Martin Clunes, Larry Lamb and Fern Britton among the line-up for Appledore Book Festival 2025

Doc Martin star Martin Clunes plus EastEnders actor Larry lamb are among the celebrity authors unveiled for this year’s Appledore Book festival.

The vibrant festival runs from September 12 to 21 and has gained national recognition with its strong line-ups of celebrity and local authors together with a variety of entertainment, workshops and talks.

Authors signed up to come to North Devon this autumn so far include Martin Clunes, star of Doc Martin; BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner; actor Larry Lamb, seen in Gavin & Stacey and EastEnders; actor and comedian Helen Lederer; Pointless and Classic FM presenter Alexander Armstrong; and TV presenter and writer, Fern Britton.

Above: Actor and comedian Helen Lederer will be at Appledore Book Festival too. Credit: Steve Ullathorne

Also attending this year will be Romy Gill, British-Indian chef and broadcaster; Tiggy Walker, widow of much-loved radio presenter, Johnnie Walker; renowned historian, Tracy Borman; and popular author Michael Morpurgo. 

Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, Jeremy Vine, Ian Leslie, Anne Sebba, Paula Byrne, SJ Parris, Iain Dale, Lesley Pearse and Veronica Henry will also be in the line-up.

Above: EastEnders and Gavin & Stacey actor Larry Lamb will be part of this year's Appledore Book Festival. 

The festival is now in its 19th year and is run by a dedicated team of mostly volunteers, supported by a group of long-serving trustees and patrons who include award-winning crime author Ann Cleeves, broadcaster Jeremy Vine, presenter Judi Spiers and festival founder and children’s author Nick Arnold.

Festival director Jane Beaton said they were excited to be sharing the authors who had signed-up and looked forward to welcoming them to Appledore this September. 

She added: “Even more names will be added in the coming weeks, with announcements being made on our social media platforms and website.  Alongside the main events, we again have a variety of fringe events taking place, including gin and wine tastings, an Italian supper, art workshops and guided walks.

“For the third year running we will be organising a free family day in the village on the first Saturday which will be open to all.”

Above: Pointless and Classic FM presenter Alexander Armstrong will be attending to talk about his book. Credit: David Sheinmann

Appledore Book Festival is a charity founded in 2006 by Nick Arnold, author of the Horrible Science series, in a bid to raise money to save Appledore Library. His campaign brought the community together and was an overwhelming success.

Today, the festival continues to thrive and grow, becoming one of the biggest cultural festivals in Devon, attracting world-class authors, speakers and performers.

To keep up to date with events at this year’s Appledore Book Festival or to get ‘Friend of the Festival’ membership information, visit www.appledorebookfestival.co.uk and follow on Facebook and Instagram.