Claire MacDonald - with John Dickie

Simon Sebag Montefiore Kathleen Jamie, Chitra Ramaswamy & Amanda Thomson: Antlers of Water (2020 Event) In a discussion recorded live at the 2020 Book Festival and led by the BBC's Clare English, Jamie is joined by award-winning journalist Chitra Ramaswamy as well as visual artist and writer Amanda Thomson – both contributors to the anthology – to discuss… Terry Waite (2015 Event) As special envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Terry Waite spent plenty of time not only in the company of Robert Runcie, but also his son James. Then, he was kidnapped in Beirut. Upon his release, Waite continued his charity work, befriended his… Gavin Esler Co-presenter of Newsnight, one of our foremost commentators, Scottish broadcaster and writer Gavin Esler knows better than most what goes on behind the scenes in politics. In this 2008 event he talks about his new novel A Scandalous Man, which tells the… Val McDermid with Nicola Sturgeon (2015 Event) The Diamond Dagger-winning Fifer has built a vast fan-base over the years thanks to her number one bestselling novels that have sold over 11 million copies… Anthony Seldon & Peter Snowdon (2016 Event) Did David Cameron’s early years in power reveal him as an ‘essay crisis’ leader, or an ambitious reformer? Enjoying unprecedented access to Cameron and his team, Anthony Seldon and Peter Snowdon have written Cameron at 10, an eye-opening authorised… Diana Gabaldon (2014 event) The Outlander books by Arizona-based author Diana Gabaldon have achieved sales figures that would make your eyes water. Little wonder that Doune Castle was recently besieged by fans keen to see the TV version being filmed. The latest instalment, Written… Richard Dawkins (2018 Event) Whatever your opinion of Richard Dawkins, and few people choose to sit on the fence when it comes to the world’s best-known evolutionary biologist, his passion for science cannot be denied. In Science in the Soul, he asks whether his discipline can… Sean Connery talks to Murray Grigor On his 78th birthday, 25 August 2008, Edinburgh-born international film legend Sean Connery launches his long-awaited book Being A Scot with his co-author and friend Murray Grigor at the Book Festival. Here he chats about a wide range of subjects with… Paul Merton (2015 Event) Not Always Clowning Around. One of the most intelligent and likeable comics in the land, Paul Merton has had his fair share of darkness and tragedy…