Past Festivals

Look who we have welcomed to the Festival so far!

  • David Dimbleby, Edward Stourton, Dame Kate Bingham, Roma Agrawal MBE, Esme Young.

    Schools Outreach: Martin Brown

  • Andrew Lownie, Jill Dawson, Barney Norris, Bev Thomas, Miranda Seymour, Roy and Lesley Adkins, Jason Cowley, Rebecca Mead, Benedict Allen, Marianna Spring, Charlotte Mendelson, Henry Marsh, Nikesh Shukla, Lucy Lethbridge, Robert Harris, Julian Unthank, John Woodhouse, Angie Seaway, Mike Dixon, Henry Porter, Graham Hurley, Ronnie Archer-Morgan, Janet Gleeson, Simon Reeve, Tim Hubbard, The Clifton Trio, Chloe Timms, Julia Wheeler, Sarah Turner, Jennifer Collier, Sophie Irwin, Joanna Quinn, Pragya Agarwal, Michael Brooks, Elizabeth Lowry and Stephen May, Andrew Chatterton, Guy Singh-Watson, Orlando Murrin, Jennifer Collier, Pam Ayres, Sir David Haslam CBE, Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE, Adrian Tierney-Jones, Cat Weatherill, Nine Stibbe, Clare Clark, Rob Evans, Joe Swift, Emma Smith, James Vincent, Jonathan Freedland, Sam Fowles, George Monbiot, Andrew Mitchell MP, Patrick Gale, Jim Causley, Dame Sheila Hancock, Norman Scott, Lyndall Gordon, Lucy Easthope, Jeremy Bowen, Kristina Stephenson, Aardman, Steven Lenton, Steven Butler, Wren Music, Triona Harris.

    Schools Outreach: Nikita Gill, Sophie Henn, Patrice Lawrence MBE, Matt Oldfield, Emma Smith, Alex Wharton.

  • Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Dr Rachel Clarke, Justin Webb, David Olusoga.

  • Lucia Leyfield, Paul Arnott, Laura Thompson, Amy Jeffs and Lucy Holland, Deborah Moggach OBE, Susie Boyt, Natalie Fée, Jenny Packham, Jonny Benjamin MBE and Lorraine Candy, Emma Stonex, Gavin Barwell, East Devon Writers, Ursula Jeakins, Louise Doughty, Cathy Rentzenbrink, Dominic Selwood, Mary Ann Sieghart, Saul David, Angus Forbes, Kate Mosse OBE, Louise Doughty, Baroness Joan Bakewell, Dame Darcey Bussell, Nick Morgan, Lennie Goodings, Robert Wigley, Michael Bhaskar, Tim Harford OBE, Sarah Bussy, Angela Yarwood, Tristan Gooley, Steve Richards, Lucy Parham, Joanna David, Patrick Pead, Jo Willetts, Dr Alan Desmond, David Rooney, Philip Parke, Ann Cleaves, London Ensemble, Michael Caines MBE, Alan Johnson, Richard Dawkins, Celia Imrie, Katz Cowley, MG Leonard, Sam Sedgman, Aardman, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Rebecca Cobb, Naomi and james Jones, Cat Weatherill, Martin Brown
    Online: Victoria Glendinning CBE, James Fox.

  • Dame Hilary Mantel, James Naughtie.

  • Luke Harding, Nazir Afzal, Simon Armitage CBE, Sandi Toksvig, Cathy Rentzenbrink, Robert Winder, Irini Tzortzoglou, Ravinder Bhogal, Helen Macdonald, Perter James, Mark Billingham, Raynor Winn, Penny Wincer, Molly Case, James Naughtie, Sir Kim Darroch, Sarah Moss, Sally Vickers, Kate Humble, Pragya Agarwal, Hilary Mantel, Emily Chappell, Stephen Fabes, James Bell, Elaine Kasket, Michael Wood, Anthony Horowitz.

  • Emma Darwin, Melanie Reid, Peter Stanford, Alan Cotton, Derek Bardowell, Natalie Haynes, William Henry Searle, James Runcie, Emma Bache, Dr Susanne Fragence Cooper, Hilary Mantel, Emma Smith, Marianne Kavanagh, Lisa Jewel, Felicity Cloake, Kirsty Wark, Peter Hannington, Louis de Bernière, Christina Lamb OBE, Harriet de Winton, Diane Setterfield, Joanne Harris MBE, Andrew Lownie, Susie Orbach, Henry Hemming, Robert Harris, Nina Allen, Prof Helen Taylor, Paul Mason, Sarah Turner, Richard Skinner, Tracy Borman, David Shariatmadari, Christopher Somerville, Polly Clark, Alix Nathan, Dominic Sandbrook, David Barrie, Diana Darke, Luan Goldie, Richard Roper, Tom Holland, Alison Weir, Dr David Nott and Ely Nott, John Lewis Stempel, Jenny Eclair, Baroness Camilla Cavendish, Adam Kay.

    Schools Outreach: Derek Bardowell (Sidmouth and Exmouth CC), Tom McLaughlin (Sidmouth, West Exe, Crediton, Honiton), Alex Wheatle (Exmouth, Maynard, Ottery, Colyton), Chris Riddell (Exmouth Transition event and Exmouth Year 7), Jo Earlam (St Peter’s BS) and Simon James (St Peter’s BS)

  • Roy & Lesley Adkins, Anna Beer, Lucy Siegle, Vanessa Berridge, Ambra Edwards, John McCarthy, Emily Mayhew, Kirsty Gunn, Chris Power, Maggie Irving, Ciara Eastell, Mary Colwell, Dan Cruickshank, Stephen Walsh, Wendy Cope, Hilary Mantel, Fiona Sampson, Lalage Snow, John Boyne, Sarah Winman, Vanessa Nicholson, Julian Baggini, Michael Rosen, Patrick Gale, Greg Mosse, Raynor Winn, Katherine May, Hannah Fry, Kate Mosse, Ben Kane, Johnny Mercer, Andrew Miller, Kate Morton, Lynne Truss, Lucy Worsley, Susanna Wadeson, Victoria Bacon, Helen Cullen, Kim Sherwood, Caroline Elton, Christie Watson, Michael Morpurgo, Chris Orr, Dr Adam Rutherford.

    Schools Outreach: Michael Rosen (Exmouth CC), Catherine Johnson (Exmouth /Crediton/ Honiton/Colyton), Lauren St John (Sidmouth, Maynard, St Peter’s Exeter and Ottery St Mary), Andy Cope (Spy Dog (Yr 5) Brilliant Teenage (Yr 10) Exmouth CC, Maz Evans (Transition at Sidmouth and Exmouth), Malika Kegode (Festival writing workshop), Dan Metcalf (St Peter’s BS) and Tracey Corderoy (St Peter’s BS)

  • Prof David Crystal, Alastair Sawday, Hilary Mantel, Phillip Hoare, Rev Richard Coles, Meg Sanders, Stephen Moss, Alex Preston, Elizabeth Day, Paulla Cocozza, Amanda Craig, Owen Slot, David Kynaston, Shirin Ebadi, Sarah Perry, Tim Pears, Paula Byrne, Lucy Hughes-Hallett, James Holland, Jeremy Vine, Christine Green, Charles Spence, Nicholas Crane, Alan Lee, Keggie Carew, Miranda Doyle, Sophie Hannah, Bridget Kendall MBE, Sam Willis, Prof James Daybell, Alison Pearson, Alan Johnson, Michael Morpurgo.

    Schools Outreach:Tim Bowler (Exmouth, Sidmouth, Crediton, Maynard, Ottery, Exeter School) and Philip Ardagh (Transition Events at Exmouth and Sidmouth)

  • Helen Rappaport, Marcus du Sautoy, Hilary Mantel, Tom Bower, Deborah Moggach, Virginia Baily, Alexandra Harris, Jenny Balfour Paul, Juliet Nicholson, Mike Brearley, Peter Snowdon, Jackie Kay, Andy Brown, Simon Garfield, Harry Parker, Peter Hannington, Tahmina Anam, Luke Harding, Shami Chakrabarti, Kate Summerscale, Mark Haddon, Helen Pearson, A C Grayling, Artemis Cooper.

    Schools Outreach: Tanya Landman (six schools in three days) and Theatre Alibi The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon (St Peter’s BS)

  • John Gray, Helen Lederer, Judith Kerr, Hilary Mantel, Rachel Holmes, Ruth Scurr, Kaffe Fassett, David Lloyd, Paula Hawkins, Renee Knight, Andrew Graham & Debbie Horsfield, Amy Sparkes, Peter Nasmyth, Xinran, Jessie Childs, Liza Klaussmann, David Hare, Margaret Drabble, Robert Douglas Fairhurst, Patrick Gale, Ben Okri, Sarah Waters.

    Schools Outreach: Philip Reeve (Maynard, Sidmouth, Crediton, St Peter’s Exeter)

  • Paddy Ashdown, Charles Spencer, Mark Watson, Kate Mosse, Claudia Renton, Louise Doughty, Jessie Burton, Naomi Wood, John Lanchester, Fay Weldon, Judith Mackrell, Xiaolu Guo, Phillip Reeve, Sarah McIntyre, James Lovelock, Kate Atkinson, Michael Morpurgo, Hilary Mantel, Sadie Jones, Linda Grant, Kate Adie.

    Schools Outreach: Daljit Nagra (Pupils from St James, Exeter/Crediton/ St Peter’s Exeter/ Sidmouth, Exmouth, West Exe).

  • Melvyn Bragg, P.D James, Sam Willis, Peter Snow, Peter Stothard, Jacky Kay, Hilary Mantel, Christopher Hill, Rachel Cooke, Edna O’Brien, Callum Roberts, Toby Buckland, Alex Wade, Ed Hogan,  Katie Ward, Julia Copus, Kaddy Benyon, Lavinia Greenlaw, Lynne Truss, James Fleet, Ferdinand Mount, Martin Rees, Miriam Darlington,  Sarah Moss,  Jan Morris, Sara Churchwell.

  • Hilary Mantel, Meredith Hooper, Lemm Sissay, Alison Light, Michael Holroyd, Ginette Vincendeau, Penelope Lively, Wendy Cope, Douglas Hurd, Paul Dodgson, Lucy Adlington, Michael Frayn, Kathy Lette, Professor Jeremy Black OBE, Claire Tomalin & John Carey, John O’Farrell, Peter Hennessy, Joan Bakewell, Dr Ann Wroe, Babette Cole.

  • John Carey, Josceline Dimbleby, Caroline Taggart & Richard Willis, Mavis Cheek, Robin Hanbury-Tenison, Sir Timothy Ackroyd, Carol Ann Duffy, Luke Howard, Gillian Clarke, Sir Roy Strong, Chris Waters, Hilary Mantel.

  • Carol Ann Duffy CBE, Simon Brett, Susan Hill, Christopher Lloyd CVO, Jeremy Musson, Nicholas Ridley, Alex Wade, Ian Frost, Hilary Mantel CBE, Sir Christopher Meyer KCMG, Anna Beer, Ian Mortimer, Mal Peet, Caroline Taggart, Richard Swales-Willis.

  • Michael Morpurgo, Professor Martin Sorrell, Pamela Neville-Sington, Hilary Mantel, Gerald Dickens, Val McDermid, Sue Lawley, Hugh Williams, Hugo Swire, Simon Brett, HRF Keating, Sheila Mitchell, Michael Foreman, Nigel Cozens, Virginia Ironside, Dennis Harkness.