October 3rd-6th 2019 CUCKFIELD BOOKFESTQueen’s Hall, High Street, Cuckfield, RH17 5EL Lauren Ace James Hanratty Andrew Lownie Vanessa Berridge Kate Harris Richard Moore Lionel Birnie Patricia Hegarty Jenni Murray Clare Clark Rachel Hore Greta Scacchi John Crace Robin Ince Al Senter Jill Dawson Tom Jackson Tim Tate Maggie Gee Alan Judd D J Taylor Peter Guttridge Jake Kerridge Adrian Tinniswood Ed Halliwell Knife and Packer Tim Waterstone Penelope Lively Simon Williams Julian Worricker www.cuckfieldbookfest.co.uk 2 Welcome Welcome to Year Three of Cuckfield Book to enjoy coffee, lunch, tea, or supper when the Festival - Bookfest! This year we are beginning day has ended. And if you’ve time between on Thursday 3rd October with an event at sessions, there are other Cuckfield attractions Borde Hill where the truly magnificent gardens to savour: why not pay a visit to Grade 1 listed should be resplendent in autumn colours. A Holy Trinity Church in the middle of the village tour of the garden will combine with an author - it is a fine example of a 13th century building talk from a renowned garden writer. with an outstanding decorated ceiling and stained glass by Kempe, the Victorian designer. The Literary Quiz proved very popular last year Cuckfield Museum is not to be missed either; so apply for tickets early if you want to test your it traces the history of the town from its earliest literary knowledge. There will be supper again times to the present day. And did you know that at Ockenden Manor with a comedy twist this dinosaurs once lived in Sussex? Find out more year and the welcome appearance of Hermione at the museum. Cockburn who was brought up in Cuckfield. She will introduce Robin Ince who will entertain Sheila Mortimer guests with a comedian’s take on what makes Programme Organiser us human. 10.30am on Saturday 5th October sees the start of the author sessions in the Queen’s Hall. First we welcome Adrian Tinniswood who is returning with his wonderfully entertaining account of life behind the royal scenes - don’t miss the chapter on Queen Anne which tells a different story than that which you saw in The Favourite! The next two days are packed with an infinite variety of events ranging from Mindfulness to Mountbatten to Immigration. This year we are offering a discount of 10% if you buy ten tickets at £10 each over the two days. For 16-24 year olds, we welcome you and invite you to pay at © Sophie Harvey the door for £5.00 a ticket, providing spaces are available. Check the website on the day. For anyone planning a day at the festival, there are pubs, cafés and restaurants in the village www.cuckfieldbookfest.co.uk 3 THURSDAY 3RD OCTOBER 7.30pm for 8.00pm Literary Quiz, The Talbot, High Street, Cuckfield £5.00 per person to include a glass of wine Here is a chance to test your literary knowledge - of current fiction and of the classics. Once again, a Cuckfield book group has kindly taken on the task of producing a lively and intriguing selection of questions. Tables are for six people but there’s no need to come as a six as we can make up tables from fewer people. See page 17 for HOW TO BOOK tickets. 2.30pm - 5pm BORDE HILL GARDEN, RH16 1XP £20.00 per person to include a tour of the FRIDAY 4TH OCTOBER garden with the Head Gardener, a glass of prosecco and canapés, and a talk. 7.00pm for 7.30pm 2.30pm prompt Supper at Ockenden Tour of the garden Manor, Cuckfield 3.30pm Robin Ince Glass of prosecco in the house Introduced by Dr Hermione Cockburn 4.00pm This year we are Vanessa Berridge with Andrewjohn introducing something Stephenson Clarke (or someone) completely different for the supper - Great British Gardeners Robin Ince who is co-presenter with Brian Cox Discover the delights of this Edwardian Grade of the award-winning BBC Radio 4 show, The II* listed garden famous for its rare shrubs and Infinite Monkey Cage. He has won the Time trees in the company of the head gardener, Out Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, was Andy Stevens. Vanessa Berridge, renowned nominated for a British Comedy Award for Best garden writer and author of the recently Live show and has won three Chortle Awards. published Great British Gardeners will The Observer called his book I’m a Joke and So introduce her book which traces the history Are You ‘joyfully entertaining... full of warmth, of British gardening through the stories of 26 wisdom and affectionate delight in the wonder key figures including Christopher Lloyd, Vita and absurdity of being human.’ Sackville-West and William Robinson. Vanessa Robin will be introduced by Dr Hermione will be in conversation with Andrewjohn Cockburn Stephenson Clarke whose great grandfather created Borde Hill garden. Hermione was born and grew up in Cuckfield but moved to Edinburgh more than 25 years The garden is two miles from Cuckfield. ago where she is currently the Scientific Director There is a large car park and a café for those at Dynamic Earth. Her varied career has been who might want to arrive for lunch first. based on an enduring passion to engage diverse Please note the house will not open until audiences with science. Her BBC2 paleontology 3.30pm. For more information, please contact series included filming the story of Gideon [email protected] Mantell and the Cuckfield dinosaur Iguanodon. 4 www.cuckfieldbookfest.co.uk Tickets for the supper are £62.50 each for 12 noon - 1.00pm a two-course meal. You will be welcomed with a glass of Ridgeview sparkling wine Robin Ince accompanied by a selection of canapés. Tickets will be on sale from mid-August when the I’m a Joke and So Are You programme is published and are not available Reflections on Humour via Ticketsource. Please email Shauna Bevan at and Humanity [email protected] £10.00 per person Numbers are limited to 72 people, so early What better way to booking is advised. PLEASE NOTE: there is a understand ourselves maximum of four tickets per person applying than through the eyes of and we trust that those attending the supper comedians - those who professionally examine will also buy tickets for at least one of the our quirks on stage daily? In this touching and Bookfest events. witty book, award-winning presenter and comic Robin Ince uses the life of the stand-up as a way of exploring some of the biggest questions we all SATURDAY 5TH OCTOBER face. Where does anxiety come from? How do we overcome imposter syndrome? What is the key to creativity? How can we deal with grief? 10.30am - 11.30am Informed by personal insights from Robin as Adrian Tinniswood well as interviews with some of the world's top comedians, neuroscientists and psychologists, this Behind the Throne is a hilarious and often moving primer to the mind. A Domestic History Robin Ince is co-presenter of the award-winning of the Royal Household BBC Radio 4 show, The Infinite Monkey Cage. He has toured his stand up across the world, £10.00 per person both solo and with his radio double act partner, This is no ordinary history Professor Brian Cox. of family life. It uncovers the Sponsored by Adelphi Group of Companies reality of five centuries of life at the English court as it was lived by clerks, courtiers and clowns and crowned heads. UPSTAIRS@CUCKFEST Take an intimate and entertaining look at the 12 noon - 1.00pm private lives of monarchs from Elizabeth I to Elizabeth II. 20th C royals are included and Tom Jackson Adrian’s unerring eye for the amusing, the Postcard from the Past poignant and the anecdotal provides an insight into what goes on in royal palaces. £10 per person Adrian is the author of 15 books on social and Are the days of sending picture postcards over? architectural history. He has worked with the For anyone with an interest in the details of National Trust, and currently holds academic how we used to live, or in eavesdropping on fellowships in history at the Universities of other people’s conversations, these postcard Buckingham and Bath Spa. He was awarded messages on faded views are funny, an OBE for services to heritage. illuminating and addictive. In a talk illustrated Sponsored by Marcus Grimes with suspiciously blue skies, enormous good luck cats and a squadron of one- eared donkeys, Tom Jackson will draw on his huge collection of everyday postcards to present the oddest, funniest, most touching messages. We’ll discover hidden messages, cries for help, threats and mysteries and consider whether or not it’s too late to revive the art of postcard writing. www.cuckfieldbookfest.co.uk 5 She will be in conversation with Kate Harris, who has worked in publishing for over 30 years, UPSTAIRS@CUCKFEST most recently as Managing Director in Oxford 1.30pm - 2.30pm University Press. James Hanratty Sponsored by Hurstpierpoint College The Making of an 129 × 198 SPINE: 24.536 FLAPS: 0 BLOOD “THE LUDDS. ARTISTES OF AWFULNESS. I’M ONE OF THEM. I SHARE THE BAD ADULT CHILDREN TAKE REVENGE ON THEIR FATHER, Immigration Judge 3pmBLOOD. - AND4.00pm YET I HAVE MY SOFTER SIDE – AS YOU’LL SEE IF YOU STAY WITH ME. BUT THE VICTIM CRAWLS BACK … I AM MORE SINNED AGAINST THAN SINNING.” Who attacked Dad? When corrupt, brutal dentist Albert Ludd is found battered and bloody after failing to attend a memorial party for his son, a soldier killed in Afghanistan, suspicion falls on his other children – especially 37-year-old buxom bruiser Monica, who was heard “uttering threats” against her absent £10.00 per person Maggiefather.