Former Today broadcaster James Naughtie to talk about life and career

More than 200 festival events now confirmed

James Naughtie

One of Britain’s best-known broadcasters and journalists James Naughtie, pictured right, will talk about his life and career and his second novel Paris Spring at this year's festival. Naughtie left his regular presenting duties on BBC Radio 4’s flagship news programme Today in December 2015. This year's festival will also include previews and preview clips of upcoming BBC Four programmes including an appearance by Jonathan Meades, who will discuss and introduce a full preview of his new documentary about Mussolini and architecture under the Italian Fascists. Historian and television presenter Dr Suzannah Lipscomb will explore the time when British people embraced modern design for the first time after years of austerity and self-denial and introduce some preview clips from her forthcoming BBC series, Hidden Killers of the Post-War Home. More than 200 events have now been published on the festival website, and more will be added over the next few weeks. Events can be booked online now via this website. A walk-in and telephone box office (0870 343 1001) will open at Blackwell's Bookshop, Oxford, on Wednesday, February 10. The box office will be open Monday-Sunday during normal shop opening hours.

2023

2022

Festival information:

I loved the whole atmosphere of the Oxford Literary Festival. From breakfast, alongside some of the attendees, who were talking books with each other a mile a minute, to the public event at The Sheldonian where everyone was lively and engaged – I felt I had arrived in a kind of literary heaven.

I came away buzzing and reassured that we still have in this century a wide ranging community fascinated not just by famous authors (I’ve rarely seen so many concentrated in one place) but by challenging ideas and questions.

The Oxford Literary Festival has in my mind become the leading literary festival of the year. The organisation, the roster of speakers, the ambience and the sheer quality of it all is superb. May it now go from strength to strength each year stretching its ambition more and more. I believe it will.

Every literary festival stays in an author’s mind for slightly individual reasons. I shall remember the Oxford festival for: - the size of the audience: at the top end of the range - their intelligence – this makes a huge difference for a speaker. In the Oxford audience I encountered many experts in the field my book covered and even one of the ambassadors I’d quoted - the beauty and the grace of the place itself – incomparable - the willingness of my hearers to buy books afterwards; I’ve never sold more.

It was a privilege for me to visit the festival to receive the Bodley Medal. As an incidental blessing I saw Oxford at its most mysterious and atmospheric. It was a day of piercing cold and as I walked through the twilight from the Sheldonian to Christ Church, the streets were empty and the whole city was shutting itself away. Christ Church was silent except for the footfall of unseen persons around corners and the sounds of evensong creeping from behind closed doors. For the first time I understood thoroughly the power of college ghost stories.

The night in Oxford was the most beautiful event I have ever done. Not just the spectacular setting (of the Sheldonian), but an unforgettable evening.

Often as an author, I only occasionally get to meet the public who buy and read my books. The Oxford Literary Festival was a special opportunity for me and certainly one of the highlights of my career – it was an honour I will never forget.

The Oxford festival is the most elegant and atmospheric of literary festivals. It’s a pleasure to both attend and perform there.

The Oxford Literary Festival sponsors, donors & partners

Festival media partner

Supported by the Delegation of the European Union to the UK

Supporter of the festival's Voices of Europe programme

International radio partner

Supporter of programme of science and medicine and annual science and innovation award

Festival cultural partner

Festival ideas partner

The Spanish Embassy: supporters of the programme of Spanish literature and culture

The Cervantes Institute, London

The Italian Embassy: supporter of the programme of Italian literature and culture

Festival London hotel partner

Festival literary heritage partner

Festival on-site and online bookseller

Festival hotel

Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection

Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection

Patron donor for the programme of Irish literature and culture

CEO of Project People

Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture

Exeter College: college home of the festival. Founded 1314

New College founded 1379

Worcester College founded 1714

Lincoln College founded 1427

St Cross College founded 1965

Trinity College founded 1555

Magdalen College founded 1458

Accountants to the festival

Wines of the Douro Valley

Prestige publishing partner. Celebrating 25 years in Europe in 2024

Sponsor of the EBRD Literature Prize since 2018

Georgia's leading lifestyle hotel brand since 2012. Supporters of the programme of Georgian literature and culture

Partner of Oxford Literary Festival

Oxford International Centre for Publishing

Festival academic partner

Olive oil from Sicily

Local radio partner

Festival Digital Strategy & Web Design

Alumni Office

Oxford University Images

Supporter of the programme of Georgian literature and culture

Corporate communications

K T Bruce Photography