5x15 Hackney
Nick is author of the internationally bestselling novels High Fidelity, About A Boy, How To Be Good, A Long Way Down and Juliet, Naked. Many of his books have been made into successful, and much-loved, films, including Fever Pitch starring Colin Firth, High Fidelity starring John Cusak and About a Boy with Hugh Grant. Nick has also scripted the adaptation of Lynn Barber’s memoir ‘An Education’ as well as Brooklyn by Colm Toibin.
Nick is a huge pop music fan. His latest book State of the Union is the companion novella to his new TV series directed by Stephen Frears and starring Chris O'Dowd and Rosamund Pike and has been nominated for three Emmy Awards.Nick is a huge pop music fan. Nick co-founded The Ministry of Stories - a creative writing and mentoring centre for young people in east London.
John Crace is the Guardian's parliamentary sketch writer and author of the ‘Digested Read’ columns. He is the author of I Never Promised you a Rose Garden: A short guide to modern politics, the coalition and the general election and also Baby Alarm: A Neurotic’s Guide to Fatherhood, Vertigo: One Football Fan's Fear of Success, Harry's Games: Inside the Mind of Harry Redknapp, Brideshead Abbreviated: The Digested Read of the Twentieth Century and The Digested Twenty-first Century. In A Farewell to Calm: The New Normal Survival Guide, Crace introduces an infectiously funny selection of his finest pieces from 2020–21, taking in everything from a summer of unfathomable U-turns to Christmas Covid confusion, and from lockdown-lifting to Brexit blithering.
Jess Phillips is a Labour Party politician who became the MP for the constituency of Birmingham Yardley at the 2015 general election. Jess has committed her life to improving the lives of others, especially the most vulnerable. Before becoming an MP, Jess worked for Women’s Aid in the West Midlands developing services for victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence, human trafficking and exploitation. She became a councillor in 2012, in this role she worked tirelessly to support residents, with her work being recognised when she became Birmingham’s first ever Victims Champion. Since becoming an MP, Jess has continued her fight to support those who need it the most and has earned a reputation for plain speaking since being elected, unfazed by threats and calling out sexist attitudes as she promotes women’s rights. Jess has written two bestselling books ‘Everywoman One Woman’s Truth About Speaking The Truth’ and ‘Truth to Power: 7 Ways to Call Time on BS’. Both books reflect her commitment to speaking up and having the courage to have your voice heard and make a difference. Her new book is ‘Mother’.
Jude Kelly is a creative director and a foremost commentator on gender, inclusion and the arts. She was Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre from 2006-2018, where she created Festivals including: Being A Man, Unlimited, The Rest is Noise, Changing Britain, the Festival of Death, (B)old, as well as WOW- Women of the World. WOW is a global festival movement and has held 65 festivals in 5 continents over 30 locations in over 15 countries from Baltimore to Brazil, Cardiff to Karachi, and further across the UK, Australia and the USA, reaching over 2 million girls and women, and men and boys too. Jude has directed over 100 productions including at the Royal Shakespeare Company, English National Opera, National Theatre, and the Châtalet in Paris. She has advised governments, business, media and educational institutions and is one of the world's foremost commentators on gender and inclusion in the arts. She led the cultural team for the successful London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic bid. In 2015 she was made a CBE for services to the Arts.
Bestselling poet, writer, and Instagram sensation Nikita Gill performs poetry retelling the legends of the Goddesses, both great and small, in their own words. With lyrical prose and striking verse, beloved poet Nikita Gill (Fierce Fairytales, Wild Embers) uses the history of Ancient Greece and beyond to explore and share the stories of the mothers, warriors, creators, survivors, and destroyers who shook the world.
Jack Harries grew up in a family of filmmakers and storytellers. At the age eighteen he built up a successful YouTube channel and production company gaining over four million subscribers worldwide. Jack has used this platform consistently to raise awareness of mental health, forced migration and environmental issues. Over the course of his work Jack has travelled to Greenland, Somaliland, Bhutan, Borneo and Kiribati to tell stories from the front lines of Climate Change. Jack has given multiple talks on Climate Change at events and conferences around the world, and interviewed some of the leading voices on the topic including broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. @JackHarries