The best talks happening in London and online

A live-stream with Elizabeth Day

Hear from the best-selling author and host of the extremely popular podcast How To Fail with Elizabeth Day as she discusses her new book Failosophy: A Handbook For When Things Go Wrong. In conversation with Raven Smith, Day will speak about the lessons she’s learned from her own perceived failings, and speak about her book, which outlines seven key principles of failure, drawing learnings from some of her most memorable guests including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Lemn Sissay and Nigel Slater.

Price: £12.50

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A live-stream with Fatima Bhutto

What does it mean to be a citizen? And what do we mean when we speak of extremism in an age obsessed with ‘post-truth’? Fatima Bhutto will unpick these topics while relaying to her audience a speech she originally wrote for the Sydney Writers' Festival, but never broadcast. Bhutto is the best-selling author of Songs of Blood and Sword, a memoir about her father’s life and assassination, and The Runaways, an unflinching portrait of radicalism, belonging and Muslim identity.

Price: £10

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Tom Kerridge in conversation

The closing event of the British Library’s Food Season, Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge is in conversation with Angela Clutton, guest director of Food Season, about his upcoming book: Live from the legendary Hand and Flowers.

Price: £5

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A night in with Nigella Lawson

Look forward to a taste-bud-tantalising evening hosted by superstar chef and food writer Nigella Lawson. To celebrate the publication of her new book Cook, Eat, Repeat, Lawson will take her audience through the inspiration behind her creations, revealing how one ingredient can spawn a multitude of ideas and recipes. Lawson is being interviewed by journalist and arts broadcaster Tom Sutcliffe.

Price: £15

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Brian Cox meets Rebecca Wragg Sykes

In this How To Academy talk, physicist and broadcaster Brian Cox speaks to archaeologist Rebecca Wragg Sykes about her new book: Neanderthals – Life, Love, and Death in a Lost World. Probed by Cox, Wragg will reveal snippets of what she’s learned about the curious, clever Neanderthals, who were survivors of over 300,000 years of massive climate change.

Price: £10 - £23

A live stream with Arsène Wenger

Arsène Wenger is a man who needs no introduction. Hear from former Arsenal manager as he tells his life story to journalist, presenter and newsreader Dan Walker, in celebration of the publication of his book: My Life in Red and White. Look forward to colourful tales from Wenger’s 22-year career managing one of the best-loved football teams in the world.

Price: £20

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Dawn French in Conversation

Part of the Southbank Centre’s Inside Out series and presented in partnership with Penguin Live, hear from actress, writer and comedian Dawn French as she discusses her new novel Because of You. A meditation on motherhood, the novel takes on the age-old debate of nature versus nurture, covering mothers, daughters, love, loss, mistakes and regret.

Price: £25

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Innovate: Community Co-design with RESOLVE collective

Hosted by the V&A, this timely talk is a chance to join interdisciplinary design collective RESOLVE, and learn about how they combine architecture, engineering, technology and art to address social challenges. Through their numerous projects, RESOLVE aim to realise ‘just and equitable visions of change’ in our man-made environment.

Price: FREE

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A Night in with Matthew McConaughey

Who wouldn’t be curious to read the diaries of a Hollywood legend? Thankfully, Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has kept a diary for the past 35 years, documenting everything from his childhood in Texas to his rise to fame and behind-the-scenes moments on some of his most popular films. Following a solitary trip to the desert to work through his writings, McConaughey has published his diaries as a debut memoir, Greenlights. In this online event hosted by Fane, you can hear McConaughey speak live about the adventures recorded in his book.

Price: £29 (includes event access and copy of Greenlights)

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Stephen Fry in conversation with Shappi Khorsandi

Presenter and writer Stephen Fry talks to comedian Shappi Khorsandi about the art of writing, live from Union Chapel in Islington (but streamed to audiences at home). Together, the pair will discuss all forms of writing, from sketch comedy to poetry, written and performed, all of which Fry has used within his career while rising to become the national treasure he is today.

Price: £5

Lost Lectures: Our National Treasure, Our NHS

In this rousing and timely talk, Dr Sundeep Grewal discusses the foundations upon which the NHS was built – an institution that he, like many other doctors, have committed their lives to uphold. Using his own experiences as examples, Dr Grewal argues that industrial action is the only way we can protect the NHS and that it’s on us, the public, to stand side by side with doctors to ultimately safeguard its future.

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Photo London: Adam Fuss in conversation with Sir Antony Gormley

Hear photographer Adam Fuss in conversation with sculptor Sir Antony Gormley as the two British artists discuss their varying practices. Fuss uses cameraless techniques, relying on the most basic infrastructure of photography: objects, light and light-sensitive material, to create his images. Gormley, meanwhile, is best known for his public figurative sculpture.

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Director Rufus Norris and adapter Helen Edmundson on Small Island

Hear from the National Theatre’s artistic director Rufus Norris and adapter Helen Edmundson as they reflect on their production of Small Island. An adaptation of Andrea Levy’s novel, the show is due to return to the National Theatre this autumn, following a sell-out run and rave reviews in 2019. The talk is being chaired by BBC Arts & Entertainment correspondent Brenda Emmanus.

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Holly Corfield Carr: a fly’s-eye view of Among the Trees

If you can't get to the Southbank Centre’s Among the Trees, join writer Holly Corfield Carr on an audio walk through the woods, looking at trees through a fly’s eyes and listening to whether a yellow leaf is louder than a green one. In this podcast, Carr considers artworks by Giuseppe Penone, Robert Smithson, Roxy Paine and Mariele Neudecker, and interweaves her own words with poems by Vahni Capildeo, Emily Dickinson, Sasha Dugdale and Alice Oswald.

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Fortunately… with Fi and Jane: LIVE, Southbank Centre

If you love listening to BBC presenters Jane Garvey and Fi Glover muse over everyday shenanigans in their weekly podcast Fortunately, this is your chance to step behind the scenes. The duo are recording a live episode at the Southbank Centre. Together with a very special guest, the witty pair promise to take mid-life by its elasticated waist – right before your eyes – and give it a brisk going-over with a stiff brush.

Price: £15 - £35

Adam Buxton, Southbank Centre

Join comedian and podcast host Adam Buxton to celebrate the publication of his Ramble Book, a funny and poignant memoir covering everything from wet dreams and confrontations on trains to the death of his father. The talk is a chance to hear Buxton delve into further detail about his new book and various other anecdotes along the way.

Price: £18 - £25

Richard Dawkins on the meaning of life, Logan Hall

The How To Academy is hosting an exclusive talk with the hugely influential scientist Richard Dawkins. From his books including The Selfish Gene to The Blind Watchmaker, to his coining of the word ‘meme’, Dawkins is a truly public intellectual whose ideas have proven extraordinarily influential both within his own discipline and beyond. In conversation with the academy’s Hannah MacInnes, Dawkins shares his reflections on the most important and puzzling topic of all: the meaning of life.

Price: £35

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