Who is Vince Cable (aka the Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable)? He is best known as a politician who was a key figure, for five years, in the Coalition Cabinet as Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills, and then as Leader of the Liberal Democrats.

He is now retired from Parliament after 20 years as MP for Twickenham and is a writer of books on political and economic matters (and a novel); a Visiting Professor at the LSE; a Distinguished Fellow of the Overseas Development; and Director of a company creating a hydrogen refueling network as part of the net zero economy.

When not working, he is a father (of 3) and grandfather (of 3); happily married to Rachel (a second marriage; he was widowed); a competitive ballroom and dancer (who once earned 10/10 from Len and Craig on the Xmas edition of Strictly); and a keen cyclist and hiker.

Before becoming an MP he was Chief Economist for Shell and before that worked in the Kenya Treasury, researched in Latin America and India, and served in the Diplomatic Service, the Commonwealth Secretariat and as Special Adviser to the late John Smith.

Vince wrote the best seller The Storm during the Financial Crisis and has recently published the following books:

How to be a Politician 

The Chinese conundrum

Money and power 

Partnership and politics in a divided decade (with his wife, Rachel Smith) and

Open Arms (a political thriller)

An extraordinary evening, initiated by Dr. Remus Nica, to raise money for children with cancer.

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Who is Vince Cable (aka the Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable)? He is best known as a politician who was a key figure, for five years, in the Coalition Cabinet as Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills, and then as Leader of the Liberal Democrats.

He is now retired from Parliament after 20 years as MP for Twickenham and is a writer of books on political and economic matters (and a novel); a Visiting Professor at the LSE; a Distinguished Fellow of the Overseas Development; and Director of a company creating a hydrogen refueling network as part of the net zero economy.

When not working, he is a father (of 3) and grandfather (of 3); happily married to Rachel (a second marriage; he was widowed); a competitive ballroom and dancer (who once earned 10/10 from Len and Craig on the Xmas edition of Strictly); and a keen cyclist and hiker.

Before becoming an MP he was Chief Economist for Shell and before that worked in the Kenya Treasury, researched in Latin America and India, and served in the Diplomatic Service, the Commonwealth Secretariat and as Special Adviser to the late John Smith.

Vince wrote the best seller The Storm during the Financial Crisis and has recently published the following books:

How to be a Politician 

The Chinese conundrum

Money and power 

Partnership and politics in a divided decade (with his wife, Rachel Smith) and

Open Arms (a political thriller)

World renowned musicians Julian and Jiaxin Lloyd Webber take their audience on a unique ‘double-sided’ journey of live music and ‘behind the scenes’ stories about their lives in the most influential musical dynasty of modern times.

With a first half that explores the extraordinary reasons why Bach’s sublime Cello Suites remained unperformed for two hundred years before taking their place amongst the most loved pieces of classical music.

The second half sees Julian embark on a magical musical tour through his amazing career along with a rare chance to quiz both Lloyd Webbers about playing with such musical icons as Elton John, Yehudi Menuhin, Katherine Jenkins, Tim Rice, Joaquin Rodrigo, Cleo Laine, Stephane Grappelli and, of course, his brother Andrew Lloyd Webber. Not to be missed!

"I can’t think of anything that could have been a better launch for the Hurlingham Festival.  It was a true treat for the intellect as well as for the senses and the two hours flew by.  The combination of live performance, videos, commentary worked exceptionally well.  I’m very confident it will have been one of the best attended events of the Festival.”

"The audience were enthralled by your playing, Jiaxin, with the context from your commentary, Julian, making it all the more interesting.  The second half with you both on stage was even better than I could have expected and almost like a bonus event!  The free flow of conversation, with great humour between the two of you combined fascinating and highly entertaining insights into both of your performing careers, solo and jointly and the wider context of the importance of music in education -  all delivered with the perfect combination of gravitas and light touch."

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions.

World renowned musicians Julian and Jiaxin Lloyd Webber take their audience on a unique ‘double-sided’ journey of live music and ‘behind the scenes’ stories about their lives in the most influential musical dynasty of modern times.

With a first half that explores the extraordinary reasons why Bach’s sublime Cello Suites remained unperformed for two hundred years before taking their place amongst the most loved pieces of classical music.

The second half sees Julian embark on a magical musical tour through his amazing career along with a rare chance to quiz both Lloyd Webbers about playing with such musical icons as Elton John, Yehudi Menuhin, Katherine Jenkins, Tim Rice, Joaquin Rodrigo, Cleo Laine, Stephane Grappelli and, of course, his brother Andrew Lloyd Webber. Not to be missed.

"I can’t think of anything that could have been a better launch for the Hurlingham Festival.  It was a true treat for the intellect as well as for the senses and the two hours flew by.  The combination of live performance, videos, commentary worked exceptionally well.  I’m very confident it will have been one of the best attended events of the Festival.”  

"The audience were enthralled by your playing, Jiaxin, with the context from your commentary, Julian, making it all the more interesting.  The second half with you both on stage was even better than I could have expected and almost like a bonus event!  The free flow of conversation, with great humour between the two of you combined fascinating and highly entertaining insights into both of your performing careers, solo and jointly and the wider context of the importance of music in education -  all delivered with the perfect combination of gravitas and light touch.”

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions.

Often described as the compère beyond compare, but before becoming a fully-fledged playwright, panellist, performer and stalwart of the Edinburgh Festival, Arthur worked as a road sweeper, dustman, market researcher, teacher and advertised chicken burgers in supermarkets dressed as a fox.

A career in comedy was the only one that could follow a build up like that. He was one of many stand-up performers on the alternative comedy scene in the Eighties.

Twenty years on he still performs in much the same manner, perhaps ironically, he now describes himself as a "semi-professional" comedian.

To BBC radio and TV audiences, his career has been split between appearing on top quiz shows and fronting the funny section in Loose Ends. On TV, he's been a regular Grumpy Old Man and Countdown wordsmith.

His plays include the award-winning An Evening with Gary Lineker, My Summer with Des and The Bed Show. He has presented Radio 4’s Excess Baggage and Radio 2’s The Smith Lectures and is a regular guest on Loose Ends. He describes himself as Radio 4’s “bit of rough".

Widely respected as the voice of Test Match Special ‘Blowers’, Henry Blofeld brings his wit and wisdom to the stage once again.

Henry’s keen to stress though that it’s not all cricket, in fact most of it isn’t and that every show is different. So, even if you’ve been before you can be sure that it’ll never be the same twice.

“People gather round afterwards in the foyer and say, ‘We had no idea it was like this. We thought it was a cricket show.’ But it’s not. And if you think you’re going to learn how to play a forward defensive, you’ll be sadly disappointed.”

Instead, the talk is based, in the loosest sense, on Henry’s life story, although there’s time for as many after-dinner anecdotes and meandering digressions as there is in a Test Match Special rain break.

The show itself is very tongue-in-cheek and Henry spends a lot of time poking fun at himself and subjects veer from intergalactic travel, to horticulture to mountaineering. Audiences are always sure of an evening of great tales from this quintessential Englishman.

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions

Widely respected as the voice of Test Match Special ‘Blowers’, Henry Blofeld brings his wit and wisdom to the stage once again.

Henry’s keen to stress though that it’s not all cricket, in fact, most of it isn’t and that every show is different. So, even if you’ve been before you can be sure that it’ll never be the same twice. “If you think you’re going to learn how to play a forward defensive, you’ll be sadly disappointed.”

Instead, the talk is based, in the loosest sense, on Henry’s life story, although there’s time for as many after-dinner anecdotes and meandering digressions as there is in a Test Match Special rain break.

The show itself is very tongue-in-cheek and Henry spends a lot of time poking fun at himself and subjects veer from intergalactic travel to horticulture to mountaineering. Audiences are always sure of an evening of great tales from this quintessential Englishman.

Production Company: Clive Conway Productions Ltd.

Join John Sergeant for an evening of humorous and thought-provoking conversations filled with anecdotes and recollections about his experiences throughout his career. 

John is the former Chief Political Correspondent for the BBC from 1992 to 2000 and ITN's Political Editor from 2000 until 2002. 

Many people will remember John as one of Britain's most popular and respected broadcasters and authors. His award-winning career as a political journalist has been as lengthy as it has been successful and has seen him interview big political hitters like Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher, John Major, and Tony Blair.

In recent years though John has returned to his first love of light entertainment and can be seen regularly on programmes like The One Show, Have I Got News For You, QI, Room 101, and the News Quiz, and of course, there were those appearances on Strictly. 

Indeed Sergeant’s two left feet approach to the arts of the ballroom consistently found him at the bottom of the judge's scoreboard but the public loved him and he retrained week after week. He finally left the show in Week 10 saying: "The trouble is that there is now a real danger that I might win the competition. Even for me, that would be a joke too far.”

More recently there have been well-received documentaries as well including John Sergeant's Tourist Trail, Tracks of Empire - about the Indian Railways, and Britain's First Photo Album about the pioneering photography of Francis Frith.

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions.

Steven was born in Stepney, London. After studying drama and mime in London and Paris, he entered a series of repertory companies and in 1968 formed the London Theatre Group.

Steven's plays and adaptations have been performed in many countries and in many languages. Among the many adaptations Berkoff has created for the stage, directed and toured, are Kafka's Metamorphosis and The Trial, Agamemnon after Aeschylus, and Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. He has directed and toured productions of Shakespeare's Coriolanus also playing the title role, Richard II, Hamlet and Macbeth, as well as Oscar Wilde's Salome.

He has also triumphed as a film actor too.... Appearing in iconic films such as: A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, Octopussy, Beverly Hills Cop, Rambo, Under the Cherry Moon, Absolute Beginners, The Krays as well as directing and co-staring with Joan Collins in the film version of his play Decadence.

Steven has a trilogy of solo shows, One Man, Shakespeare's Villains and Requiem for Ground Zero and has also just published a book of his own poetry.

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Widely respected as the voice of Test Match Special ‘Blowers’, Henry Blofeld brings his wit and wisdom to the stage once again.

Henry’s keen to stress though that it’s not all cricket, in fact, most of it isn’t and that every show is different. So, even if you’ve been before you can be sure that it’ll never be the same twice. “If you think you’re going to learn how to play a forward defensive, you’ll be sadly disappointed.”

Instead, the talk is based, in the loosest sense, on Henry’s life story, although there’s time for as many after-dinner anecdotes and meandering digressions as there is in a Test Match Special rain break.

The show itself is very tongue-in-cheek and Henry spends a lot of time poking fun at himself and subjects veer from intergalactic travel to horticulture to mountaineering. Audiences are always sure of an evening of great tales from this quintessential Englishman.

Production Company: Clive Conway Productions Ltd.

Bob Flowerdew is one of Britain's leading organic gardeners, and a television and radio presenter. He is a regular panel member of BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time.

The son of a farmer, his family have been working the land in East Anglia since Elizabethan times. Flowerdew runs a consultancy landscape service, is President of the Norfolk group of the Soil Association, and also teaches at agricultural college. He has written books on gardening including "Going Organic: The Good Gardener's Guide to Getting It Right".

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions

A brief cultural history of the world through architecture. Buildings give people a sense of identity and pride - particularly historic buildings and treasure houses such as museums and cities such as York and Richmond. These all suggest longevity and continuity and civilised virtues. 

It is for these reasons that historic buildings and museums are highly valued and it is also for these reasons that they are attacked by forces that want to undermine a people’s pride, identity, sense of independence and will to fight. We saw this is recent years in Islamic State’s attacks on ancient sites in Iraq – such as Nimrud and Hatra and in Syria – notably Palmyra. 

This talk will be about why history and culture, particularly architecture,  matter, and why we have to fight for what is important. Examples of inspirational architecture explored will include locations in Yorkshire - notably York, Richmond and Fountains Abbey. The consequences of the brutal collision between culture, conflict and politics will be illustrated by reference to what is currently happening in Ukraine as well as the attacks on Palmyra and in Iraq.

There will be a focus on the wonders that survive but will argue that survival in many cases depends on our vigilance.   With travel now more difficult, there needs to be a determination to keep memory alive. When a building or place is forgotten by the public its loss becomes easier. 

Such talks can help banish forgetfulness or lethargy, that can prove fatal and play a part in the battle to save history, memory and architectural beauty.

Widely respected as the voice of Test Match Special ‘Blowers’, Henry Blofeld brings his wit and wisdom to the stage once again.

Henry’s keen to stress though that it’s not all cricket, in fact most of it isn’t and that every show is different. So, even if you’ve been before you can be sure that it’ll never be the same twice.

“People gather round afterwards in the foyer and say, ‘We had no idea it was like this. We thought it was a cricket show.’ But it’s not. And if you think you’re going to learn how to play a forward defensive, you’ll be sadly disappointed.”

Instead, the talk is based, in the loosest sense, on Henry’s life story, although there’s time for as many after-dinner anecdotes and meandering digressions as there is in a Test Match Special rain break.

The show itself is very tongue-in-cheek and Henry spends a lot of time poking fun at himself and subjects veer from intergalactic travel, to horticulture to mountaineering. Audiences are always sure of an evening of great tales from this quintessential Englishman.

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions

World renowned musician Julian Lloyd Webber introduces you to his wife, fellow cellist Jiaxin and her pianist, who will take you on a magical evening including Bach, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Rachmaninov. This unique evening is filled with unforgettable anecdotes as Julian narrates the musical journey through his extraordinary career.

As a member of arguably the most influential musical dynasty of modern times, Julian will recount stories and anecdotes of touring, recording sessions, concerts and TV shows to link with a new presentation of rare video footage of him talking and performing with the likes of Nigel Kennedy, Elton John, Katherine Jenkins, Tim Rice, Yehudi Menuhin, Joaquin Rodrigo, Cleo Laine, Stephane Grappelli and many others.'

Jiaxin Lloyd Webber is married to the world-renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber. She has performed for BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, CNN Global TV, and BBC TV. Jiaxin has recorded for Universal Classics and Naxos and her recordings have been chosen as Record of the Month by Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine and as CD of the Week by both Classic FM and BBC Radio 3.

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions.

Widely respected as the voice of Test Match Special ‘Blowers’, Henry Blofeld brings his wit and wisdom to the stage once again.

Henry’s keen to stress though that it’s not all cricket, in fact, most of it isn’t and that every show is different. So, even if you’ve been before you can be sure that it’ll never be the same twice. “If you think you’re going to learn how to play a forward defensive, you’ll be sadly disappointed.”

Instead, the talk is based, in the loosest sense, on Henry’s life story, although there’s time for as many after-dinner anecdotes and meandering digressions as there is in a Test Match Special rain break.

The show itself is very tongue-in-cheek and Henry spends a lot of time poking fun at himself and subjects veer from intergalactic travel to horticulture to mountaineering. Audiences are always sure of an evening of great tales from this quintessential Englishman.

Production Company: Clive Conway Productions Ltd.

One of our best loved actresses, Juliet Stevenson lets us into the secrets of her craft and tells the story of her glittering career. Famous for her BAFTA nominated role in Truly, Madly, Deeply and her appearances in Bend It Like Beckham, Emma and Mona Lisa Smile, she won an Olivier award for Death and the Maiden and is celebrated as much for her time on stage as for her success on screen.

A veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, she was born in Kelvedon, Essex, to Virginia Marshall, a teacher, and Michael Guy Stevenson, an army officer. After a peripatetic childhood spent in England and beyond, Juliet studied at RADA. Along with her great, late friend, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Kenneth Branagh and Imelda Staunton, among others, she was part of the 'new wave' of actors to emerge from the Academy. She has received multiple BAFTA and Olivier nominations and continues to bestride the stage and screen. In recent years, Happy Days and The Doctor, which moves to America this summer, have secured Juliet’s status as one of Britain’s finest actresses.

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions

‍Anthony is one of the most prolific and successful writers working in the UK – and is unique for working across so many media. Anthony is a born polymath; juggling writing books, TV series, films, plays and journalism.  He has written over 50 books including the bestselling teen spy series Alex Rider, which is estimated to have sold 21 million copies worldwide and has been adapted into a hugely successful television series.

He is also responsible for the award-winning novel Magpie Murders, published in October 2016 to critical acclaim and serialised on BritBox at the beginning of 2022.  The sequel, Moonflower Murders, will begin filming in September 2023. His new series featuring Detective Hawthorne and a sidekick called Anthony Horowitz has four books so far: The Word is Murder, The Sentence is Death, A Line to Kill and The Twist of a Knife. The fifth novel in the series Close to Death will be published in the spring of 2024.

‍Anthony was also commissioned to write two new Sherlock Holmes novels The House of Silk and Moriarty; and his other commission was by the Ian Fleming Estate to write continuation novels for James Bond with Trigger Mortis and Forever and Day and a final, novel in the series With a Mind to Kill.

He has also created and written some of the UK’s most beloved and successful television series including Midsomer Murders and is the writer and creator of award-winning drama series Foyle’s War, which was the Winner of the Lew Grade Audience award for BAFTA.

‍Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions

Michael Smith is the author of a number of widely acclaimed books about spies and special forces, including the Sunday Times No 1 bestseller Station X: The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park and the New York Times bestseller Killer Elite: America’s Most Secret Special Operations Team. He served in British military intelligence before becoming an award-winning journalist with the BBC, the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Times.

‘Foley: The Spy Who Saved 10,000 Jews’. 

Frank Foley was MI6 head of station in Berlin in the 1920s and 30s. The full extent of what he did was only revealed in Michael Smith’s best selling 1999 biography Foley: The Spy Who Saved 10,000 Jews

Bletchley Park and the Birth of the Special Relationship

Based on the opening chapters of Smith’s most recent, and widely acclaimed book The Real Special Relationship, this focuses on how the British and US codebreakers linked up even before America had entered the war,  Michael describes how intelligence from MI6, GCHQ and the little known BBC Monitoring Service played key roles

Intelligence and the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

Michael will explain how intelligence actually worked during the 1962 Missile Crisis. when the Soviet Union tried to base surface-to surface missiles capable of hitting most of the United States on Cuba.

One of our best loved actresses, Juliet Stevenson lets us into the secrets of her craft and tells the story of her glittering career. Famous for her BAFTA nominated role in Truly, Madly, Deeply and her appearances in Bend It Like Beckham, Emma and Mona Lisa Smile, she won an Olivier award for Death and the Maiden and is celebrated as much for her time on stage as for her success on screen.

A veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, she was born in Kelvedon, Essex, to Virginia Marshall, a teacher, and Michael Guy Stevenson, an army officer. After a peripatetic childhood spent in England and beyond, Juliet studied at RADA. Along with her great, late friend, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Kenneth Branagh and Imelda Staunton, among others, she was part of the 'new wave' of actors to emerge from the Academy. She has received multiple BAFTA and Olivier nominations and continues to bestride the stage and screen. In recent years, Happy Days and The Doctor, which moves to America this summer, have secured Juliet’s status as one of Britain’s finest actresses.

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions

Although a writer from the Victorian era, Dickens'  work transcends his time, language and culture. He remains a massive contemporary influence throughout the world and his writings continue to inspire film, TV, art, literature, artists and academia.

Robert will trace the fascinating life of the author through his own writings and letters together with those of his friends and contemporaries.

The script is illuminated by some of the funniest scenes in all literature as well as some of the most moving, embracing the romantic and the grotesque, the satirical and the macabre.

Robert will bring to life, universally loved characters, from Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Micawber and Mrs. Nickleby, to Mrs. Gamp, Uriah Heep and Scrooge and he will reveal Dickens the celebrity, the social reformer, the actor, the entrepreneur, and, above all, Dickens the supreme entertainer.

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions

‍Anthony is one of the most prolific and successful writers working in the UK – and is unique for working across so many media. Anthony is a born polymath; juggling writing books, TV series, films, plays and journalism.  He has written over 50 books including the bestselling teen spy series Alex Rider, which is estimated to have sold 21 million copies worldwide and has been adapted into a hugely successful television series.

He is also responsible for the award-winning novel Magpie Murders, published in October 2016 to critical acclaim and serialised on BritBox at the beginning of 2022.  The sequel, Moonflower Murders, will begin filming in September 2023. His new series featuring Detective Hawthorne and a sidekick called Anthony Horowitz has four books so far: The Word is Murder, The Sentence is Death, A Line to Kill and The Twist of a Knife. The fifth novel in the series Close to Death will be published in the spring of 2024.

‍Anthony was also commissioned to write two new Sherlock Holmes novels The House of Silk and Moriarty; and his other commission was by the Ian Fleming Estate to write continuation novels for James Bond with Trigger Mortis and Forever and Day and a final, novel in the series With a Mind to Kill.

He has also created and written some of the UK’s most beloved and successful television series including Midsomer Murders and is the writer and creator of award-winning drama series Foyle’s War, which was the Winner of the Lew Grade Audience award for BAFTA.

‍Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions

John is the former Chief Political Correspondent for the BBC from 1992 to 2000 and ITN's Political Editor from 2000 until 2002.

Many people will remember John as one of Britain's most popular and respected broadcasters and authors. His award-winning career as a political journalist has been as lengthy as it has been successful and seen him interview big political hitters like Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher, John Major, and Tony Blair.

In recent years though John has returned to his first love of light entertainment and can be seen regularly on programmes like The One Show, Have I Got News For You, QI, Room 101, and the News Quiz, and of course there were those appearances on Strictly.

Indeed Sergeant’s two left feet approach to the arts of the ballroom consistently found him at the bottom of the judge's score board but the public loved him and he retrained week after week. He finally left the show in Week 10 saying: "The trouble is that there is now a real danger that I might win the competition. Even for me, that would be a joke too far.”

More recently there have been well received documentaries as well including John Sergeant's Tourist Trail, Tracks of Empire - about the Indian Railways, and Britain's First Photo Album about the pioneering photography of Francis Frith.

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions.

Bob Flowerdew is one of Britain's leading organic gardeners, and a television and radio presenter. He is a regular panel member of BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time.

The son of a farmer, his family have been working the land in East Anglia since Elizabethan times. Flowerdew runs a consultancy landscape service, is President of the Norfolk group of the Soil Association, and also teaches at agricultural college. He has written books on gardening including "Going Organic: The Good Gardener's Guide to Getting It Right".

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions