Who will be appearing at Bradford Literature Festival?

The festival will be held in a number of venues across the city between June 23 and July 2, with 500 events planned.

Anita Rani will be in conversation with Michael Palin at the festival on July 1 (Image: Newsquest)

Anita Rani, who hails from Bradford, and Sir Lenny Henry will be among those appearing at the ninth annual event.

Here is a closer look at some of the other star names appearing.

Deputy leader of the Labour Party, Angela Rayner, will appear at the festival (Image: PA)

Angela Rayner

The deputy leader of the Labour Party will share the story of her journey from Stockport to Westminster.

In Conversation: Angela Rayner MP will be held on Sunday, July 1, between 1pm and 2pm at Princes Ballroom at the Midland Hotel, Bradford. Tickets are priced at £7.

She was raised on a council estate and left her local comprehensive at 16, pregnant and with no qualifications.

In 2015, Ms Rayner became the first woman MP in the 180-year history of her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency. She was elected as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in 2020.

Sadiq Khan will discuss the climate emergency (Image: PA)

Sadiq Khan

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will reveal how everyone can help tackle the climate emergency at a talk held as part of the festival.

Sadiq Khan: Tackling the Climate Emergency will take place on Saturday, June 24, between 2pm and 3pm at the Alhambra Theatre. Tickets are priced at £7.

Mr Khan became the Mayor of London in 2016 and introduced the world’s first Ultra-Low Emission Zone and built hundreds of kilometres of new cycle lanes in the capital.

Comedian Tez Ilyas (Image: PA)

Stand-up stars

Some of the UK’s best stand-up comedians will take to the stage for a night of laughter.

An Evening of Comedy is on Friday, June 30 at St George’s Hall, Bradford, between 7.30pm and 9.45pm.

Hosted by Tez Ilyas, top of the bill is Reginald D. Hunter, who will be joined by Sophie Duker, Nabil Abdulrashid and Louise Young at the event. Tickets are priced at £12.

Actor Julie Hesmondhalgh (Image: PA)

Julie Hesmondhalgh

Known to millions of viewers for her role as Hayley Cropper in ITV’s Coronation Street, Julie will talk about her life in a show at the festival.

Julie Hesmondhalgh, An Actor’s Alphabet will take place on Sunday, July 2, from 4.15pm to 5.15pm at the Dye House Gallery at Bradford College.

It will be a show based on her book, also called An Actor’s Alphabet, where she talks about her career on both stage and screen.

Go to bradfordlitfest.co.uk for more information on tickets to the festival’s events.