programme of science and medicine and annual science and innovation award BBC World Service International radio partner Cultural Relations Platform Supporter of the festival's Voices of Europe programme European Union Delegation of the European Union to the United Kingdom Netflix University of Oxford FT Weekend Title partner Marlene Hauser Mary and Cecil Quillen Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture Jill Dunsmore David Isaac Carole and John Allen Lucian Hudson Pank Koria CEO of Project People Masumi and Jonathan Dobson Miles Young Emily Rose and James Marrow Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture George Warren Lady Hatch Patron donor for the programme of Irish literature and culture John Roberts Trinity College Trinity College St Cross College St Cross College Lincoln College Lincoln College Worcester College Worcester College New College Exeter College Exeter College: college home of the festival Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies British Academy Royal Academy of Arts Project People Institute of Hospitality Thje Menu Partners Foodbuy Jewish Book Week Partner of Jewish programme Bantam Doubleday Doubleday Transworld TORVA Books which change you, your mind, your world Princeton University Press Prestige publishing partner Symington Wines of the Douro Valley Compassion in World Farming Pasture to Plate Oxford Brookes University Oxford University Images Oxford University Images The Sheldonian Theatre Critchleys Accountants to the festival CAV Oxford Felicity Bryan Associates Conference Oxford Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies University of Oxford Alumni Office Alumni Office Paul Bloomfield Ltd Bear Ram Elk Festival Digital Strategy & Web Design BBC Radio Oxford Local radio partner The Oxford Times Regional media partner Racalia Olive Oil Olive oil from Sicily Schoolreaders The Litmus Partnership K T Bruce Photography K T Bruce Photography Ox in a Box OX magazine Siren Communications Siren Communications - corporate consultants Chêne Bleu Wines of Provence The Wild Geese James Currey Society Pusey House Confucius Institute Literature Ireland Flip through Flanders La Leccia