Hay Festival 2012: highlights - Telegraph Hay on Earth Forum Venue: Digital Stage Hay on Earth is the festival's ongoing sustainability project and is part of our programme of managing and mitigating our environmental impacts, particularly as we stage more festivals around the world. The project has been running for six years. . Price: £20. Full day ticket allows entry to all 6 sessions: events 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 Event: 2. Ben Law talks to Andy Fryers: Green Architecture Venue: Digital stage The cost of resources increases, but knowledge about their use has led to dramatic improvements in sustainable building. The Grand Designs eco-builder talks to the Hay on Earth director. Price: £5.25 Event: 3. David Gardner and Caroline Drummond talk to Rob Yorke: Tough decisions on Food, Flora and Fauna 1pm What will a modernised rural sector look like? The CEOs of the Royal Agricultural Society and LEAF discuss with Rob Yorke. Event: 5. Molly Scott Cato, Gavin Poole and Brian Davey talk to Jane Davidson: Social Justice and Climate Change 4pm Those who live in poverty feel the impact of climate change the most; how can innovative policies reduce the gap? The Green economists and the Centre for Social Justice director have their say. Event: 6. Safia Minney and Steve Trent: Fashion Activism Fashion is often ignored in sustainability debates. The Telegraph's Louise Gray sits down with Safia Minney, charismatic founder of People Tree, and Steve Trent, director of the Environmental Justice Foundation, to ask: why? A must-attend for anyone interested in looking good without harming people or the planet. Event: 12. Terry Leahy: Management in 10 Words Venue: Barclays Pavilion The Telegraph's executive editor Mark Skipworth chairs an exclusive preview of the former CEO of Tesco's new book on business strategy and leadership. Drawing on 14 years of experience at the helm, the supermarket knight will show the most important attributes that make an organisation - and its workers - great. Prepare to be inspired, but also to gain some truly practical insights that you can take home for your very own. Price: £10. Event: 14. Michael Morpurgo: The Hay Library Lecture Venue: Wales Stage Michael Morpurgo, something of an international treasure now that his work has been taken up by Steven Spielberg, will be doing two intriguing events at Hay this year. The first is the inaugural Hay Library Lecture, entry to which is (ingeniously) by library card. The author of War Horse and Kaspar: Prince of Cats will make a passionate case for the importance of public libraries. Price: Free Event: 21. Owen Sheers and Friends: The Two Worlds of Charlie F Venue: The Big Tent Earlier this year over a dozen wounded soldiers took part in Owen Sheers" West End play, The Two Worlds of Charlie F. Some had severe spinal injuries; one had lost both his legs. Both playwright and cast members will be talking to Alan Yentob about this extraordinary incursion of the military into the theatrical, and how the process aided their recovery. Price: £6.25 Event: 24. Saskia Sassen, Wendy Pullan, Sara Silvestri and Max Gwiazda: Cities and Terror In the first of a series of Cambridge academics at the Festival, we are proud to present a fascinating insight into reducing the risk of violence in cities that have been targeted in armed conflicts, such as Jerusalem. Four speakers will look into riots and terrorist attacks from a sociological aspect, as well as the significance of architecture and planning. In association with Cambridge University Event: 25. John Challis talks to Peter Burden: Being Boycie Boycie is everyone's favourite dodgy car dealer from Only Fools and Horses, the Peckham-born foil to David Jason's Del Boy. Actor John Challis, who played the blazered chap, had a far different background - and in this biography he documents his life as the son of an Admiralty civil servant, from boarding school through driving a grocer's van right up to joining a theatre company. Oh, and there's his active sex life, too. A must-read for fans of the show. Event: 29. Lindsey Hilsum talks to David Aaronovitch: Sandstorm Gadaffi / PA The distinguished Channel 4 News international editor reports on the fall of Colonel Gaddafi in her new book. Hear how she covered the drama of the uncertain days in Libya whilst civil war raged, as a popular revolution changed into bloody conflict. She also offers rare insight into the mindset of Gaddafi himself, and into the chilling strictures imposed on ordinary Libyan citizens. Event: 31. Duncan Bush and Patrick McGuinness talk to Oliver Bullough Both Duncan Bush and Patrick McGuinness have worked with totalitarian themes: the former in his novel, The Genre of Silence, set in the USSR; the latter in a powerful poetry collection, Jilted City, which closes with a sequence of poems by an imaginary Romanian, Liviu Campanu. Here they discuss resistance to dictatorial regimes with journalist and Russian specialist Oliver Bullough. Event: 33. Armando Iannucci: Veep Screening and Q&A 9pm Venue: Sky Arts Studio A brilliant opportunity to see Veep, a new show set in the office of a fictional US vice-president by the man who brought us The Thick of It. Expect the kind of intelligent laughs and spot-on satire that Ianucci's own brand of satire brings in spades. And it stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who starred as Elaine in the hit US sitcom Seinfeld. Event: 32. Tim Minchin He's got a beard! And he wears eyeliner! Lots of it! The comedy rock superstellar chap and his band promise to deliver and evening of hilarity - scathing hilarity, yes, and also unsettling - as he sings about anything from the environment to logical fallacies. And his love of cheese. The Telegraph's called him "a thing of jaw-dropping wonder." Go and find out for yourselves. Price: £28.25 All earlybird tickets are now sold. Further tickets will be available soon. Keep checking the website for further details. Event: 37. Rolf Heuer talks to Simon Singh: Hadron Collider 2012 Now you can help find Rolf Heuer find the elusive Higgs Boson - well, maybe not, but at least you can listen to the CERN director explain all about what's going on with neutrinos and the "God particle." It's going to be cosmic, quite literally. Price: £7.25 Event: 40. Mariella Frostrup: The Book Show at Hay 1 - filming Sky Arts returns with interviews of the biggest and brightest names at the Hay Festival, including novelist and author of Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel, and comedian Tim Minchin. Event: 47. Robert MacFarlane: Cambridge Series 3: The Old Ways Acclaimed nature writer Robert MacFarlane will take us on an absorbing tour, on foot and by boat, of the British landscape. Encounter ghosts, rituals and pilgrimages, songlines and singers, via ancient tracks, holloways, drovers" roads and sea paths linking us over the waters to the continents beyond. Event: 51. Boris Johnson: Johnson's Life of London The blond bombshell Mayor of London on the Borisesque figures that made our capital city, including Dick Whittington and Dr Samuel Johnson (no relation). Price: £10.25 Event: 52. Orlando Figes: Just Send me Word An extraordinary cache of letters between two young Muscovites in Stalin's Soviet Union provides the historian with insights never seen before: a moving love story, as well as grim details of the labour camps. Event: 55. Daniel Kahneman with Jesse Norman The best-selling Nobel Economics laureate, well-known for his work on the psychology of judgement, will give an incisive and intriguing talk on human rationality and irrationality. Sponsored by Barclays Event: 56. David Lammy talks to Adam Boulton: Out of the Ashes The MP for Tottenham takes a long, hard look at the state of Britain after the riots, which started in his constituency. Event: 58. Simon Armitage: Walking Home Venue: Big Tent Poet Simon Armitage went down the Pennine Way as a troubadour without a penny in his pocket. He talks about his remarkable journey into the unregarded heart of Britain. Event: 59. Edmund White talkes to Damian Barr: Jack Holmes and his Friend The American novelist talks about his new novel, a gay love story set over several decades which explores sexuality and liberation. Event: 62. Harry Belafonte: The Hamlin Lecture - My Song: An American Life He's an actor, a singer (The Banana Boat Song being a favourite), and a hero of the Civil Rights movement who acted as a conduit between Martin Luther King and the Kennedys, as well as a critic of the George W Bush regime. He launches his memoir here. Event: 63. Susan Greenfield: You and Me Our brains are adapting to our environments. So are we facing unprecedented changes to identity? The highly regarded neuroscientist explains. Event: 71. Geoff Dyer talks to David Gritten: Zona - A Book About a Film About a Journey to a Room 7pm This is a mesmerising account of a writer's obsession with Tarkovsky's cinematic masterpiece, the science-fiction Stalker, which shows two people in search of their innermost desires. Event: 92. Ian McEwan with Timothy Garton Ash: The British Council Series - 2 A new novel from Ian McEwan is always an event, and this one proves to be as fully of mystery and excitement as anything since Atonement. Sweet Tooth sees a female Cambridge graduate inducted into MI5 and falling in love with the wrong man. Price: £8.25 In partnership with the British Council Event: 94. Niklas Frank talks to Philippe Sands: In the Shadow of the Reich This is a rare chance to see a significant interview with a writer whose father, Hans Frank - Nazi Germany's chief jurist - was hanged at Nuremberg. Supported by Goethe-Institut and New Books in German Event: 98. Michael Ignatieff: The 2012 Raymond Williams Lecture: Culture and Politics The Canadian writer is distinguished in many fields - he's penned fiction, biographies, academic studies - and he's been a successful politician. Here he delivers the 25th anniversary lecture. Price: £9.25 In assocation with the Open University in Wales Event: 104. Chad Harbach and Grace McCleen talk to Sarah Crompton Fictions - Waterstones Eleven A fine brace of debut novels: Harbach's The Art of Fielding is a brilliant, virtuouso work about baseball that's set the literary world on fire; McCleen's The Land of Decoration is a heartbreaking story of imagination and hard reality that sees a 10 year-old in an apocalyptic religious sect. In association with Waterstones Eleven Event: 111. Joan Bakewell talks to Revel Guest Fictions - She's Leaving Home Joan Bakewell/ REX Hear the Fifties slide into the Sixties as the inspirational broadcaster discusses her second novel, set on the outskirts of Liverpool. Sponsored by We Love This Book Event: 125. Elif Shafak and Anjali Joseph talk to Gaby Wood Fictions - Migrations Two excellent books, Shafak's Honour and Joseph's Another Country both chart powerful journeys, physical and emotional. Sponsored by Indian Council Event: 126. James Watson talks to Ian McEwan Nobel Series - John Maddox Lecture He found the road-map of life itself, the double-helix. Hear Watson talk about one of the world's greatest discoveries, with one of our best novelists. Price: £15.25 Event: 128. Patrick de Witt and Tom Bullough talk to Stephanie Merritt Fictions - Not the C19th Novel De Witt was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize with his cowboy noir The Sisters Brothers, set in Gold Rush America; Bullough's Konstantin blends fiction and history and reimagines the life of the man who founded Soviet Space travel. They discuss what drives man's imagination as he tackles nature. Event: 136. Simon Singh: Alan Turing and Enigma The science writer celebrates the centenary of the genius boffin and codebreaker, who deciphered German naval cables in the Second World War. Get a taste of what it might have been like at Bletchley Park, as he'll be showing encryption techniques on an Enigma-style machine he devised. Event: 137. Jeremy Hardy Best known for his work on Radio 4"s News Quiz and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, Hay Festival favourite Jeremy Hardy will be raising some guffaws with his new stand-up show. Event: 138. Courtney Pine Band: Europa He's the British jazz warrior who's also managed to crack the American market. Acclaimed across the world, here he peers back in time to Gregorian Chant, and to Scandinavian, Celtic and other memories that promise to deliver a beautiful and challenging musical map of our nearest neighbours. Event: 146. Martin Rees: The Limits of Science The Astronomer Royal discusses the limits of our scientific knowledge. Yes, ethics and prudence come in to it, as well as more prosaic concerns. But is it possible that we'll never understand the universe entirely, simply because our brains can't deal with it? Find out here... In Association with The Royal Society Event: 147. Mark Haddon talks to Rosie Goldsmith: The Red House Haddon has brought us the delightful The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time; he'll be talking about his new book, The Red House, which sees an estranged family sharing seven days somewhere in Wales. Expect revelations - and humour. Sponsored by Hay and District Chamber of Commerce Event: 150. Nathan Englander and Helen Simpson: Fictions - Shorts Are short stories coming back into fashion as our concentration spans become, well, shorter? Here you'll find two short story writers: one new, one well-established. Nathan Englander and Helen Simpson will discuss and read from their new collections; the former from his Raymond Carver-esque volume, the latter from her Collected Stories. Event: 152. AC Grayling: Reading and Thinking AC Grayling has quite the best mane of hair a philosopher's ever had; but you won't find him talking about hairspray here (unless you ask very nicely). Instead he'll be looking into the conversation of humankind, the true nature of education, and the candle in the dark. Man's story changed absolutely when mass literacy came along: the thinker will show how exactly it did so, and will look at the exciting possibilities for the future. Event: 157. Mario Vargas Llosa talks to Peter Florence Nobel Series: the Dream of the Celt The Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa is one of Latin America's most important novelists and essayists; he's won the Nobel Prize for Literature, as well as numerous awards and accolades. He'll be talking about his work as a whole, and about his new novel El Sueño del Celta (The Dream of the Celt), which looks at the colourful life of Roger Casement, the controversial hero of Irish nationalism - and former British consul - who was hanged for treason. In association with Barclays Event: 162. Stephen Fry in conversation with Kay Redfield Jamison An Unquiet Mind Kay Redfield Jamison's book Touched with Fire is an excellent inquiry into the experiences of those who suffer from mania and depression, especially with regard to bipolar disorders. She'll be discussing this with comedian Stephen Fry, who suffers from bipolar disorder, which he explored in a documentary for the BBC. They'll also be looking at the creativity documented by Jamison, whose book examines how manic-depressive illnesses are often linked with the artistic temperament - in particular, at those of Lord Byron, Vincent Van Gogh, Robert Schumann and Virginia Woolf. Event: 165. Abi Morgan talks to Francine Stock Screenwriter Abi Morgan is the screenwriter behind some of the most well-known films of the past decades, including Brick Lane, The Iron Lady, and Shame; she also wrote Britain's answer to Mad Men: The Hour. Find out what it's like to work both on the small screen and the big, and with notable names such as novelist Monica Ali and Oscar-winner Meryl Streep. Event: 167. Monty Don, Helen Browning and Guests Health, Beauty and Permanence: What is Farming for? Venue: Hay on Earth Stage Is it possible to feed a growing world population without resorting to large-scale, industrialised processes? Does human-scale, decentralised agriculture necessarily mean lower climate change impacts? Is Small always Beautiful? Join television gardener Monty Don and farmer Helen Browning to discuss. Price: £4.25 Event: 170. Maryam d'Abo and Hugh Hudson talk with Paul Broks Rupture Having a subarachnoid brain haemorrhage might not sound like the most inspiring event in the world, but it did prompt Maryam d'Abo's director husband, Hugh Hudson (who made Chariots of Fire) to make Rupture. The film, which will be screened during the festival, gives hope to those isolated by a condition that is not seen, and therefore often misunderstood. They will be in conversation with neuropsychologist and author Paul Broks; the chair will be Telegraph film critic David Gritten. Event: 198. Dan Jones: The Plantaganets 9am The young historian brings to life those turbulent generations from the 12th to the 15th century, when the Plantagenets dominated English royalty. Their names and deeds sing so romantically in our pasts: the White Ship, Richard the Lionheart, King John, the Black Prince, the Wars of the Roses and John of Gaunt: the Plantagenets are the dynasty that shaped Britain as we know it today. Event: 203. Martin Gilbert: Churchill - The Power of Words Is rhetoric dead? It certainly wasn't in the Second World War. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender. Churchill's words and speeches ring through the decades, and Martin Gilbert, his biographer, explores his life and work through those famous orations and writings. Event: 225. Ian Rankin talks to Sarah Crompton Murder, Mood and Vinyl Ian Rankin The Edinburgh crime writer talks about his writing life, his passions, and reveals...a big secret! His latest novel is The Impossible Dead, the second outing for the miserable, lonely and difficult DI Malcolm Fox, which sees him looking into a case of police corruption. Expect a few mysteries to be unveiled! Sponsored by Freixenet Event: 226. Anne Sebba and Juliet Nicolson talk to Lorna Bradbury Not the Queen of England Two writers concerned with royalty - Anne Sebba is the biographer of Wallis Simpson, the woman who provoked the Abdication, and Juliet Nicolson the author of a novel, her debut, about those very same events, discuss royalty and the historical sweep of things up to, and the range of characters involved in, Queen Elizabeth II's accession. Event: 232. Rob Brydon: Small Man in a Book He's Comedy's Mr Nice Guy, the Welshman who starred in Gavin & Stacey. Here he'll be chatting about his endearing memoir, which manages to stop just before he becomes famous (at the end of the Nineties, if you didn't already know.) You'll have a blissful time - and feel like you're wearing a fluffy cardigan with leeks on it. Sponsored by Castle House Hotel Event: 235. Matthew Hollis: Now All Roads Lead to France Edward Thomas is one of Britain's least known but most influential First World War poets, ranked with Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. He's often thought of as a pastoral poet; but Matthew Hollis's biography shows what he was really concerned with: disconnection and turbulence. Hollis charts Thomas" extraordinary friendship with the poet Robert Frost, which led him to the Battle of Arras. The book won the Costa Biography Award in 2012. Event: 238. Ian Bostridge talks to Michael Berkley A Singer's Notebook This is a thrilling chance to gain an insight into the life and mind of one of the greatest Lieder and opera singers of his time, as the great tenor discusses some composers he has worked with. But before he started performing, he was an academic historian, looking into the study of 17th-century witchcraft. Find out how he feels a deep and lasting connection between the two seemingly different magical realms. Oh, and he likes Bob Dylan, too, which is a little surprising. Event: 239. Sinclair McKay talks to Mark Skipworth The Secret History of Bletchley Park The author is in conversation about his history of the wartime codebreaking centre. His book draws on the memories of those who were there, and sheds new light on the habits of those plucky boffins who shortened the war by two years. Event: 240. Mark Wallinger speaks to Alastair Sooke Mark Wallinger scooped the Turner Prize in 2007 for his installation, State Britain, which recreated Brian Haw's protest display about Iraq. He also put a life-size statue of Christ on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. His work is accessible and witty, and also conscientious and politically incisive. Event: 245. Jeremy Cooper talks to Gavin Turk Growing Up: Young British Artists He makes sculptures of himself cast as famous people like Sid Vicious and Che Guevara. He's made a bronze sculpture that looks like a sleeping bag; at his Royal College of Art show he put up a blue plaque - to himself. Hear him talk about authenticity, self-portaiture, parody, identity and authority. Event: 247. Billy Bragg: Celebrates Woody Guthrie's 100th Birthday This concert will be a tribute to the American folk balladeer, and will showcase some songs written but unrecorded in Guthrie's lifetime, which alternative rocker Billy Bragg has recovered. Price: £13.25 Event: 257. Daniel Pick The Pursuit of the Nazi Mind: Hitler, Hess and the Analysts Daniel Pick is a psychoanalyst and historian who has written about clinical encounters with Nazis, including the interrogation of the captured Rudolf Hess. Agents also performed a Freudian analysis on Hitler's personality - one dreads to think what they conjectured. Event: 261. Claudia Roden and Jose Pizarro talk to Michael Jacobs The Rose Grey Tabletalk: Spanish Food Cookery writer Claudia Roden, who's produced a book about Spanish food, talks to top chef Jose Pizarro, arguably responsible for Britain's current craze for chorizo. Event: 262. Joanne Harris talks to Paul Blezard Peaches for Monsieur le Curé Revisiting characters from The Lollipop Shoes and the bestselling Chocolat, this book looks at the changing face of a French town as a Moroccan community moves in. Event: 264. Karl Miller: Tretower to Clyro Miller is highly connected to Scotland, his birthplace, in his essays. He has also written about his travels with poet Seamus Heaney. Here he discusses local writers of the Black Mountains, such as Francis Kilvert and Raymond Williams. Event: 270. Martin Rowson: Gulliver's Travels Gulliver's Travels has been updated by the cartoonist, as our hero gets washed up on the shores of Lilliput - but in 1997, where the inhabitants worship an Elvis-like figure. Rowson skewers the modern age as deftly and imaginatively as the original novel - Gulliver causes an economic crash by an inadvertent bowel movement, whilst a Blair-like character spouts platitudes. Ingenious and irreverent. Event: 274. Jasper Rees: Bred of Heaven Quintessential Harrovian Englishman Jasper Rees has tried to see what it was like to be Welsh. Inspired by his Welsh grandfather, he paddled a coracle, played rugby, went down a mine and joined a male voice choir. Here he talks about what makes the Welsh tick. Event: 279. Terry Pratchett talks to Rob Wilkins Terry Prachett/BBC The fantasy writer Terry Pratchett, who has sold more than 70 million books worldwide, once said: "The trouble with having an open mind is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it." There are few more humane, inventive and witty writers around, and anyone seeing him at the Hay Festival will be sure to have their heads filled with wisdom and mischief. Pratchett, best known for his Discworld series, is 64 this month. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2007 and has talked candidly and movingly about the idea of assisted death. He will be on stage at Hay with his assistant, Rob Wilkins. Event: 280. Jung Chang talks to Rosie Boycott Wild Swans, 25 Years On Wild Swans, Chang's family memoir about three generations of women in China's 20th century, sold 10 million copies across the world. Published two years after Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989, it gave a real insight into what life was like under the Communist Party. She's written a biography of Chairman Mao. Here she will talk about the changes in her birthplace over the last quarter century. Event: 297. Sarah Jane Morris and Enrico Melozzi: Cello Songs Singer Sarah Jane Morris and cellist Enrico Melozzi premiere their extraordinary collaboration with a cello orchestra. They'll be doing covers of Tom Waits, Damien Rice, and a new song written for Morris by Boy George. Tony Remy, Michael Rosen and The Celestial Quartet also feature, as well as original compositions. Event: 304. Brian Moore and Max Davidson talk to Mark Skipworth Man Talk Ex-rugby player and Telegraph commentator Brian Moore acquired an exceptionally broad following when he published his revealing memoir, Beware of the Dog. Two books of "wit and wisdom" later, he speaks to the Telegraph cricket expert Max Davidson - author of We'll Get "Em in Sequins - and Telegraph executive editor Mark Skipworth about sport and manliness. Event: 323. Peter Oborne, Clive Woodward, Clare Balding, Kate Humble and Brian Moore talk to Sarah Crompton The Telegraph Question Time Join the Telegraph's panel of experts to debate politics, sport, culture, the environment and, of course, the Olympics. Our all-star team is ready to tackle your questions about the burning issues of the day Supported by Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd Event: 329. Alan Hollinghurst talks to Gaby Wood The Stranger's Child Critics have been almost unanimous in praising Hollinghurst's extraordinary novel about a bisexual Georgian poet called Cecil, and the reception of his poetry in the 20th century. It's an ironic, witty delight. Event: 335. Germaine Greer: Shakespeare 3 - The Lovers Germaine Greer/Getty Was Shakespeare homosexual? A bit, thinks Germaine Greer, who here dives into the playwright's boy lovers, and explores sex, love and marriage in the plays, with special reference to Romeo and Juliet. Writer and broadcaster Clemency Burton-Hill chairs what will be a lively discussion. Event: 338. Anthony Giddens: The Politics of Climate Change As resources grow increasingly scarce and as we face rumblings of an apocalypse, economist and sociologist Anthony Giddens is in conversation with the Telegraph's chief political commentator Peter Oborne to examine the political will and practicalities needed to address the global problems of climate change and energy security. Event: 345. Cerys Matthews Venue: The Sound Castle The feisty Welsh singer-songwriter and her band return to the festival with her own new music and a tribute to Woody Guthrie. She is supported by the award-winning folk singer Fflur Dafydd, who is launching her fourth album Ffydd Gobaith Cariad - Faith Hope Love. Price: £15 Event: 348. Julian Clary talks to Fiona Lindsay: Briefs Encountered 8pm The pithy comic Julian Clary has written a bitingly funny ghost story, about a Noël Coward fan, middle-aged actor Richard Stent, who ends up buying his idol's house. Event: 350. Louis de Bernières and James Ellis: The Hay Poisoner The novelist and the composer preview their collaboration, a musical production about Herbert Rowse Armstrong, the Hay solicitor who was hanged for the murder of his wife. The opera examines the way someone can be destroyed by both human and inhuman forces. Event: 353. Bernard Sumner talks to Charlie Connelly Faber Social - Sumner on Sumner The post-punk (and publicity shy) musician previews his first book, talking about his life as the driving force behind Joy Division and other bands, including New Order. Event: 358. David Crystal: What the Dickens! Linguistics professor David Crystal looks into the works of one of our greatest novelists, whose bicentenary is celebrated this year - step forward Charles Dickens; your dialect, dialogue and quirky language habits will all be examined under the intellectual microscope. Event: 360. Sue Townsend talks to Sarah Crompton The Woman who Went to Bed for a Year She gave us Adrian Mole, one of the funniest comic characters in fiction. The brilliant Townsend talks about her new novel, which sees Eva Beaver (yes, that is her name) becoming a guru after taking to her bed for a year. Event: 365. Bettany Hughes: Divine Women Bettany Hughes Was God ever a girl? The historian and broadcaster unveils the hidden history of women in religion, from dominatrix goddesses to political operators and warrior empresses. She reveals what her favourite women in religion tell us about the lives of the real flesh-and-blood women of their day, delving into the catacombs of Rome to the 12,000-year-old Gobekli Tepe, which is the oldest religious complex in the world. Event: 372. Eva Gabrielsson talks to Phil Rickman Stieg and Me: Memories of My Life with Stieg Larsson The Millennium series of crime novels was a publishing phenomenon. Their Swedish author, Stieg Larsson, edited a magazine called Expo, and fought to keep it alive despite receiving death threats (and bullets in the post) from Neo-Nazis. He died of a heart attack at the age of 50. Here his partner talks about their 30-year romance, the pressure of his job, his complex relationship with his family, and the evasive life that he was forced to live. Event: 381. Max Hastings: All Hell Let Loose - The World at War 1939-1945 Max Hastings, in this magisterial work,examines parts of the Second World War that he hasn't yet discussed - the incompetence of the German generals, for instance - as well as creating a portrait of the circumstances of the war from many different points of view. Sponsored by Grant Thornton Event: 383. Matt Pritchett: Matt Matt provides Telegraph readers with a chuckle every day of the year - and has done for over years. His ingenious cartoons give a waggish, wry view of the world, in which everyday events are often turned inside out, skewering everything from suntan lotion warnings to the recent hosepipe ban. "We shouldn't have put Francis Maude in charge of the hosepipe ban," says a man looking at a sign that reads "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE OF THIRST!". This will be fun. Event: 388. Andrew Marr: The Diamond Queen Andrew Marr was a republican - until he spent some time with the Queen, looked into how our monarch has shaped the country and how beloved he is by many. He looks into what the idea of monarchy means in this, Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee Year. Event: 396. Thelma Schoonmaker talks to Simon Schama A Life in Film Thelma Schoonmaker has worked for years as an editor for director Martin Scorsese, including on Raging Bull, for which she won an Oscar (she's been nominated seven times, and won three). She was married to Michael Powell, the director, whose films include the classic The Red Shoes. Join her in conversation with Simon Schama for an evening of cinematic delight, and an invaluable look into the discipline of editing. Event: 401. Bryn Terfel in Concert The world-renowned Welsh baritone (who has a website dedicated to him, called the Terfeliad) gives a very special birthday party concert for the Hay Festival. Expect his customary versatility and depth. Price: £37.25 Sponsored by Miles and Patricia Park Event: 407. Dylan Moran: Yeah Yeah Dylan Moran He created the world's most darkly humorous bookshop owner in Black Books; he's also carved out a successful stand-up career. Dylan Moran, goggly-eyed, irascible and sardonic comic, promises to deliver an evening full of intelligent laughs: "Mobile phone cancer is more common in the city. So is everything else, including sex, coffee and conversation. Price: £16.25 Event: 437. Michael Frayn talks to Sarah Crompton My Father's Fortune With the hit Noises Off currently enjoying a revival on the London stage, the novelist discusses his memoir. Prepare to be enlightened about his childhood and what he discovered about his father. Event: 440. Claire Tomalin: The London Library Lecture - Charles Dickens Coinciding with the bicentennial celebrations of the Victorian novelist, biographer Claire Tomalin examines the intrigues of Dickens's varied and contradictory life. Her acclaimed book Charles Dickens: a Life was published at the end of last year. Event: 450. Ahdaf Soueif: Reflections on Islamic Art An introduction to the novelist and Palfest director's anthology of essays, plus her responses to the collection at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. Event: 452. Antony Beevor: The Second World War The author of Stalingrad, D-Day and Berlin: the Downfall explores a period of history fraught with human tragedy, courage and contradictions. Chaired by Radio 4 presenter Jim Naughtie. Event: 455. Alistair Darling talks to Jesse Norman Back from the Brink The former Chancellor chronicles his turbulent 1,000 days in office - from the financial crisis and the bailout of Royal Bank of Scotland to the eccentricities of his neighbour at Number 10. Event: 456. Alice Oswald: The Greeks 11 - Memorial A reading from the poet's inspired interpretation of The Iliad. Her focus is on the memorial quality of Homer's masterpiece, an attempt to remember the dead through speech, rather than writing. Oswald converts the names of the dead soldiers into a thought-provoking work on death and remembrance. Event: 461. Andy Kershaw talks to Martin Chilton: No Off Switch The broadcaster speaks frankly about his troubled life to Telegraph online Culture Editor Martin Chilton. The adventures of this Lancashire lad include 15 years as a DJ on Radio 1, reporting from civil wars and a painfully public breakdown. A fascinating fill of anecdotes, with presidential appearances. Event: 465. Jack Dee: Work in Progress After a six-year hiatus, the deadpan stand-up returns to the stage. In typically uncomplimentary fashion, Dee says of his comeback: "I wanted to spend less time with my family." Spend the evening delighting in the delivery of this Have I Got News for You and QI regular. Event: 474. Kate Summerscale talks to Sarah Crompton Mrs Robinson's Disgrace: the Private Diary of a Victorian Lady The Samuel Johnson Prize-winner (for The Suspicions of Mr Whicher) offers a portrait of a complex, frustrated Victorian wife - a woman who is starved of passion, learning, companionship and love. Event: 476. Helga Weiss talks to Philippe Sands Helga's Diary: a Young Girl's Experience of a Life in a Concentration Camp Born in 1929 in Prague, the author was one of 15,000 children taken to Terezin and later deported to Auschwitz. Only 100 of those children survived the Holocaust. Helga Weiss was one. Event: 481. David Starkey: The Very Model of Modern Monarchy Tackling yet another controversial and sensitive subject, the historian scrutinises the House of Windsor. Starkey's discussion leads on from his two television series on Royal legacies. Event: 491. Fiona Shaw: Artichoke Presents - Peace Camp 2012 An insightful discussion of the actor's relationship with poetry. This introduces the most romantic project of the Cultural Olympiad, a collaboration with the director Deborah Warner. Peace Camp explores love poetry through a series of installations. You are invited to bring your favourite love poems that may be included in a special soundscape being created for Peace Camp. Event: 495. William Boyd talks to Peter Florence Waiting for Sunrise The author of Any Human Heart and Restless discusses his tale of passions and deceptions. It is framed by the contrasting backdrops of Freud's Vienna and the intelligence services of wartime London. Event: 501. Martin Amis talks to Gaby Wood: Lionel Asbo A state-of-England satire is launched here at Hay. The protagonist is a struggling criminal, carrying out his morning duties in a London prison. Here he learns of his £139,999,999.50 windfall on the National Lottery. The book is Amis's return to the satirical world of Money and Yellow Dog. Event: 507. Monty Don: Gardening at Longmeadow Monty Don/ Andrew Crowley The soft-voiced Gardeners" World star charts the cycle of the seasons at Longmeadow. Beginning with the first snowdrops of January, through the bursts of spring daffodils, the summer displays of the Jewel Garden, the autumn harvest in the orchard and finishing with how to source Christmas fare from the vegetable gardens. Event: 508. Simon Callow: Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World A celebration of Dickens as a performer, an expert on character and dialogue, a mimic and a storyteller. Callow discusses the novelist's works, which he has read to enthralled, and packed-out, audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. Sponsored by Christ College, Brecon Event: 514. Norman Davies The Open University Lecture: Vanished Kingdoms Delve into Britain's murky history. Little-known kingdoms, duchies, empires and republics are brought to life by Davies. You may be surprised to learn that Glasgow was founded by the Welsh at a time when neither England nor Scotland existed. The historian offers a sceptical view of mainstream history writing. Event: 519. Bill Bailey: Qualmpeddler Venue: Barclays Pavillion Bill Bailey Doubts about the modern world have grown into qualms. Bill Bailey will be channelling his unease with the help of religious dubstep, his folk bouzouki, Horntallica and possibly a dub version of Downtown Abbey. Expect the usual whimsy, quirks and musical menagerie from the bearded comedian. Price: £17.47