Cutler tribute, McDermid play at BookFest 25

Jun 10 2025 | By Hugh Simpson More

Hamish Hawk, Vanessa Redgrave at Edinburgh Futures Institute

by Hugh Simpson

The 2025 Edinburgh Book Festival – in its second year at Edinburgh Futures Institute – will feature the normal mix of theatre-adjacent events and other enticing attractions in its two week programme from Sat 9 to Sun 24 August.

In terms of performance, one of the big draws will surely be Edinburgh musician Hamish Hawk’s take on the work of the one-of-a-kind Scottish poet and performer Ivor Cutler. In the Spiegeltent, Hawk will be performing some of Cutler’s work and adding some brand new music inspired by him. A setting inspired by Cutler’s Life In A Scotch Sitting Room Vol 2 will feature the use of Cutler’s own harmonium, and Hawk’s tracks will be available for purchase.

Val McDermid whose new play will get a script-in-hand reading. Pic: Charlotte Graham

Val McDermid’s brand new play And Midnight Never Come, about the death of Christopher Marlowe, will be given a script-in-hand reading directed by Philip Howard, in conjunction with Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

There will of course be a selection of celebrated actors on display throughout the festival, with Viggo Mortensen and Vanessa Redgrave performing messages of protest in The People Speak.

Harriet Walter will be giving Shakespeare’s women a voice; Walter’s last appearance at the Festival was one of the most illuminating and thought-provoking in recent years regarding the business of writing and acting on stage.

performance

The Spiegeltent will be devoted largely to performances of music, poetry and spoken word, and the festival will feature performances by musicians and poets including Malachy Tallack, Esther Swift, Simone Seales, Mele Broomes, Angus Peter Campbell, Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, Makar Peter Mackay and Len Pennie.

Music will also feature strongly in an event including Cora Bissett, Emma Pollock and Nicola Meighan in response to the Oasis gigs at Murrayfield, featuring female performers from the same era who are not benefitting from the same retro hype as the Gallaghers.

BookFest director Jenny Niven with the new brochure. Pic: Aly Wight

Elsewhere in the festival, the core theme is Repair, which will focus on ways to fix things which are broken, be they personal or political, physical or environmental. This will include writers such as Robert Macfarlane, Louise Welsh, Philippe Sands and ‘barrister for the earth’ Monica Feria-Tinta.

A Repair Gala on Saturday 10th August features Amitav Ghosh, Rachel Kushner, Cacica Juma Xipaia, Najwan Darwish and Jenni Fagan.

The already-announced Front List series of events at the McEwan Hall features such names as Nicola Sturgeon, Maggie O’Farrell, Ruth Jones, Mark Kermode with Brian Cox, and Ally McCoist. Other festival events will take place at Dynamic Earth, Elliott’s Studio and the National Library.

Kids Zone

Back at the Futures Institute, a new Kids Zone will include a dedicated space in the enclosed courtyard by the Canopy cafe, and 100 events for young people featuring writers of the calibre of Michael Rosen, Jacqueline Wilson, Pamela Butchart and Cressida Cowell. There will also be a new dedicated programme for Young Adults.

Of course, much of the attraction of the festival is taking a chance on events you know little about, and this is helped by the ticketing policy. As well as reduced prices for students, over 60s and those with access requirements, there is concessionary ticket pricing for under 30s and many events are priced at £5 for those receiving low-income benefits.

BookFest 2024 at the Futures Institute. Pic: Chris Scott

Unsurprisingly, the second year at the new site will see some tweaks. A new entrance and box office on the corner of Middle Meadow Walk will give more visibility from the Meadows and George Square. Last year’s teething troubles regarding catering in the courtyard have been addressed, with more food and drink outlets and more tables promised.

The Book Festival will take place from 9-24 August.

The brochure is now live. Tickets will go on sale on Saturday 21 June. The Front List events are already on sale.

Selected theatre-adjacent listings at BookFest 25

Week One

Krystal Evans
From the Ashes
Saturday 9 August
14:45–15:45 (Spiegeltent)
Escaping the house fire which tragically killed your sister and left you with PTSD at the age of 14 might not seem an obvious basis for a stand-up show, but Krystal Evans managed exactly that with her award-nominated hour, and now debut book, The Hottest Girl at Burn Camp. Evans’ memoir shares how she went from the ashes of disaster to centre stage in a true story that’s dark, heartbreaking, inspiring, and hilarious (often all at once). Further details.

Loud Poets
Grand Slam Final 2025
Saturday 9 August
16:00-18:00 (Courtyard Theatre)
Returning for a third year, the highly anticipated Loud Poets Grand Slam Final promises to be a Festival highlight, combining music with fist-thumping, side-tickling poetry. Having qualified through a series of nationwide Slams, 12 poets compete for a £3,000 prize and the coveted title of Slam Champion. Hosted by Kevin Mclean with musical accompaniment from Jack Hinks, plus a special performance from last year’s winner, and this year’s sacrificial poet, EmmaClaire Brightlyn. Further details.

Harriet Walter
Beyond The Bard
Sunday 10 August
11:45-12:45 (Venue T)
Harriet Walter has lived and breathed Shakespeare. Having brought many of his characters to sparkling life on stage, she knows them more intimately than most. She Speaks! is an audacious exercise of imagination and wit, where The Bard’s female characters finally speak their minds. Jackie Wylie talks to Walter (renowned for her Oliver Award-winning stage performances, and her many screen appearances including Succession and Killing Eve) about what it’s like to step into Shakespeare’s shoes. Further details.

Event
1995: Grrrls Aloud
Sunday 10 August
21:00-22:30 (Spiegeltent)
Murrayfield might be basking in Oasis nostalgia, but the mid-90s wasn’t all blokes and Britpop. Join BBC broadcaster and A Kick Up the Arts host Nicola Meighan for a celebration of Scotland’s femme-powered revolution, circa ‘95. Emma Pollock (Delgados/Chemikal Underground) reflects on that time and its reverberations alongside writers Carrie Marshall, Chitra Ramaswamy, and theatre livewire Cora Bissett, soundtracked by a fired-up playlist, with live music from Hen Hoose Collective’s Cariss Crosbie. What’s the story? Oh, there’s always more than one… Further details.

The Front List
Mark Kermode MK3D
Wednesday 13 August
13:30–14:30 (McEwan Hall)
Join the UK’s favourite film critic, Mark Kermode, alongside very special guests – including Golden Globe-winning Succession patriarch Brian Cox – for a unique and energy-filled celebration of the silver screen. They’ll explore and dissect current and upcoming releases, revel in the vintage age of cinema, and maybe admit to a few guilty pleasures… MK3D is produced in association with the BFI Southbank, where it sells out every month. We’re delighted that this is the very first Mark Kermode Live in 3D presented in Scotland. Further details.

Simone Seales and Mele Broomes
Dearest
Wednesday 13 August
20:00-21:30 (Spiegeltent)
Cellist Simone Seales’ Dearest (a debut poetry and music album with an accompanying zine) is a reflection on the warmth and nostalgia of first love, drawing on Patricia Highsmith’s classic romance, Carol. In this special performance, Seales’ tender and insightful poetry is read by multi- disciplinary artist Mele Broomes while accompanied by Seales on the cello. Supported by Sir Ewan and Lady Brown. Further details.

Week Two

Hamish Hawk
Life in a Scotch SittingRoom, Vol. 0
Sat 16 (link)/ Sun 17 August (repeat show link)
21:00–22:30 (Spiegeltent)
Join local indie songwriter Hamish Hawk in a rare, lyrical homage to Scotland’s pre-eminent poet-eccentric: Ivor Cutler. A celebration of Cutler’s dreich spoken-word masterpiece, Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Hawk presents new stories and songs inspired by his own childhood home in Edinburgh, alongside unique reworkings of Cutler’s original works. Joined by friends and armed with Cutler’s original harmonium, this performance – a special Book Festival commission – promises an evening of wit, warmth, and words, sure to make fans of the uninitiated. Introduced by Nicola Meighan. Further details.

Mark Haddon
Curious, Different, Human
Monday 18 August
18:45-19:45 (Venue T)
Mark Haddon, who gave us the genre-defying The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, has always thought outside the box. That’s especially true of his latest collection of stories, Dogs and Monsters: eclectic retellings of Greek myths wherein the ancient speaks to the contemporary. Today, in conversation with Chris Power, Haddon asks what it is that makes some stories, myths, and parables persevere (and adapt) across millennia. Further details.

Edward Carey
Theatre of the Absurd
Tuesday 19 August
12:15–13:15 (Courtyard Theatre)
The mutifaceted Edward Carey is a novelist, playwright, and illustrator whose creations have a Gothic sensibility, at once enchanting and unsettling. His eccentric new work, Edith Holler, tells the story of a young woman trapped in a theatre she believes will crumble should she ever leave. Today Carey speaks to us about his characteristically unconventional love letter to the stage and those who write for it, and his multidisciplinary approach to writing. Further details.

Performance
And Midnight Never Come
Tuesday 19 August
20:00-22:00 (Spiegeltent)
Queen of Crime, the iconic Val McDermid, is bringing her forensic gaze to bear on one of the theatre’s most enduring mysteries – the death of Christopher Marlowe in Deptford in 1593. A forbidden love story, a double-crossing spy story, or Shakespeare’s inspiration? This special reading of McDermid’s playscript is directed by Philip Howard and is presented in partnership with Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Further details.

Rock the boat
Open Mic Poetry
Wednesday 20 August
18:00 – 19:30 (Spiegeltent)
Whether you’re ready to hit the mic or just keen to soak up the vibes, this event has you covered. Our friends at Push the Boat Out host a special edition of their vibrant monthly open mic to celebrate dynamic contemporary poetry and performance. So, sit back and enjoy – or take to the stage and showcase your own work. Visit our website to find out how you can get involved. Further details.

GUBSMACKED presents
Flyte Nyte 2025
Wednesday 20 August
20:00-22:00 (Spiegeltent)
Like the modern rap battle, ‘flytings’ flourished in 15th century Scotland as a form of entertainment, and as a means of garnering respect, attention, and speaking truth to power. Today, GUBSMACKED presents the dazzlingly rude and boisterous Flyte Nyte 2025! Colin Bramwell, Iona Lee, and Leyla Josephine host poets, rappers, and spoken word artists all fighting to become the first Flyting Champion using nothing but wit, verse, extravagant verbal abuse, and name-calling – highbrow it isnae! Further details.

Gerda Stevenson
Tales o’ Nine Lives
Thursday 21 August
15:45-16:45 (Venue B)
Today, we’re joined by the luminous Gerda Stevenson: award-winning Scottish filmmaker and poet, theatre director and singer, songwriter and actress, author of plays and stories. Cat Wumman is her vibrant new collection of short stories, penned in Scots, breathing fresh life into traditional songs and tales from Scotland and beyond. Hear Stevenson chatting with Mairi Kidd about how a love of folktales and songs has been a constant throughout her work and life – and why. Further details.

James Runcie & Fenella Humphreys
Life After Love, Love After Love
Thursday 21 August
17:00–18:00 (Venue T)
After his wife – theatre director and radio producer, Marilyn Imrie – died, author James Runcie wrote the intensely moving memoir, Tell Me Good Things. In this singular and incredibly special event to mark the fifth anniversary of her passing, Runcie offers his poignant reflections on loss, bereavement, memory, and what it means to love again. He’s joined by dazzling violinist Fenella Humphreys, one of Britain’s most versatile musicians, playing an array of Scots, classical, and contemporary music. Further details.

Event
The People Speak
Sunday 24 August
17:00–18:00 (Venue T)
Join a host of acclaimed writers and actors, including the one and only Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings, Captain Fantastic) and the iconic Vanessa Redgrave (The Devils, Atonement, Mrs Dalloway), for powerful performances of stories, speeches, and songs of protest and rebellion from around the world, and across history. Inspired by the work of people’s historian Howard Zinn and directed by Anthony Arnove (co-editor with Colin Firth of The People Speak), their words shimmer with strength, inspiration, and a vision for a better future. Hosted by Anthony Arnove. See our website for full cast details. Further details.

Event
Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers
Sunday 24 August
21:15-22:15 (Venue T)
“Murdering songs for fun in front of anyone who will listen” is how this crime-writing super-group describe themselves. Tonight, they return to the scene of the crime: the Spiegeltent, where they performed their very first gig. Join Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Doug Johnstone, Stuart Neville, Val McDermid, and Luca Veste as the group swap their desks for the stage and put on an unmissable, riotous evening of rock and roll. Further details.