Good food, showbiz gossip and royal revelations
WE ARE thrilled to announce our autumn daily Mail literary lunch, with a stellar line-up of speakers, on october 6.
Few actors can claim the range, variety of roles and sheer, rumbustious life experience as the magnificent Brian Blessed.
He first caught our attention as PC ‘Fancy’ smith in iconic series Z Cars in 1962, then embraced the classical world in I, Claudius, before tackling the favourite role of long John silver. Cinema-goers still chant his ‘Gordon’s alive!’ outburst from Flash Gordon. the expression ‘larger-than-life’ could have been created for Blessed, who has attempted to climb Everest and boxed with the dalai lama . . .
He’ll be talking about his laughout-loud autobiography, Absolute Pandemonium, in which he tells of hellraising with Peter o’toole, knocking Harold Pinter out cold and smooching with Katharine Hepburn . . . It certainly lives up to its title.
Ingrid seward has been editorin-chief of Majesty Magazine for more than 20 years, and no one has a more authentic insight into the inner workings of the Royal Family. It is this depth of knowledge that informs her wonderfully revealing book the Queen’s speech, recently serialised in the Mail.
Based on Her Majesty’s speeches and peppered with illuminating insights from those who know and adore her, this is a definitive record of our Queen.
so, if you want to know what the Royal Family really talk about and how they behave in private,
Seward has the answers. Gyles Brandreth is a familiar and much-loved face at our literary lunches, orchestrating proceedings with his customary wit and flair.
We are delighted that, this year, he’ll be a guest in his own right, talking — which is what he does best — about his new book Word Play, a fascinating compendium of curiosities of the English language.
This lunch will prove very popular, so book now to avoid disappointment as numbers are limited. We greatly look forward to seeing you!
HOW TO BOOK
Lunch will be held at the fourstar Lancaster London hotel on Tuesday October 6, from noon.
£75 per person includes a reception (with cash bar) during which guests can meet the authors, buy their books and have them signed, followed by a three-course meal with wine.
Please send cheques made payable to The Lancaster London hotel with your name and the names of your guests, to: caroline hamilton Fleming, 27 Baalbec Road, London n5 1Qn. Tickets will be posted on receipt of cheques.