Nevill Holt Festival Makes Major Additions to 2026 Line-Up With Sue Perkins, Sir Richard Moore, Angela Hartnett OBE and Alexander Armstrong All Announced
The Article
Tue 31 March, 2026
March 31, London: Nevill Holt Festival has today announced the third wave of programming for its 2026 season. The new additions span stand-up comedy, culinary in-conversations, podcasts, live music, intelligence and diplomacy, and family events, adding further breadth and gravitas to the Festival running from 29 May to 21 June.
Headline announcements include broadcaster and comedian Sue Perkins, former head of MI6 Sir Richard Moore KCMG, award-winning chef and restaurateur Angela Hartnett OBE, and television presenter and bass-baritone Alexander Armstrong, who brings his UnClassical movement to Nevill Holt Festival in a thought-provoking conversation about music, creativity, and what it means to be human in an age of AI.
Food, Drink and the Art of Cooking
Angela Hartnett OBE, Michelin-starred chef and proprietor of Murano and Café Murano, Sunday Telegraph columnist, and co-host of the hit Spotify podcast Dish, joins the Festival in conversation with Ewan Venters, Executive Chair of Paul Smith. Their conversation is not to be missed and will bring to life the stories, secrets, and defining dishes behind her extraordinary career.
Clodagh McKenna, celebrated Irish chef, TV presenter and bestselling author, delivers a series of vibrant live cooking demonstrations inspired by her sustainable farm in Broadspear. Drawing on her nine cookbooks, including the number one bestseller In Minutes, her demonstrations are rooted in seasonal produce.
Ben Tish, Chef Director across Cubitt House’s award-winning pubs and restaurants and one of the most compelling voices in modern Mediterranean cooking, joins the Festival for a lively conversation about his creative process — from the origins of his signature dishes to the thinking behind menus that balance comfort with innovation.
Carl Ross joins the culinary line-up for a special Kitchen Garden event, leading a hands-on demonstration of restaurant-quality barbecue techniques.
History, Politics and Current Affairs
The Festival’s reputation as a home for sharp, substantive conversation is further bolstered by the addition of Sir Richard Moore KCMG in conversation with Sir Alan Duncan KCMG. The former Chief of MI6, who served in the role from 2020 to 2025, joins the former Minister of State for Europe and the Americas for a rare and candid exploration of shifting geopolitical realities, the challenges facing Western alliances, and the future of diplomacy in a fractured world.
For an altogether different kind of insider access, In The Room brings Helen MacNamara, former Deputy Cabinet Secretary, and Cleo Watson, former political adviser to former Prime Ministers Theresa May and Boris Johnson, to Nevill Holt. The hosts of the hit podcast dissect the week’s biggest news.
The Festival also welcomes Back to Basics or Bold Reform: What Do Schools Really Need? – a timely discussion on the future of education in the UK featuring Lord Gove, Editor of The Spectator and former Secretary of State for Education, and Stephen Bush, columnist and Associate Editor at the Financial Times, alongside further guests to be announced.
Comedy and conversation
Beloved presenter of The Great British Bake Off and Just A Minute and a familiar face on Taskmaster, Sue Perkins brings her acclaimed solo stand-up to the Festival, a hilarious and candid treatise on stigma, humiliation, and misunderstanding, drawing on the unlikely happenings of a career spent firmly in the spotlight.
Decorator, writer, and sometime singer Nicky Haslam joins Hatta Byng for a characterful conversation about his remarkable life in interiors and beyond.
After its successful debut last summer, The Country House Podcast returns to Nevill Holt with a special live show. Geoff and Rory bring the stories of England’s great houses to life — the people who built them, the dramas that unfolded within their walls, and the art, architecture, and history they still have to tell us.
And for football lovers, Football Ruined My Life makes its first public outing at Nevill Holt. Regular panellists Colin Shindler, Jon Holmes, and Jim White — joined by a very special guest — celebrate the football of a more innocent age, taking questions from the audience and remembering the greats: Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Charlton, Brian Clough and Bill Shankly.
Music
The Festival also welcomes an exceptional afternoon of music and conversation in the Chapel, as Ralph Allwood, for 26 years Director of Music at Eton College and founder of the Rodolfus Choral Course, joins Reverend Giles Fraser for an in-conversation event featuring musical illustrations from an octet of singers from the David Ross Education Trust, directed by Simon Toyne.
The Oakham School Big Band, the flagship jazz ensemble of Oakham School, will bring its trademark mix of classic big-band charts and contemporary arrangements to the Festival stage.
Arts, culture and literature
Alexander Armstrong, comedian, TV presenter, author and bass-baritone, brings his UnClassical vision to Nevill Holt for an entertaining and optimistic in-conversation event exploring what happens to culture in a world where machines can do almost everything. Armstrong makes the case for rediscovering what makes us human through the emotional power of classical music.
One of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary artists, Marc Quinn joins the Festival for what promises to be a fascinating conversation about his wide-ranging and boundary-pushing practice. Quinn, who came to prominence with Self (1991), a cast of his head made from ten pints of his own frozen blood, has since created some of the most talked-about works of the past three decades, including his solid gold Kate Moss at the British Museum.
Wellbeing
Feel Good Flow with Ali Parkinson brings a moment of calm and movement to the Nevill Holt programme, a perfect way to start a Festival morning.
Kids and Family
Family programming continues to grow at Nevill Holt, with the addition of a Lincolnshire Youth Ballet Workshop open to children of all ages and abilities. Led by members of the Lincolnshire Youth Ballet company, participants will learn extracts from Swan Lake, including the iconic Dance of the Cygnets, culminating in a short outdoor demonstration on the lawn.
Festival Experience
New for 2026, the Festival introduces an exclusive VIP Lounge, a serene and sophisticated retreat at the heart of the event, offering a complimentary welcome glass, a space to relax between performances, and a more elevated Festival experience.
Festival Founder David Ross said: “This third wave of programming underlines that this season is our most ambitious season to date. From Sue Perkins to Sir Richard Moore, from Angela Hartnett to Alexander Armstrong, the breadth and quality of what we have assembled is something I am enormously proud of. There is something here for every visitor, and we cannot wait to welcome everyone to Nevill Holt this summer.”
Underbelly Director Ed Bartlam added: “The third wave is another step in creating a programme of exceptional range and ambition. Nevill Holt in 2026 is a festival of big ideas, extraordinary talent, and unforgettable moments. We look forward to seeing you there.”