Richard Curtis returns to Latitude with ‘Yesterday’
Bringing the arts to life, Latitude Festival showcases the dynamic, innovative and forward-thinking. Taking place 18th–21st July 2019, this summer’s festival welcomes a host of new names across the arts stages at the beautiful grounds of Henham Park.
In The Music & Film Arena, Emmy winner, BAFTA winner, and all-round screenwriting legend Richard Curtis joins Himesh Patel the star of his new feel-good film Yesterday for a screening followed by a Q&A session with the British superstars. This is a particularly thrilling event as several scenes from the film were filmed at Latitude Festival last year. The film directed by the multi-award-winning Danny Boyle, and written Richard Curtis, asks the seemingly unanswerable pop-
Richard Curtis said: ‘Yesterday was written in Suffolk, set in Suffolk, and begins and ends at Latitude. I’ve rarely missed a Latitude since it first began, and so I’m overjoyed to be bringing it home for a special screening at the festival. I’m also very much looking forward to the Q & A session afterwards, as long as it doesn’t mean people are missing something better while Himesh and I are chatting away.’
Leading film critic and Latitude regular Mark Kermode brings his new show based on his memoirs to the festival. In How Does It Feel: A Life of Musical Misadventures, Kermode recounts his utterly foolhardy attempts to fulfil his dreams of becoming a pop star – from building an electric guitar from scratch at school, to playing a tea-chest bass on the kids TV show Utterly Brilliant, and becoming the musical director of a major TV show – all without ever learning to read music. His hilarious tales range from falling in love with Slade as a teenager, and recording an album at Sun Studio as an ageing old ted. Warning: there may be musical interludes. Or not!
In The Speakeasy, Wendy Cope, one of the nation’s best-loved poets makes a welcome return as a poetry headliner. Since her bestselling debut Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis was published in 1986, Cope has been responsible for some of the best-known and most-quoted lines in contemporary poetry. Her mordant humour and empathetic insight will delight and inspire.
In a live illustration session, former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq will bring Cookie, the lead character from her upcoming debut children’s book, to life. The hilarious three-part book series is a laugh-out-loud middle-grade sitcom combining Huq’s own comedic upbringing with madcap science projects in a contemporary London Bangladeshi setting.
Konnie Huq said: ‘Really excited to be presenting my new children’s fiction series at Latitude this year! Cookie!… and the Most Annoying Boy in the World is all about a 9-year-old girl with a love for science always finding herself in precarious situations and hilarity of course ensues. Come down and see me on the Saturday for some live illustration, jokes, games, quizzes and lots of fun. See you there!’
Comedy star Deborah Frances-White best know for her hit podcast The Guilty Feminist returns to Latitude, this time to perform stand-up in the Cabaret Theatre. Her brand of confessional but comic feminism has resulted in international success, with the podcast racking up 50 million plus downloads. Phoebe Waller-Bridge calls Frances-White ‘hilarious, irreverent, eternally surprising, classy as hell, genius’ and we couldn’t put it any better ourselves.
Deborah Frances-White said: ‘Latitude is my favourite all time festival and I couldn’t be more excited to be appearing alongside some of the best acts in the world and some super sweet pink sheep.’
At Latitude’s new podcast hub, The Listening Post, journalist, activist and writer Scarlett Curtis hosts Feminists Don’t Wear Pink. The podcast, inspired by Scarlett’s Sunday Times bestselling anthology Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and other lies), features bold and pioneering women discussing what feminism means to them, and why it matters. Prepare for frank, honest and unfiltered conversation from incredible and outspoken women discussing the complexities, the triumphs and the challenges of being a feminist today.
Scarlett Curtis said: ‘I grew up at Latitude and have been going every year since the age of 12 (including the year I was in a wheelchair!) it is a wonderful, magical place and the perfect location to talk about feminism!’
