ONE of the standout stars from the latest series of The Traitors on the BBC will be among the writers appearing at the Du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival 2026.

Harriet Tyce, who practised as a barrister before swapping careers to become a crime fiction novelist, gained fame for her dramatic involvement in the hit series.

The writer will be appearing at Fowey Town Hall on Sunday, May 3, at 2pm and will be discussing her Witch Trial novel.

Harriet will be followed at the town hall at 4pm by journalist Sarah Vine who will be talking about her memoir How Not To Be A Political Wife.

The festival will run from May 1 to May 9 and among others taking part are former BBC Breakfast presenter Dr Sian Williams who will be talking about her career as a psychologist and her book The Power of Anxiety: How to Ride the Worry Wave.

Politician Sir Jeremy Hunt will be in conversation with Iain Dale about the forces reshaping the world and Britain’s future role within it, and authors Patrick Gale, Adele Parks, Liz Fenwick, Emma Lloyd-Cowell, Patrick Charnley and Fern Britton will be among the other writers chatting about their latest works.

Historian and biographer Andrew Lownie will be speaking about his book, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York.

Film critic Mark Kermode and radio producer Jenny Nelson will discuss movie music with Petroc Trelawny whilst Lord Peter Ricketts’ account of the British diplomats who quietly shaped the course of the Second World War is the subject of his talk with Iain Dale.

Musical events include an opening night concert by The Overtones, a jazz evening with pianist Craig Milverton and his band, and an Abba tribute night with Take A Chance On Us.

Orwell – The Road to 1984 is a one-man play performed by Mark Stratford that tells the story of one of the most influential novels of the 20th century. Adapted and directed by Guy Smith, it takes place on Saturday, May 2, at 8pm in Fowey Town Hall.

Foraging walks with Rachel Lambert, guided Du Maurier walks, literature discussions, writing workshops, art trails and a comedy evening with Kernow King also form part of this year’s programme.

“This year’s festival has a fantastic line-up,” said Paula Pearson, chair of the Du Maurier Festival Society. “Whether it’s history or politics, fiction or films, music or art, there really is something for everyone and we’re incredibly grateful to our festival director, Brenda Daly, for curating such a wonderful nine days of events.

“The festival is very important to Fowey, celebrating our literary history whilst bringing many people into our beautiful town. A big thank you to our amazing team of volunteers and the local community for their continuing support.”

Online booking through the festival website, www.foweyfestival.com, is now open. The website has details of the numerous events taking place and information on how to become a friend of the festival. The site also has information on the charity behind the festival.