Enjoy an evening of anecdotes from some of the world’s most fascinating thinkers with these speaking tours happening across the UK in 2022 and 2023. These are brain food shows, designed to stimulate new thoughts and conversation. 

All of these shows are selling out fast, so grab your tickets quick to avoid disappointment. 

Fran Lebowitz

The fast-talking wit of Fran Lebowitz has always translated better to live performance than her writings, which might be why her popularity hit the stratosphere after the Scorsese-directed show Pretend It’s A City aired on Netiflix. She’ll tour the country this summer regaling audiences with her outrageous opinions on absolutely everything. If you want the experience of a grumpy New Yorker ranting about traffic, then this is the show for you. 

Fran Lebowitz will tour the UK throughout June, and in April 2023.

Dame Judi Dench and Gyles Brandreth 

With a career spanning more than six decades, Dame Judi Dench is an acting legend on both stage and screen. For three nights at London’s Gielgud Theatre, she’ll be strolling down memory lane with her long-term pal and national treasure in his own right Gyles Brandreth. Expect a nostalgic evening of actorly anecdotes, Shakespearean knowledge and all-round fun. 

Dame Judi Dench and Gyles Brandreth will be in conversation at the Gielgud Theatre on Sunday 19 June, Sunday 26 June and Sunday 3 July. The show will also be live-streamed. 

Tim Peake 

As the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station, Tim Peake has already earned his place in the history books. Now he’s sharing his experience with the UK as part of his first ever live show. He’ll guide you through what it means to be an astronaut and what you need to survive in space. Even if you have only a passing interest in space travel, Peake’s natural enthusiasm and wonder is infectious.  

Tim Peake will tour the UK from August until November 2022. 

Dame Sheila Hancock 

Promoting her memoir Old Rage, Dame Sheila Hancock will hit the road to discuss her varied life in television and film, and her time treading the boards in repertory groups across the UK. A highly regarded master of her craft, Hancock will also lament the state of British society and the nature of grief as she enters her ninth decade. 

Dame Sheila Hancock will tour the UK from Friday 3 June until Thursday 16 June. The show will also be livestreamed. 

David Sedaris 

American humourist, comedian, author and personality David Sedaris has made his name as a sardonic satirist of modern social mores. Now, you can hear him in person when he visits the UK throughout the summer, as he pontificates on the state of modern America and provides insight into some of his greatest writings, including the novels Barrel Fever and Holidays On Ice. 

David Sedaris will tour the UK throughout July and August. 

Professor Brian Cox

Handsome space nerd Brian Cox will tour arenas across the UK this year as part of his Horizons tour, which aims to communicate Cox’s childlike wonder in an accessible, fun and occasionally provocative way. Highly anticipated since its covid-related delay, there aren’t many tickets left for this one. Grab some now to avoid disappointment. 

Professor Brian Cox will tour the UK throughout August, September and October. 

Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Known as one of the foremost explorers alive today, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has spent a lifetime pushing hist endurance to its very limits. He was the first man to reach both Poles, the first to cross the Antarctic and Arctic Oceans, and the first to circumnavigate the world along its polar axis. Not too shabby, and you’ll be able to hear all about it when he tours select locations in the UK this year. 

Sir Ranulph Fiennes will tour the UK throughout May and June. 

Marti Pellow 

Fans of Wet Wet Wet rejoice – Marti Pellow will embark on a speaking tour with his pun-tastic tour ‘Pellow Talk’. The press release for the tour reads, ‘You’ve never seen me like this before. You’ve never been this close. I’m inviting you to spend an intimate evening with me – think of it as coming back to my place for a night of stories and songs.’ By the sounds of it, Pellow will be getting fresh by the end of the evening, so be sure to bring a stick with you to bat him off. 

Marti Pellow will tour the UK throughout winter. 

Debbie Harry and Chris Stein In Conversation

Dogged survivors of rock, Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein will be touring the UK this winter to chat in-depth about their lengthy careers. Blondie are a more interesting band than most, successfully straddling the punk scene with their loftier commercial ambitions, so expect this to be a special evening. 

Debbie Harry and Chris Stein In Conversation will take place on Tuesday 1 November, Thursday 3 November and Tuesday 8 November at select locations across the UK. 

Grayson Perry

As an award-winning artist, telly presenter, Reith lecturer and best-selling author, Grayson Perry has become a dominant force in arts commentary with good reason. His newest tour, A Show For Normal People, explores the anxieties that are gnawing at all of us, from the mountainous to the trivial. Perry’s quite rightly become known for tackling gloomy issues with a light touch, and we expect these talks to be no different.  

Grayson Perry will tour the country in June this year. Streaming options are also available. 

Stacey Dooley 

BBC star and future national treasure Stacey Dooley will tour the UK in early 2023 to discuss her new book Are You Really OK? Understanding Britain’s Mental Health Emergency, which plans to crack open the discussion around mental health in young people. The committed documentarian will also tackle broader issues in the UK, including poverty, drug addiction, identity and the pressures of social media. 

Stacey Dooley will tour the UK throughout February 2023.

Melvyn Bragg

Erstwhile screenwriter, television presenter, and host of Radio 4’s In Our Time is visiting a select number of locations to discuss his memoir Back In The Day. Recounting his time growing up in the Cumbrian market town of Wigton, Bragg promises a nostalgic evening about an era that’s rapidly fading out of view. 

Melvyn Bragg will talk at The Apex in Bury St. Edmund on Tuesday 31 May, The Market Hall in Wigton on Friday 3 June and Theatre By The Lake in Keswick on Saturday 4 June. 

Reverend Richard Coles and friends

Reverend Richard Coles is the only vicar to have a number one pop single and appear on Strictly Come Dancing, and yet he still pulls off a clerical collar with panache. He’ll play select venues across the UK to chat about his first ever novel Murder Before Evensong, which sees a sleepy parish descend into unexpected chaos. 

Reverend Richard Coles will tour the UK throughout June. Streaming options are also available.