Listings: Afternoon events, Books

Andy Kershaw. One of the UK's most decorated broadcasters, appearing in conversation about his life and widely acclaimed autobiography No Off Switch. Andy has won numerous awards throughout his career working for Radio 3 and for 15 years on Radio 1, where he shared an office with John Peel. More recently a presenter on…

A poetic version of the award-winning comic's set of personal travel tales. One week only. Contains traces of UFOs, truckers, bean festivals and the Dutch. A tale of redemption, forged in stupidity, alkaline memories laced with acidity. ‘Gorgeous, honest, effortlessly funny’ ★★★★ (Chortle.co.uk). ‘An hour of…

Arthur Conan Doyle Centre. Arthur Conan Doyle Experience is a walk and talk exhibition in the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, a magnificent example of an original Victoria town house which commemorates this great man of literature. Come and take a guided tour of the building and find out how it connects with one…

Lakin McCarthy Entertainment Ltd / The Assembly Rooms. An ocean rowing, polar trekking, camel riding, Castaway, who has travelled the world in search of excitement. The accidental adventurer has been bitten by rabid dogs, chased by pirates and arrested by mutineers. His achievements include racing 160 miles across the…

Lakin McCarthy Entertainment Ltd / The Assembly Rooms. Former Labour Minister, Chris Mullin talks about his widely acclaimed diaries. With his trademark wit and keen eye for the absurd Mullin offers an irreverent glimpse of life behind the scenes at Westminster. 'The most enjoyable and stimulating of all the political…

Lakin McCarthy Entertainment Ltd / The Assembly Rooms. Actor, writer, comedian David Schneider - you know, him, that one from Alan Partridge and The Day Today - tries to justify those wasted hours on Twitter. Why Facebook's like a Jewish mother, the dullest tweet ever, dogs that look like Samuel L. Jackson and what to…

Escape your reading rut and find a book to cure all life's ills as prescribed by Ella Berthoud, renowned bibliotherapist from School of Life and co-author of The Novel Cure. Ella offers free and confidential 15-minute consultations and will prescribe the perfect fiction to help you fix your life! From 12-4pm.

Returning for their third year, Ron Butlin (Edinburgh’s Makar) with acclaimed jazzer Dick Lee and flautist Anne Evans have updated their five-star show with generous helpings of Edinburgh science. This unique and very off-beat celebration of Edinburgh is witty, satirical and highly entertaining – guaranteed! ‘The…

From the Marquis de Sade to Fifty Shades of Grey, from literary quickies to passionate epics, erotic stories continue to get us in a fluster. In this scintillating session Rowan Pelling, Telegraph columnist and former editor of the Erotic Review, shares some of her favourite excerpts and offers gentle guidance to…

Fair Pley / The Assembly Rooms. Galloway and David Hayman take on Afghanistan. Beyond bluster and jingoism two of Scotland's most articulate opponents of war assess the real cost of conflict for the people of Afghanistan. How can a lasting peace be achieved? Can we in Scotland support that aim? Fiercely outspoken on…

Fair Pley / The Assembly rooms. Throughout Galloway's campaigning life football has remained a consuming passion. With Graham Spiers, George looks at the turbulent state of the game and what it tells us about life in Scotland and beyond. Galloway has written extensively about Scottish football and sectarianism, most…

Set on a struggling farm in a fiercely beautiful country teetering on the brink of civil war, this second novel by one of international literature's rising young stars weaves a brilliant tale of family drama and political turmoil. Katie Kitamura is based in New York and has written for numerous publications…

Laura Jane Dean. In the back seat of a car an unassuming conversation takes dark and vicious root in the psyche of Laura Jane Dean. What we tell ourselves about the world, its simple probabilities and routine certainties, mortal dangers and not-so mortal dangers, melt away leaving Laura practicing head-hand-head…

Fair Pley / The Assembly Rooms. Great British Bake Off finalist, medical student and cycle theft victim, James Morton performs extreme baking - can James really raise dough in 60 minutes whilst explaining the science, history and magic of baking? Aided by Susan Morrison, historian and comedian, Susan helps leaven…

Jamie Andrew OBE is the incredible Scottish mountaineer who, despite having no hands and feet, has made some amazing ascents all over the world. As a quadruple amputee, Jamie has also made many thousands of pounds for charity along the way. I hope that my experiences and achievements may in some way inspire others to…

Lakin McCarthy Entertainment Ltd / The Assembly Rooms. Observer restaurant critic and One Show regular Jay Rayner takes apart the conventional wisdom in foodie-circles on what sustainability means and how we're going to feed ourselves this Century, in a witty, whirlwind presentation that will change the way you shop…

Lakin McCarthy Entertainment Ltd / The Assembly Rooms. This talk brings together two of the essays I am writing in a little book called How To Live Against the Message. The book challenges assumptions of what is important to us as a group and as individuals. Here I look at why difficult has become a dirty word. What's…

Lakin McCarthy Entertainment Ltd / The Assembly Rooms. Spend an hour in the company of writer and documentary film maker Jon Ronson, as he lets you into his wonderful world of weird happenings and strange characters. His books, The Psychopath Test, Them: Adventures with Extremists and The Men Who Stare at Goats were…

Liz Lochhead / The Assembly Rooms. Join Scotland's National Poet in this newly selected celebration of The Word, from the here and now back to when she first learned to read by look and say. Poems, rhymes, songs-without-tunes and character monologues dramatic and comic. 'An inspirational presence in British poetry – a…

Lakin McCarthy Entertainment Ltd / The Assembly Rooms. Renowned gardening writer and BBC television presenter, and one of the UK's favourites and most respected gardeners speaks about his life, travels, and how gardening has been woven through it all, and what he has learnt. Monty's TV credits include Gardeners' World…

P45 Popes. Gun-toting Paralympians. Nick Clegg. We live in ethically uncertain times. Not to worry, though, critically acclaimed comic poets Gary From Leeds and Richard Purnell are here to settle your moral quandaries through the only means necessary: Moraletry. What, you may ask, is Moraletry? Like a cross between…

IMWP / The Assembly Rooms. The presenter of Channel 4's Superscrimpers with special guests in a show that makes money (or the lack of it) fun. Meet Mrs Moneypenny and enlist in her army of scrimpers, or just relax, put a smile on your face and the pennies back in your pocket. Since its premiere in 2011, Superscimpers…

New Age Labrador is an intriguing adventure into people’s concepts of what a songwriter or artist actually is. Since his first EP was released on iTunes, disabled singer / songwriter Shaun Shears hopes to give a new insight into what makes an artist - or in his case, songwriter - through sharing. Real songs, real…

Allographic’s Other Voices brings you open-hearted open mic, feature sets from a magnificent all-female cast of spoken word stars, and different special guests every day, all with a sumptuous cabaret vibe, hosted by Fay Roberts. We’ll showcase a whirlwind of wit, verve, passion and panache – so if you want to laugh…

Martin Stepek. Martin Stepek talks about his English/Polish bilingual book For There is Hope, about his Polish ancestors' experiences of deportation to Russian slave labour camps during the Second World War. Also covering material from his next book, the biography of his father, Jan Stepek (1922-2012) who survived a…