Marlborough LitFest is back to celebrate its 15th year with a programme of exciting literature events and a celebrity line-up.

The festival continues to go from strength to strength after last year's programme drew in huge crowds and many famous faces including former England footballer Tony Adams and Radio 4 comedian Andy Hamilton.

This year, Marlborough LitFest 2024 will run from September 26 to 29, and LitFest Patron and award-winning Shakespearean actor Sir Simon Russell Beale is the first confirmed act.

Sir Simon Russell Beale has had a longstanding and stellar career both on stage and screen. The critically acclaimed actor was knighted in October 2019 and won a Tony Award for his role in The Lehman Trilogy in 2022.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: Sir Simon Russell Beale is the first confirmed visitor to Marlborough LitFest 2024, and will discuss his latest book with a world expert.Sir Simon Russell Beale is the first confirmed visitor to Marlborough LitFest 2024, and will discuss his latest book with a world expert. (Image: Ben Phillips Photography)

Russell Beale’s first book, A Piece of Work, is due to be published on 5 September, recounting his acting career with a focus on playing Shakespearean characters.

On Sunday, September 29, he will be interviewed at Litfest by a second famous face, Dr Emma Smith, who is the professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford, and a recognised expert in her field.

Dr Smith is an associated scholar with the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as a published author and Sunday Times bestseller, and she is thrilled to be coming to Marlborough alongside Sir Russell Beale.

“This feels like a very fitting event for our 15th festival – our patron in conversation with a top Shakespeare scholar and book enthusiast," said Genevieve Clarke, chair of Marlborough LitFest.