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& Sons (15)

A world-renowned but reclusive novelist, convinced he is about to die, summons his estranged sons to his home. But instead of seeking forgiveness for his countless mistakes, he instead reveals a truly unbelievable secret that brings his beloved ex-wife back into his orbit. With decades of resentment, jealousy and rage on the verge of spilling over, this splintered family is forced to face an inevitable reckoning, for better or for worse.


This star-studded, darkly comedic drama is led by spellbinding performances from Academy Award nominees Bill Nighy (Living, About Time) and Imelda Staunton (The Crown, Vera Drake), BAFTA nominee George MacKay (1917, Rose of Nevada), BAFTA winner Dominic West (The Wire, Downton Abbey), Johnny Flynn (Operation Mincemeat, Ripley), and rising star Noah Jupe (Hamnet, A Quiet Place).


Director Pablo Trapero

Cast Bill Nighy, George MacKay, Noah Jupe, Johnny Flynn, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Anna Geislerová, Arthur Conti


Tickets £9 (This includes £2 MyFlavel Venue Levy)


Monday 28 Sep 202619:30
Tuesday 29 Sep 202614:00 (SUBTITLED SCREENING)19:30
Wednesday 30 Sep 202619:30

Acquisition of an Affordable Collection - Alec Smith.

Alec Smith has a passion for books. He collects rare books, first editions, as well as letters and original documents. He has amassed an amazing collection of books over the years including some unique Tolkien and JK Rowling editions. A recent acquisition is a letter written by Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson a week before the Battle of Trafalgar eerily predicting his own death.


Alec will discuss how to put together a book collection without necessarily draining monetary resources, with newscaster, presenter and author John Suchet. He will also talk about what first inspired him, his successes and failures, joys and disappointments.



Saturday 19 Sep 202611:30

Actors Studio - Launch

Launch Event – The Actor’s Studio in partnership with The Flavel


Dartmouth invites actors, creatives, parents, and community members of all ages to participate in a brand-new community performance initiative.


Come and find out more about how to get involved in this flagship project, Hopebridge, is a groundbreaking radio and film initiative rooted in local storytelling. Through a radio series and short films, we will bring Dartmouth’s untold stories to life, while offering workshops and creative opportunities in film and performing arts.


About The Actor’s Studio – Dartmouth

The Actor’s Studio – Dartmouth is a community-driven creative space, where storytelling,

acting, and personal growth collide. Rooted in the legacy of Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio, it

adapts the Listening Matters method to engage Dartmouth’s talent and stories.


Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Booking is essential.


For more information and details of how to sign up for the projects please go to:


https://actorsstudiodartmouth.com/



Saturday 26 Sep 202610:00

Adult Acting Workshops with Galore Theatre.

Galore Theatre Company are continuing their successful Adult Acting Workshops this autumn.


Galore Theatre Company is a vibrant, community-focused theatre group based in South Devon, working with both young people and adult actors across a range of projects and performances. Alongside our thriving youth theatre, we are really keen to create opportunities for adults to explore acting in a supportive environment.


Our adult workshops are designed for anyone aged 18+ who is curious about acting - whether you’re completely new or returning after time away. Sessions are relaxed and friendly, focusing on building confidence, developing skills and technique and enjoying the process without pressure.


Over two 6-week blocks, participants will explore character, voice, movement and simple scene work through engaging, accessible exercises, learning at their own pace while gaining a solid foundation in performance.


Each workshop will end with an optional showcase performance, offering the chance to share what’s been developed.


£9 per session or £7 concession.

Session run from 15/9-20/10 and 3/11-8/12.


Tuesday 15 Sep 202619:15
Tuesday 22 Sep 202619:15
Tuesday 29 Sep 202619:15
Tuesday 6 Oct 202619:15
Tuesday 13 Oct 202619:15

Along a Green Lane Sometime Somewhere - Valerie Belsey

Valerie Belsey invites you to join her to learn about the extraordinary network of green lanes that wind around South Devon and the stories that they tell. After a short introduction, she will lead a walk from The Flavel to discover the green lanes that we can access locally.


Valerie Belsey is the author of " Exploring Green Lanes in the South Hams and the stories they tell." Published in 2023 and in its 3rd edition since 2001. She worked for SHDC in the coast and countryside dept and in the Highways dept of DCC always on green lanes and road history.

Valerie’s new book "Along a Green Lane Sometime Somewhere" will be out at the end of the year and tells how by studying one lane - the one which runs through the Green Lanes Centre - you can find out about many more. One Lane - Many Lives.


Sunday 20 Sep 202610:00

An Evening of James Taylor

James Taylor is the encapsulation of the best of American songwriting.


His music has touched millions worldwide over his ongoing 55-year strong career and his music still stands up to the test of time. ‘How Sweet It Is’ focuses more on Taylor’s early songwriting career, featuring much loved songs, such as ‘Sweet Baby James’, ‘Something In The Way She Moves’, ‘Fire and Rain’ but also includes more recent classics like the evocative ‘Frozen Man’.


Vernon James performs the songs true to how they were written and in the spirit of James Taylor himself, with a soulful lilt. During this two-hour show, you will be taken on journey back to simpler times and happily lose yourself in the dulcet tones and sweet melodies of the finest songs written in the last half a century.


Friday 2nd October

Tickets £20  


Friday 2 Oct 202619:30

Arts Society - Japanese Wood Cuts

This event is hosted by The Arts Society – Dartmouth and Kingswear


Carol Wilhide Justin is an artist-printmaker who specialises in Japanese woodcut. Time-consuming to produce, woodcuts are built up in an exacting process, one layer at a time.  Carol trained at the MI-LAB studio in Fujikawaguchiko, Japan, in 2014 where she was taught the mokuhanga technique by Japanese sensei. On her return she studied at the Royal College of Art graduating with an MA in Print in 2017.


https://www.theartssocietydartmouthandkingswear.org.uk/


Members free – non-members £14




Guests are admitted by payment inside the main hall by cash or credit card


Monday 12 Oct 202614:30 (Members free – non-members £14)

Becoming the Ocean : Julian Carnell

Julian Carnell has been Director of The Sharpham Trust for over ten years. The Trust owns a historic estate on the banks of the river, downstream from Totnes, offering mindfulness retreats with a focus on reconnecting people to the natural world. Three years ago, he helped create the Wild Dart Partnership to bring together over twenty organisations, landowners and community groups with the aim of restoring the health of the river.


Julian will talk about his new book Becoming the Ocean – a River Dart Journey Through the Wild, the Ancient and the Sacred which follows the Dart from its source high in the peatlands of Dartmoor, through valleys of temperate rainforest, the farming lowlands and the estuary before reaching the sea at Dartmouth. Along the way discovering the amazing history, people and wildlife associated with the river and what we can do to try and reverse its decline and the decline of all our rivers.


Saturday 19 Sep 202614:00

Bosun Bob – Erin Allgrove

Bob and his feline friend have escaped shipwreck and are off on a nautical treasure hunt. They meet many friendly animals along the way who guide them to an oceanic volcano where the treasure is hidden and guarded by a mysterious creature. Will the friends find the treasure, will they escape the volcano?!



This beautifully written tale is the perfect sequel to Bosun Bob The Salty Old Sea Dog. Created by Erin Allgrove and beautifully illustrated by Emily Langstaff Ellis this book and the creatures inside will really capture the imagination of children and adults alike, perfect for reading together.

Yachting Monthly Magazine


FREE TO ATTEND

Saturday 19 Sep 202610:30 (free to attend)

Continuity and Transformation in Western Art

Continuity and Transformation in Western Art


Medieval to the Modern period

Thirteenth to the Eighteenth Century


How did art both mirror and shape the great transformations of European history? This course invites learners on a journey through five centuries of Western art, from the soaring cathedrals of the Gothic age to the elegance of the Enlightenment. Along the way, you will encounter masterpieces that reveal how artists responded to questions of faith, power, identity, and knowledge—and how their works reshaped the very way people saw the world.

Each week focuses on a pivotal moment, moving from the grandeur of thirteenth-century sacred art to the realism of Dutch domestic interiors, from the drama of Baroque spectacle to the clarity of Enlightenment classicism. The course combines lectures with lively discussion of key readings, encouraging you to think critically about how art reflects cultural values while also driving social and intellectual change.

What makes this course distinctive is its dual emphasis: you will learn to analyse visual form with precision while also situating works of art within their historical and philosophical contexts. By the end, you will not only recognize the major styles—Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical—but also understand the debates and ideas that shaped their creation.

Whether you are drawn to the grandeur of Michelangelo, the luminous colours of Venetian painting, the quiet realism of Vermeer, or the rational elegance of the Enlightenment, this course offers a chance to engage deeply with the art that helped define Western culture.


Weekly Outline


•  Week 1: The Church Triumphant: Sacred Authority, Visual Culture, and the Gothic Imagination in the Thirteenth Century


•  Week 2: Art and Social Identity: Courtiers, Burghers, and the Shifting Patronage of the Fourteenth Century; The Conquest of Reality: Naturalism and Devotional Experience in the Early Fifteenth Century


•  Week 3: Tradition and Innovation I: Humanism, Classicism, and Artistic Experimentation in Later Fifteenth-Century Italy; Tradition and Innovation II: Devotion, Detail, and Symbolism in Fifteenth-Century Northern Europe


•  Week 4: Harmony Attained: Idealism, Proportion, and Intellectual Synthesis in Tuscany and Rome, Early Sixteenth Century; Light and Colour: Sensuous Aesthetics and the Poetics of Vision in Venice and Northern Italy


•  Week 5: The New Learning Spreads: Humanist Ideals, Reformation Culture, and the Visual Arts in Germany and the Netherlands


•  Week 6: A Crisis of Art: Mannerism, Religious Upheaval, and the Challenge to Classical Norms in Late Sixteenth-Century Europe


•  Week 7: Vision and Visions: Spirituality, Spectacle, and the Catholic Imagination in Early Seventeenth-Century Europe


•  Week 8: The Mirror of Nature: Realism, Domesticity, and the Rise of a Bourgeois Aesthetic in Seventeenth-Century Holland


•  Week 9: Power and Glory I: The Papacy, Absolutism, and the Theatrics of Power in Seventeenth-Century Italy; Power and Glory II: Monumentality, Court Culture, and Artistic Display in France, Germany, and Austria, 17th–18th Centuries


•  Week 10: The Age of Reason: Enlightenment Thought, Neoclassicism, and the Reconfiguration of Art in Eighteenth-Century England and France


Practical Information

•  Readings: All required readings will be provided, both in print and electronically, ensuring learners have easy access to the material.


•  Course Fee: The cost for the full 10-week course is £300, payable by the first week

.

•  Delivery: The course will be taught by Dr. Nicci Wakeham in Dartmouth.


•  Schedule: Dates and times are as follows:


2026 - September 21st, October 5th and 19th, November 2nd, 16th and 30th, December 14th


2027 - January 4th and 18th, and final session on February 1st.  

•  Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm


•  The course Fee:  £300, to be paid by the 1st September.  Please do use the booking form on my website (drnicciwakeham.uk), you can also pay directly on the site.  If you are unable to do so, please post your details to the address below and I will send out a booking form.  Payment can be made on the website or by cheque:  N Wakeham, and posted to Tangles, Brixton, PL8 2AH.  


Contact Information


•  Tutor: Dr Nicola Wakeham

•  Mobile: 07818 662661 – please do leave a message with your number and I will return your call


Please Click Here to Book :

Monday 21 Sep 202613:00

Crime Writers’ Panel

These crime writers have very different approaches to their writing, and it will be interesting to hear how they go about their craft and debate key issues.


Jane Corry is the queen of domestic suspense, now an eight-time Sunday Times bestseller. Her latest book, My Sister’s Secret, is a gripping and emotional suspense about two sisters and the dark past that binds them. The sisters are bound by a secret that could tear them apart…

Jane began her career in journalism, working primarily for women’s magazines, while writing romantic fiction.


Stephanie Austin has created her heroine Juno Browne, a self-proclaimed domestic goddess and reluctant antique shop owner, whose adventures are set in Ashburton on the edge of Dartmoor. There are now nine books in the Juno Browne series, with book ten, 'A Dartmoor Christmas Card Murder', due out in October. Stephanie began her career as a teacher, but has also worked as an artist, an astrologer and has dabbled in antiques.


Martin Hesp’s new series begins with The Cornish Snapper: The Granite Mystery, in which Martin introduces Lammoran and Hamilton—a dynamic duo reminiscent of Holmes and Watson. Drawing on his own experiences in the newsroom, he explores the intersection of investigative grit and the art of photography. Martin has spent over 50 years at the sharp end of British journalism, starting his career as a junior reporter at 17 and eventually becoming the Senior Feature Writer and Columnist for the Western Morning News and Western Daily Press.


Sunday 20 Sep 202614:00

DTC present Grease Young@Part®

GREASE Young@Part®

Presented by DTC Youth Theatre CIC


Get ready to hand-jive your way back to Rydell High as DTC Youth Theatre CIC proudly presents GREASE Young@Part® – a vibrant, family-friendly musical performed by an outstanding cast of talented young people.


Join Danny, Sandy, the Pink Ladies and the Burger Palace Boys in this energetic celebration of friendship, first love and teenage life. Packed with unforgettable songs, exciting choreography and plenty of humour, this specially adapted version of the iconic musical is perfect for audiences of all ages.


Featuring favourites including Summer Nights, Greased Lightnin’, Beauty School Dropout and We Go Together, GREASE Young@Part® captures all the fun and nostalgia of the original while showcasing the incredible dedication, confidence and talent of DTC Youth Theatre CIC’s young performers.


Following a series of acclaimed productions across South Devon, this promises to be another unforgettable theatrical experience filled with energy, laughter and heart.


Performance Times

       Friday 9 October – 7.00pm

       Saturday 10 October – 2.00pm & 7.00pm

       Sunday 11 October – 3.00pm


Book, Music and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.


GREASE Young@Part® is presented through special arrangement with and all authorised performance materials are supplied by Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW). www.theatricalrights.co.uk


Tickets

Adults – £12.50

Children (Under 16) – £8.50

Family Ticket – £38

(Adult tickets include a £1.50 MyFlavel venue levy/child tickets include a £1 venue levy)

 


Friday 9 Oct 202619:00
Saturday 10 Oct 202614:0019:00
Sunday 11 Oct 202615:00

Dartmouth History Research Group.

Come along to this session if you are interested in our fascinating local history. Members of the group will be available to talk about their work, and their locally published books will be available to buy. Their most recent publication is: When War Came to the Dart, by Gail Ham and Hilary Sunman, which combines the memories of local people with official records and other contemporary accounts to chart the impact as the communities of the Dart were immersed in war.

Dartmouth History Research Group has published 40 books and booklets on the area’s history. Books have been written on local figures including Thomas Newcomen, John Davis, John Flavel and Willam Veale; and on local places including Hawley’s Fortalice, The Castle Hotel, Bayards Cove and Slapton Sands.





Saturday 19 Sep 202615:30

Dartmouth Writers Walk : Jonathan Turner

A 1.5 hour guided walk around Dartmouth visiting the places where Dartmouth writers lived and worked.

Hear stories of a non-conformist preacher, banned from Dartmouth, whose sermons are still in print today; of the Victorian politician and inventor who wrote a gothic ghost story for his friend, about Dartmouth’s Gomerock Tower. Listen to poems about the River Dart, and Townstal Church, by a Dartmouth artist and see his painting of the Governor of Dartmouth Castle in the Guildhall.  See Flora Thomson’s house with its stunning harbour views, where she wrote her trilogy Larkrise to Candleford, and Chritopher Milne’s (aka Robin) bookshop, a Dartmouth landmark for over 30 years. Visit the grave of a Medieval merchant and privateer, the inspiration for Chaucer’s Shipman’s Tale, and Dartmouth Museum founded by writer and historian Percy Russell, author of the first and best-selling History of Dartmouth and its Port.

As well as the literary sites, you will see the heart of Dartmouth, its backstreets, medieval and Tudor buildings; its steep steps, and magnificent harbour views.  

The walk is 1.25 miles long and will involve two short climbs up to wonderful viewpoints, and some steep steps down again!


Maximum number for each walk: 15


Friday 18 Sep 202611:30 (Sold Out)
Saturday 19 Sep 202611:30

Dramatically Different 2026 (7+)



Dramatically Different Youth Theatre is a fun, energetic drama group where young people can grow, explore, and express themselves. Students build confidence, discover their voice, and form genuine friendships in a supportive, creative environment.


This is a drama-focused group with less emphasis on musical theatre and more emphasis on performance skills such as improvisation and devising, physical theatre, voice and characterisation, writing and script work.


This group is perfect for anyone who wants to develop acting skills, stretch their imagination, and enjoy the excitement of performance.


Director and facilitator, Rachel Swain, is an award-winning Youth Theatre Practitioner, with over 25 years teaching experience, Rachel writes original Youth Theatre productions to ensure all young people have their moment to shine. Her youth group ‘Dramatically Different Brixham’ has been the resident Youth Theatre in Brixham for over 10 years and ‘Dramatically Different Teignmouth’ has been a huge success since it was established in 2019.


Suitable for ages 7 to 18 years There are two weekly sessions on a Wednesday - please make sure you book into the correct session. The earlier group at 4pm will be for younger children and the later group at 5.15pm will be for the older age group, but we are very happy to vary this depending on what suits your individual child, so please contact us if you wish to discuss.  


Session 1 ‘Juniors’ 4pm to 5pm - Younger age group (typically age 7 to 9)  

Session 2 ‘Transitions’ 5.15pm to 6.15pm - Older age group (typically age 10+)



Classes begin on Wednesday 9th September

16th September

23rd September

30th September

7th October

14th October

21st October

11th November

18th November

25th November

2nd December


The sessions cost £95 per term, which will normally include between 9 and 11 sessions depending on the actual term dates, but dates and term lengths can vary.

 

A number of subsidised places are available to Dartmouth Residents through our Bursary Scheme. Please email Lindsay Ellwood for details of the bursary scheme on:


flaveldrama.bursaries@gmail.com







Wednesday 16 Sep 202616:0017:15
Wednesday 23 Sep 202616:0017:15
Wednesday 30 Sep 202616:0017:15
Wednesday 7 Oct 202616:0017:15

Elemental : Arthur Snell

Arthur Snell - in conversation with Mary Nightingale 




Arthur Snell is an expert on the interaction between geopolitics and climate change with a degree in History from the University of Oxford. He has over 30 years’ experience in conflict zones and fragile states through the Middle East and Africa and has advised governments – including Ukraine during the current conflict – on a range of security and conflict-related issues. He is also an Associate Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute, the world’s oldest think tank, a former British Ambassador, and has hosted numerous podcasts which have had millions of downloads.


In Elemental, Arthur describes how the climate crisis is already affecting the lives of millions of people. As natural disasters and increased scarcity shake the established world order to its core, he reveals that an alternative future is still possible.

In this groundbreaking study Arthur Snell visits rapidly changing societies to show how we can

live on a warming planet. He presents a vision in which Africa powers Europe with solar energy,

where autocratic oil states are no more, and new shipping routes across the melting Arctic bring

Asia, Europe and North America closer than ever before. In Russia, huge areas of highly fertile

land will be exposed by the melting ice for whoever can seize it, while China's stranglehold on

rare minerals looks set to make it the world's leading superpower.


‘An extraordinary mastery of geopolitics, combining years on the ground in the most

challenging places, a raw instinct for politics and a deep ethical concern for the world in the

face of climate catastrophe. A masterpiece.’ RORY STEWART


Arthur Snell will be in conversation with Mary Nightingale.


Friday 18 Sep 202610:00

Exhibition on Screen : James McNeil Whistler (U)

JAMES McNEILL WHISTLER


In an era of great change and great beauty emerged the character of James McNeill Whistler. Considered by some to be one of the great innovators of 19th century art, he was a contemporary of the Impressionists, much admired by Van Gogh and Manet. Boldly experimental and famously witty, Whistler disrupted the strict conventions of Victorian society in pursuit of a new cult of beauty, creating “art for art’s sake” and earning himself a place in the history of great art. He found a parallel between painting and music, and entitled many of his paintings “arrangements”, “harmonies” and “nocturnes”, emphasizing the importance of tonal harmony in his work.


His most famous painting, Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (1871), commonly known as Whistler’s Mother, is a revered and often parodied portrait of motherhood. It is arguably one of the most famous paintings in history and this film will unveil the artist behind the art.


Tate Britain is now holding the first major retrospective of Whistler in three decades. This blockbuster exhibition promises to reawaken the world to just how important Whistler is to art history, uniting world-famous masterpieces with rarely seen works. Exhibition on Screen will bring these stunning works and the incredible story behind them to cinemas around the world while the exhibition is still running, bringing this truly global artist to a global audience. This will be an unmissable chance to get to know this visually spectacular artist and the influence he has had on those who followed.


“An artist is not paid for his labour but for his vision.” James McNeil Whistler


Made in close collaboration with Tate Britain.


Directed by David Bickerstaff

£14 adults/£11 under 16’s 


Tuesday 15 Sep 202619:30

Explorer Series : Monty Halls

We are presenting a series of inspiring talks by some truly amazing individuals who are Explorers in their chosen field.

In September we hope you can join broadcaster, writer, biologist, and former Royal Marine Monty Halls for an evening of tall tales from around the world. From epic encounters with the world’s greatest marine predators, to exploring remote cave systems in Borneo, to living in the Galapagos with his family, and working as a fisherman for the BBC series “Fisherman’s Apprentice”. Signed copies of his best-selling books will be available on the night, including his latest Churchill’s Killing House, as well as “My Family and the Galapagos” and “Commando”. Described as “a masterclass” and “utterly inspiring” this event is a chance to travel the world from the safety of your seat in the theatre


Thursday 1st October 2026


All Tickets £16.50


Thursday 1 Oct 202619:30

Family History as Inspiration for Writing - Alison Huntingford

Alison Huntingford is an only child of two only children and so has always felt a distinct lack of family.  

This inspired her to research her family history and led her to write her debut novel, ‘The Glass Bulldog’, based on the true story of one of her ancestors, which was nominated for the Walter Scott prize for Historical Fiction in 2019.  Her second full length novel, ‘A Ha’penny Will Do’ was published January 2022. 'Dance A Fearful Jig', her third historical novel, was published in January 2024.


Alison has a degree in Humanities with Literature and has always enjoyed reading, especially the great writers of the 19th Century. In September 2021 Alison set up the South Hams Authors Network – an organisation which aims to support and promote the work of Devon writers.  This is a free, informal group which meets on a monthly basis and has a devoted and loyal following.  The group have been involved in book readings at libraries and shops, stalls at local fayres, radio interviews and local newspaper articles. This culminated in the much praised Dartmoor Edge Literary Fest in October 2022, followed by the South Hams Literary Festival around Ivybridge in 2023.


Saturday 19 Sep 202611:30 (FREE TO ATTEND)

Fiesta : Daniel Stables

Daniel Stables – in conversation with Martin Hesp





Daniel Stables is a travel writer and guidebook author based in the UK, specializing in regions such as

Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Southern Europe. He has authored or contributed to over 30 travel

books for various publishers, including Rough Guides and DK Eyewitness, and writes for outlets like BBC

Travel and National Geographic Traveller. In 2021, he was shortlisted in the Freelance Writing Awards for

his work in travel writing. You can find more about his work on his website danielstables.co.uk or follow him on Twitter

@DanStables


Fiesta explores the vibrant tapestry of human festivity, delving into the extraordinary lengths to which we go to express

our cultures and commemorate life's milestones. From drunken pilgrimages to sacrificial funerals, national days to

neo-pagan necromancy, festivals represent human culture at its most vivid and varied, and the resulting account is both

a rich collection of travel writing and an anthropological exploration of the roles that festivals play in society. Through

colourful characters, vibrant sights, and varied locales, Daniel Stables takes a curious, humanistic look at festivals

across the world, unravelling the universal threads that run through our diverse global celebrations.



Daniel Stables will be in conversation with Martin Hesp.


Friday 18 Sep 202611:30

HELENA CLEWS: LIFE DRAWING CLASSES..


HELENA CLEWS: LIFE DRAWING CLASSES


(max 30 participants)


£135 for block of 6 classes to include complimentary hot drinks and biscuits


Tuesday 15 September

Tuesday 22 September

Tuesday 29 September

Tuesday 6 October  

Tuesday 13 October

Tuesday 20 October

10am -12.30pm


Book your place and join in on the hugely successful life drawing workshops at the Flavel. It's a wonderful opportunity to draw alongside Helena and practice one of the fundamental skills of art.


The workshops are for all abilities. Helena will be available to provide individual feedback and help as necessary. The sessions are divided into the first part of short poses, ranging from 1 - 20 minute poses, a short break and then one long pose for around 55 minutes.


Information on what you need:

Please bring materials that you would like to draw with; ideally some charcoal (compressed and willow), coloured soft pastels, soft pencil (2B or softer) and a rubber. If you have your own paper/sketchbook then please bring that too.


Drawing boards will be provided and sheets of A2 cartridge paper is available to buy in cash on the day - 4 sheets for £1. There will also be some basic materials available on the day in exchange for a cash donation.


Tuesday 15 Sep 202610:00

Head Over Skis : Sophie Davies

Sophie Davies is a romance author based in West Sussex, who studied English literature at the University of Exeter, and has been working in the publishing industry ever since.

She began posting about her writing journey on TikTok in 2023, which has led to her meeting so many other amazing writers, some of whom have become her closest friends.

 Head Over Skis is Sophie’s debut novel.

Head Over Skis is a spicy rom com for fans of Hannah Grace, Catherine Walsh and Lindsey Kelk.

One ex

One ski-instructor

And one holiday that's about to go off-piste...


The trip finally made it out of the group chat! Lottie and her friends have been planning – and saving – for their ski trip for ages and everything is going to be perfect. Until it isn’t.


Sunday 20 Sep 202613:00

I Wanna Be Loved By You - Andrew Wilson Book Launch

This year Marilyn Monroe turns 100. As a centennial tribute, award-winning biographer, Andrew Wilson, will talk about his biography: I Wanna Be Loved By You, followed by Q&A and book signing.


Dreamer. Bombshell. Icon.

Featuring a wealth of unpublished material, Andrew Wilson’s biography of Marilyn Monroe presents the actress in a startling new light.

Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, she had an uncertain and unforgiving upbringing with a mentally ill mother, an absent father and cruel foster parents. She would dream about Hollywood, and she transformed herself into the ultimate goddess of the silver screen; her image has been branded into the collective consciousness. Men lusted after her, and women wanted to be her. All her life, she just wanted to be loved.

Marilyn Monroe was more than just a goddess of the screen. She was highly intelligent and well-read, and formed long-term friendships with poets, philosophers, playwrights and political activists, such as with the avant-garde poet Edith Sitwell. After training with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, she worked hard to dismantle the common perception that she was nothing but a dumb blonde.


About the author:

Andrew Wilson is an award-winning biographer, novelist and journalist. In 2003, his first book, Beautiful Shadow: A Life of Patricia Highsmith (Bloomsbury) won an Edgar Allan Poe Award and the LAMBDA Literary Award and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize.

Since then, he has written the biographies of Harold Robbins: The Man Who Invented Sex, Mad Girl’s Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted, Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin, and the group biography, Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived.

'Wilson is an articulate and gentle man, with a mind committed to evidence and the demeanour of someone likely to give you a fair shake. Watching him reminds you that of all the tricks in a biographer s bag, equanimity and respect for an interviewee's first impressions are indispensable' DAILY TELEGRAPH


There is a free screening of one of Marilyn’s funniest and finest movies ‘Some Like it Hot’ in the auditorium following this talk.




Sunday 20 Sep 202616:00

Jeremy Hunt : Can We Be Rich Again?

Is Britain stuck in a doom loop of higher debt and higher taxes? Or can we fix the

British economy?


In Can We Be Rich Again? Jeremy Hunt argues that getting out of Britain’s low

growth is a solvable problem, and that we should approach the country’s economic

future with optimism.


Hunt asks the key questions: How deliverable are the changes we need by a Labour,

Conservative or Reform government? How do we get the economy growing despite

dangerous levels of debt? How do we sell long term reforms when our leaders have

so little political capital? But countering pessimism needs solutions not just

assertions, and they need to be realistic – plans that politicians can actually deliver in

a democratic system and the majority of the electorate can get behind.


Jeremy Hunt was elected Conservative MP for South West

Surrey in 2005. He was first appointed Secretary of State for

Health in September 2012, then served as Secretary of State for

Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from July 2018 to July 2019, and Chancellor of

the Exchequer from October 2022 to July 2024. Before his election as an MP, Jeremy

 ran his own educational publishing business, Hotcourses. He also set up a charity to

help AIDS orphans in Africa in which he continues to play an active role. Jeremy

lives in Godalming and London with his wife, son and two daughters.


Jeremy Hunt will be interviewed by John Suchet.



Friday 18 Sep 202614:00

Let us take you to Paris 26

“Let us take you to Paris” offers an immersive experience of French music, featuring iconic works from artists like Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet, Django Reinhardt, Sydney Bechet and Serge Gainsbourg.


The show is guided by Parisian-born Fifi La Mer, who sings and plays accordion, and Oliver Wilby, who performs on clarinet, tenor saxophone and accordion. Together they bring a unique blend of French musical history, covering a century of Parisian tunes, while sharing captivating tales of romance, mystery, and heartache associated with the City of Lights. Fifi and Oliver have gained recognition through sold-out shows at venues like Ronnie Scott’s and various theatres across the country. Oliver has also performed with prestigious ensembles such as the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Ray Gelato and BBC Big Band.


Their engaging performance has been featured in the NatWest advertising campaign. Audience testimonials praise the show for its captivating music, entertaining storytelling, and the charming, talented duo’s ability to create an exciting and enjoyable atmosphere. The performance promises a charismatic, authentic taste of Paris through its distinctive musical arrangements and rich historical context.


Friday September 25th

Tickets £19  


Friday 25 Sep 202619:30

Lunchtime Concert Series with the Lyric Piano Trio

Lunchtime Concert Series with the Lyric Piano Trio


The Lyric Piano Trio is delighted to launch the first of a new series of monthly lunchtime concerts at the Flavel Theatre, taking place on the last Thursday of each month. Featuring fabulous music-making by talented local musicians who perform regularly throughout the South Hams, these concerts offer an inspiring hour of live chamber music in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.


The opening concert takes place on Thursday 24 September, from 1.00–2.00 pm and celebrates English music with works by the distinguished composer Benjamin Britten, Devon composer Elfyn Jones, and the wonderfully romantic and glorious Cello Sonata by Frank Bridge.


At just £15, your ticket also includes delicious homemade soup and fresh bread, making it the perfect way to enjoy an uplifting lunchtime of superb music, good food and excellent company.


Lyric Piano Trio brings together three accomplished musicians with a shared passion for chamber music and engaging, expressive performance. Drawing on a wealth of experience as soloists and chamber musicians, the ensemble presents programmes that combine beloved masterpieces with less familiar gems, creating concerts that are both accessible and rewarding for audiences of all ages.


Performing throughout the South Hams this season, the Trio celebrates the rich tradition of chamber music through imaginative programming and warm, communicative musicianship. Their concerts showcase the intimate musical dialogue that makes the piano trio repertoire so enduring, with works spanning the Classical and Romantic periods alongside carefully chosen twentieth-century favourites.


Whether in historic churches or community venues, Lyric Piano Trio is committed to bringing live classical music to local audiences in inspiring and welcoming settings, continuing a tradition of outstanding music-making across South Devon.


Doors open 12pm

Food served at 12.30pm

Concert starts 1.00pm 


£15 to include Flavel Café Soup


Thursday 24 Sep 202613:00

Master and Cartographer : Alan Harper

Alan Harper is an RYA Yacht Master, maritime journalist, and magazine editor, and has contributed articles on yachting, aviation, seamanship, navigation and travel to publications throughout the English-speaking world. His previous books include Waiting for Buddy Guy: Chicago Blues at the

Crossroads, which won the ASCAP Foundation Award and was a Living Blues

book of the year.

Alan will be talking about his latest book: Master and Cartographer, which follows the adventurous life of Captain Greenvile Collins (1643-94). His seafaring voyages took him from Patagonia to the Arctic, into battles against Dutch men of war and Barbary corsairs, and to the slave markets and Silk Road ports of the Mediterranean. A scientific navigator, his professional drive drew him to Shetland, the Scilly Isles and all points in between, as he undertook the most ambitious survey of the British coastline yet attempted, and which helped change the course of history.

This fascinating story is a must for those interested in adventures at sea and all things maritime.


Alan will be in conversation with Tim Wiltshire.


Sunday 20 Sep 202612:00

Meg Clothier : The Shipping Forecast

There’s a sea lover in every Brit.


The Shipping Forecast on Radio 4 has been keeping people in tune with the gloriously fickle British weather for a century, and capturing our hearts and imaginations along the way.


Celebrating a hundred years since the first broadcast, this book takes you to the heart of what the Shipping Forecast means to us as a nation. Each of the ten chapters brings you on a fascinating exploration of a different area of our British maritime history, from stormy weather up above to the seabed far below, and from fishing boats and battleships to the songs and poems inspired by the forecast.


This joyous book invites you to sail away into the enchanting world of the forecast, and is the perfect companion for anyone curious about our great British skies and seas.


Meg Clothier studied Classics at Cambridge, sailed from England to Alaska and worked as a journalist in London and Moscow. She has published three historical novels and Sea Fever: A Seaside Companion, a book full of marine lore and seaside charm, with her brother, Chris. She lives on the sunny side of the Quantock Hills with her husband, two children and an improbable number of vegetables.


Meg Clothier will be in conversation with Georgina Wiltshire.

Sunday 20 Sep 202610:30

Michael Rosen : Getting Through It

Join poetry legend Michael Rosen as he presents his new one-person show Getting Through It, formed of a double bill of monologues, The Death of Eddie and Many Kinds of Love.


Getting Through It is a powerful, deeply personal yet universally relatable, double bill of monologues and poetry.


In the first part, The Death of Eddie, Michael explores his experience after losing his 18-year-old son to meningitis, recalling the strange and contradictory mix of emotions felt after the unexpected loss. This story, memorably captured in Michael’s children’s book The Sad Book, is told in vivid and poetic detail.


In the second part, Many Kinds of Love, Michael recounts his 48-day period in intensive care, after contracting COVID-19 early in the pandemic, and having to face his own mortality. Both stories are told with Michael’s signature positivity, humour and poetry. Together, the two pieces are a testimony to the spirit of recovery.


"Simple yet powerfully affecting, it is a remarkable event" ★★★★★ West End Best Friend


"A universal human journey"  ★★★★★ Everything Theatre


Friday 18 Sep 202619:00

NT Live: The Misanthrope (15)

The Misanthrope

by Martin Crimp after Molière

directed by Indhu Rubasingham


Award-winner Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) plays the title role in this razor-sharp reimagining of Molière’s classic dark comedy.


Telling the truth isn’t always that simple. Alice, a brilliant novelist, despises the carefully constructed lies of modern society. But the more she challenges those around her, the fiercer the backlash becomes. Soon, she must confront the price of speaking her truth in a world that would rather silence her.


Filmed live on stage at the National Theatre, Indhu Rubasingham directs Martin Crimp’s (Cyrano de Bergerac) highly anticipated play.



Tuesday 22nd September

Tickets £18/£11


Tuesday 22 Sep 202619:00

Patrick Gale : Love Lane

Patrick Gale – in conversation with Sophie Pierce


From beloved, bestselling author Patrick Gale comes a searing portrayal of escape and the power of love, home and a family.

Love Lane is a brilliant new standalone novel featuring characters from Patrick’s Costa-shortlisted novel A Place Called Winter.


1950s Northern England. Three generations of men, two of women.

When veteran Canadian wheat farmer, Harry Cane is brutally obliged to sell up and sail home to an England transformed by two world wars, his arrival triggers unwelcome self-examination for the family he abandoned, and for whom he has never been more than a distant myth.

His daughter feels duty bound to take him in but is riven with doubt and ambushed by a long-buried anger she has never before expressed. Harry's effect on the next generation is less predictable and enables his granddaughter to deal with an unspeakable trauma, while her gentle husband feels seen for who he truly is. Can Harry stay and make a new life before

it's too late, or will he find himself cast out again, punished for having witnessed and understood too much?

From the rural plains of Canada to 1950s Liverpool and Yorkshire, Love Lane is a searing

portrayal of escape and entrapment, and a powerful exploration of what home and family

can really be.


Patrick Gale was born on the Isle of Wight. He spent his infancy at Wandsworth Prison, which his father governed, then grew up in Winchester before going to Oxford University. He now lives on a farm near Land's End. One of this country's best-loved

novelists, his most recent works are A Perfectly Good Man, the Richard and Judy bestseller Notes From An Exhibition, the Costa-shortlisted A Place Called Winter and Mother's Boy. His original BBC television drama, Man In An Orange Shirt, was shown to great acclaim in 2017 as part of the BBC's Queer Britannia series, leading viewers around the world to discover his novels.




Love Lane has been selected for this year’s Book Festival Big Read


Patrick Gale will be in conversation with Sophie Pierce.

Saturday 19 Sep 202610:00

Pressure (12A)

In the tense 72 hours before D-Day, and with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance, PRESSURE follows General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg as they face an impossible choice — launch the largest and most dangerous seaborne invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.


Directed by Anthony Maras


Starring

Andrew Scott

Brendan Fraser

Damian Lewis

Kerry Condo


Tickets £9 Adults this includes a £2 MyFlavel venue levy

Under 16’s £6.20 this includes a £1.50 My Flavel  venue levy  


Friday 2 Oct 202612:00
Saturday 3 Oct 202611:00
Monday 5 Oct 202619:30
Tuesday 6 Oct 202619:30 (SUBTITLED SCREENING)
Wednesday 7 Oct 202620:00
Monday 12 Oct 202619:30
Tuesday 13 Oct 202619:30

Rock Idols - Sophie Pierce and Alex Murdin

From devils and druids to timeless tors, join artist Alex Murdin and writer Sophie Pierce for an illustrated talk exploring the magic and mystery of Dartmoor. Their new book, Rock Idols: a guide to Dartmoor in 28 tors, is thought to be the first illustrated guide to Dartmoor in many years, with new, original drawings of these mysterious monoliths. Sophie and Alex will share their adventures exploring the tors, as well as some of the fascinating folklore, geology and history of Dartmoor. They will show Alex's new drawings of the tors, as well as intriguing Victorian etchings of some of Dartmoor's most famous features including Scorhill Stone Circle and the Dewerstone.

Saturday 19 Sep 202617:00

Roger and James Deakins : Reflections: On Cinematography

Roger & James Deakins – in conversation with Monty Halls


We are delighted that Roger and James Deakins can join us this year to talk about Roger’s fascinating career in cinematography, as described in his new book, Reflections: On Cinematography.


From two-time Academy Award winner from 16 nominations, and five-time BAFTA award winner from 11 nominations, Sir Roger Deakins - widely regarded as the greatest cinematographer of all time - a one-of-a-kind visual memoir, telling his life's story by way of his iconic, beloved films, including The Shawshank Redemption, Skyfall, Fargo, Blade Runner 2049, The Big Lebowski, 1917, and No Country for Old Men, among others.

Over the course of a brilliant 50-year career, Sir Roger Deakins has proven to be the greatest artist & visionary that the craft of cinematography has ever known.


In Reflections: On Cinematography, Deakins offers his fans and film enthusiasts a one-of-a-kind look into his life and improbable road to Hollywood immortality. Readers will discover how "the boy from Torquay, England" overcame a troubled childhood to enter his way into art school; his fortuitous entry into world of documentary filmmaking (including a yacht race around the world); to shooting groundbreaking music videos such as Herbie Hancock's "Rock It," to his singular film career, including his longtime collaborations with the Coen Brothers, Sam Mendes, and Denis Villeneuve.


Filled with never-before-seen storyboards, sketches, and diagrams, Deakins shows readers how he created some of the most iconic scenes in the most beloved films of all time. Through candid, lyrical prose, Deakins reflects on his life and each of his projects; how he helped shape them, and how they shaped him.


A truly unique visual memoir, Reflections is for film fans and general readers alike, and for anyone looking to find inspiration, beauty, and creativity by looking through the singular lens with which Roger views the world.


Roger & James Deakins will be in conversation with Monty Halls.

Saturday 19 Sep 202619:00

Rosie Nixon : From Magazines to Mentor: How I Reinvented My Life

Rosie Nixon is a visionary leader, author and coach. She is the author of four novels and one non-fiction collection. After a long career in women’s magazines, latterly as the award-winning editor-in-chief of Hello! Magazine, Rosie is now a qualified coach.


In 2024, she founded Rosie’s Reinvention retreats, a series of day retreats supporting midlife women through career, business and wellbeing transformations, enabling them to realise a more fulfilling way of life.


Rosie will be talking to Erin Allgrove about her own journey from burn-out to the realisation that something in her life needed to change. Reinvention became the answer.


Rosie’s book, the PRO Method (August 2026) explains three simple steps to reinventing your life.


Saturday 19 Sep 202611:45

Simon Munnery

We are very excited to welcome Simon back to the Flavel.


About Simon Munnery


Simon is a British Comedy Award nominee, Chortle Award winner, Perrier Award nominee, and Sony Radio Award winner. He's had his own Radio 1 series and several Radio 4 series, along with several cult television series including BBC2's Attention Scum. His most recent television appearances include The Alternative Comedy Experience (Comedy Central), It's Kevin and Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle (BBC2).


'One of the funniest, most original comedians of the past twenty years' (The Guardian)

'Convention-defying, innovative stuff. Simon Munnery is a must-see' (The Times)

'Simon Munnery is an avant-garde comedy god' (Time Out)

'Intelligence, wit and originality... Simon Munnery, the God particle of Alternative Comedy' (Chortle).


Saturday 26th September 2026

Tickets £20 which includes £1.50 MyFlavel venue levy 


https://www.simonmunnery.com/





Saturday 26 Sep 202619:30

Songs from the Shore

SONGS FROM THE SHORE


So here we are right in the moment, grains of sand making the shore

Like birds that migrate in the winter, when the first chill meets the sea

Like an old photo you thought you’d thrown out

Melodies of old songs they piece back together

Like the moon & the tides, returns night after night after night after night after night


Songs from the Shore is a new storytelling folk gig theatre show about the South Devon coast - its landscapes, its people & its stories.


Inspired by the experiences of those living near and belonging to the coast as well as its raw natural beauty, Songs from the Shore mixes live music with real stories and imagined fables, exploring the challenges and joys of living coastally in the context of an ecologically collapsing world.


Be swept along the South Devon coastline on a tide of salt-soaked songs and newly spun fables. This is where the spirit of the shore rises to meet us.


TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED HERE :Tickets


Thursday 8 Oct 202619:00

Swing That Music with Down for the Count All-Stars

Down for the Count recreate classic tunes from the Swing Era, but this is no mere nostalgia trip – the band perform each song in their own unmistakeable style, breathing new life into the best vintage music. Combine that with the band’s top class instrumental solos, sublime vocal performances, Join the UK’s hardest swinging band Down for the Count All-Stars for “one hellova celebration of vintage music” (Time Out London) – it’s time to Swing That Music!  


Described as “a breath of fresh air on the swing scene” (Twinwood Festival) Down for the Count’s 10-piece mini big band is regularly found in jazz clubs across the UK and abroad (Ronnie Scott’s London, Le Caveau de la Huchette Paris), at festivals including London Jazz Festival, and on BBC Radio. Now they are bringing the sounds and feels of the best jazz clubs to theatres around the country – with an electrifying show full of incredible energy, musicianship, and their own signature wry wit and humour.  


In the band’s updated show for 2026, you’ll hear instrumental songs from the likes of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Glenn Miller, vocal classics from singers such as Nat ‘King’ Cole, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, and original arrangements of jazz standards penned by musicians in the band.


and irresistible warmth and joie de vivre, and you get a show that will leave you feeling uplifted and wanting more.


“Awesome!!!” Michael Bublé


“My first impulse on leaving Cadogan Hall in the wake of a standing ovation on Sunday evening was to ask permission to lay 10 stars on this outstanding gig rather than the usual five.” Jazz Journal


Tickets £25


Saturday 3 Oct 202619:30

The Big Lebowski (18)

The Big Lebowski (1998)


Showing as part of Reflections: A Roger Deakin retrospective - a series of films celebrating the cinematography of Dartmouth’s Academy Award Winner.


The Big Lebowski begins with a case of mistaken identity which escalates when Jeffrey Lebowski - alias The Dude - attempts to seek recompense for the despoilation of his ratty-ass little rug, and then finds himself entangled in a kidnapping caper as a bagman - a situation that goes from bad to worse due to the interference of his hapless bowling partners.


In The Big Lebowski the Coen brothers have taken on the preoccupations of Raymond Chandler, but have given them a postmodern spin, while at the same time leaving Philip Marlowe's ethos intact as The Dude wanders through the fractured world of nineties LA trying to do the right thing. Like the award-winning Fargo, The Big Lebowski is suffused with a droll humour and a verbal felicity that is as delightful as it is startling.


This classic screening is presented as part of Dartmouth Book Festival 2026 – at which Sir Roger will be talking about his new book: Reflections.


The Flavel | Roger and James Deakins : Reflections: On Cinematography


Thursday 17 Sep 202619:30

The End of Oak Street (12A)

After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighbourhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.


Starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, THE END OF OAK STREET also stars Maisy Stella and Christian Convery. The film is written and directed by David Robert Mitchell and produced by J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Jon Cohen, David Robert Mitchell, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper. The executive producers are Chris Bender, Jake Weiner, Joanne Lee and Leeann Stonebreaker.


Tickets £9 Adults £6.20 Under 16’s

All tickets include a venue levy £2 per adult and £1.50 under 16’s  


Monday 14 Sep 202619:30
Tuesday 15 Sep 202614:00 (SUBTITLED SCREENING)
Wednesday 16 Sep 202619:30

The Incomer (15)


Set on a remote Scottish island, two siblings survive by hunting seabirds, retelling the stories of their ancestors, and defending the isle from dreaded ‘Incomers’. Their world is upended with the arrival of an awkward council worker who has come to uproot them from their homeland.


STARRING

Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O’Rourke, Emun Elliott, Michelle Gomez, with John Hannah


Tickets £9 Adults £6.20 Under 16’s

All tickets include a venue levy £2 per adult and £1.50 under 16’s  


Monday 21 Sep 202619:30
Tuesday 22 Sep 202614:00 (SUBTITLED SCREENING)
Wednesday 23 Sep 202619:30
Thursday 24 Sep 202619:30

The Owl and the Nightingale - Poetry Group

In this session, members of Dartmouth Poetry Group invite you to share their love of poetry.

There will be readings from Simon Armitage's The Owl and the Nightingale.


Dartmouth Poetry Group are poetry enthusiasts who meet monthly at The Flavel. New members are always welcome to come and share in their love of poetry.



Friday 18 Sep 202614:00 (FREE TO ATTEND)

The Storyteller’s Journey : Keith Rossiter and Jonathan Posner

Join writers Jonathan Posner and Keith Rossiter on an adventure into the world of imagination.


Jonathan Posner is a full-time author and publisher based in Exeter. He has written and published six action-adventure novels set in Tudor England. He has also written and published two anthologies; one of short stories and the other of ‘old bloke having a rant’ articles. Earlier works include libretto and lyrics for three full-length stage musicals plus a one-act play. Jonathan gets a thrill from seeing his books in print and getting great feedback from readers, which is why he is so keen to share what he has learned about the craft of writing with others.


Keith Rossiter is a former journalist turned full-time novelist. He has published one thriller set in Greece, The Chaos Game, a young adult novel White Raven, and a novel for middle-grade readers, Shadow Lands: The Poacher’s Trap. He is also a screenwriter and filmmaker.

He admits that in the years since leaving journalism he has been on a steep learning curve – and he is eager to share that adventure with new and improving writers.


Saturday 19 Sep 202614:00

Three Rivers : Robert Winder

Robert Winder was Literary Editor of the Independent (where he ran the Foreign Fiction Award for translated novels) and Deputy Editor of Granta. He is the author of many titles (both fiction and non-fiction) including Bloody Foreigners: The Story of Immigration to Britain and The

Last Wolf: The Hidden Springs of Englishness. The former helped inspire the Migration Museum Project, which aims to create a major museum on the theme of migration in Britain and for which he was a founder trustee.


Three rivers: the Rhine, the Rhone and the Po. Each one coursing down from a single patch of Alpine ice in the jagged heights of Switzerland. Together they gave birth to three different European cultures – German, French and Italian. The very heart of Western Europe – its languages, religion and agriculture, its science, politics and art – has been nourished by these waters, from the Romanesque buttresses and vines of Provence to the Wagnerian music of the Rhine and the artistic miracles of Lombardy.

Setting off from the dramatic mountain landscape where this story begins, acclaimed historian

Robert Winder traces the rivers’ journeys, revealing in shimmering detail their impact on Europe’s rich history as they flow towards the sea.


Full of flavour and sparkle.’ The Sunday Times.


Friday 18 Sep 202615:45

Tim Spicer : An Axe and Four Balloons

An Axe and Four Balloons is Tim Spicer’s fascinating biography of Brian Franks, who has been accredited as one of the founding fathers of the SAS, although until now, he has been largely unknown outside the Special Operations world.


Brian Franks was loved by officers and soldiers alike; he was tough, charismatic and charming. Initially, he joined the hotel business, but in 1939 Franks was commissioned into the Middlesex Yeomanry. Soon he gravitated to the world of more esoteric military operations, which suited his unconventional temperament, moving first to the GHQ Reconnaissance Regiment or ‘Phantom’, then to the Commandos. He became the Brigade Major of the Special Service Brigade in 1943 and took part in the invasion of Sicily, and the operation at Termoli in Italy where he won the MC.


He was posted to 2 SAS in early 1944. He commanded the Regiment on operations in France, Italy, Germany and Norway. During Operation LOYTON in the Vosges mountains in September 1944, he parachuted in to lead operations behind enemy lines. Thirty-one of his soldiers were captured, tortured and executed by the Germans. Franks was determined to avenge them and set up an “off the books” war crimes hunting team to bring the perpetrators to justice. For Operation LOYTON he was awarded the DSO, Croix de Guerre and Legion d’Honneur.


Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer OBE has led a life filled with action and adventure. During his twenty years in the British Army, he saw active service in Northern Ireland, the Falklands campaign, the Gulf War and the Balkans, as well as serving in the Far East, Cyprus and Germany.

Key appointments have included Chief of Staff of an Armoured Brigade, Staff Officer at the Directorate of Special Forces and Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards, among many others.


Over the course of this illustrious military career, Spicer has developed extensive knowledge of intelligence, counterterrorism, complex relations and protective security. In 2001 he founded the private security company Aegis, which has counted the UK, US and Italian governments among its clients.

He is author of An Unorthodox Soldier: Peace and War and the Sandline Affair (2000), A Dangerous Enterprise (2021), and A Suspicion of Spies (2024).


Praise for An Axe and Four Ballons:


“Gripping, intensively researched and a fitting tribute to one of the founders of Special Forces soldiering. A fabulous read about an inspirational commander of the wartime SAS.” DAMIEN LEWIS, author of the SAS: Great Escapes series.


“Tim Spicer has an amazing superpower among authors of discovering fascinating and

vitally important figures whom history has somehow ignored or sidelined, and to bring

them alive with vividness and immediacy. In this well-researched, grippingly written and terrific story, he also provides profound insights into the theory, nature and practice of courage under fire, something he knows a good deal about from personal experience.” ANDREW ROBERTS, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny



Saturday 19 Sep 202614:00

U3A Classics :The Greatest of all Classical Greek Temples (and it's not the Parthenon)

The Greatest of all Classical Greek Temples (and it's not the Parthenon)


Presented by Wiz Tehel


Continuing the series on the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Wiz presents the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus.

Besides being one of the largest of any Greek temples, it's beauty and elegance earned its fame and reputation.

As well as learning about this Wonder, Wiz will also explore Greek temples in general. How were they built, used, and how many of them were lost forever.

Thursday 1 Oct 202610:30