THE Falmouth Book Festival has announced its most ambitious programme yet, bringing some of the UK’s best-known writers, thinkers, and performers to Cornwall this autumn.

The line-up spans world-renowned novelists, cultural commentators, environmental campaigners, poets, and ‘national treasures’.

The 2025 programme, which runs from October 20 to 26 - reflects Falmouth’s history as a port and cultural crossroads, with recurring themes of the sea, the environment, and the importance of landscape on shaping Cornish life.

Non-fiction author Damian Le Bas will take attendees on a diver’s eye view of the ocean; Rose George, who investigates our relationship with fish and the fishing industry, will be talking with Oceana head and former Surfers Against Sewage CEO Hugo Tagholm.

Philip Hoare will explore William Blake’s enduring influence, weaving together art, protest, and the natural world, while Cornwall-based author and Stone Club co-founder Lally MacBeth delves into the folk traditions that live on in local streets, churches, and pubs.

Headline names include Bake Off star, restaurateur, cookbook writer and national treasure Prue Leith, who will reflect on a remarkable career in food; era-defining novelist Irvine Welsh, in conversation with Miranda Sawyer about Trainspotting and his new novel Men in Love; Alexander McCall Smith sharing the inspiration behind the beloved No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, and the 44 Scotland Street novels; and Pam Ayres, whose poetry has delighted generations for more than 50 years and who will be at Princess Pavilion.

Other highlights include former Friends of the Earth director Jonathan Porritt, discussing the role of protest in tackling the climate crisis alongside Eden Project founder Tim Smit; Horatio Clare, discussing his book We Came By Sea, Stories of a greater Britain; and Jay Griffiths, celebrated nature writer, on the profound ways animals help us heal. Meanwhile, Tim Key, off the back of a hugely successful Edinburgh run, returns to his favourite seaside town to read from his latest poetry collection L.A. Baby!

As part of an exciting new partnership with the Falmouth Oyster Festival (October 10 to 12), this year’s book festival will present a series of food-themed events.

Across the Oyster Festival weekend, the event will welcome Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, reflecting on a life at the sharp end of British food culture; Rukmini Iyer, the Roasting Tin queen and cookbook author, sharing her signature easy and inventive recipes; and Fern Britton, much-loved TV presenter and novelist, who will reflect on food, family, and stories rooted in Cornwall.

Together, these events celebrate the deep connections between food, community, and culture - a natural collaboration between two of Falmouth’s most popular festivals.

Festival director Colin Midson said: “This year’s festival is our boldest and most ambitious yet. To bring authors like Prue Leith, Irvine Welsh, and Alexander McCall Smith to Falmouth is a big statement about what Cornwall can offer the literary world.

“But what excites me most is how the programme draws on the sea, the landscape, and the stories rooted here, while connecting us to global debates on food, protest, climate, and migration. That mix of local and international voices feels vital, and it’s exactly what helps nourish Cornwall’s creative ecology.”

Falmouth Book Festival is a key part of Falmouth Creates, the umbrella event support programme created by Falmouth Business Improvement District (BID).

Falmouth BID manager Keren Cooksey said: “To secure voices of this calibre in Cornwall is a major achievement, bringing national and international attention to the town and the region.

“The Falmouth Book Festival continues to grow as a hub for conversation, creativity, and cultural exchange, ensuring Cornwall remains not only a source of inspiration for writers but also a destination for audiences hungry for ideas.

“With Falmouth Creates, Falmouth BID has supported the steady growth of the Book Festival with investment and resources for five years now, and it’s inspiring to see Colin Midson and Helen Waters continuing to expand their reach and their ambition with such well-known names and compelling, fitting themes.”