An Evening with Michael Palin, 25 Sept – 11 Nov, 2023

Join Michael Palin for a special evening to celebrate the launch of his new book Great-Uncle Harry: A Tale of War and Empire.

ABOUT THE BOOK

From the time, many years ago, when Michael Palin first heard that his grandfather had a brother, Harry, born in 1884 and killed in the Battle of the Somme in 1916, he was determined to find out more about him.

Join Michael as he reveals the quest that followed and how a life that had previously existed in the shadows was revealed to him. This story involves hundreds of hours of painstaking detective work including digging out family gossip and correspondences, studying official documents, tracking down what remained of diaries and letters, and poring over photographs of First World War battle scenes culminating in walking the route Harry took on that fatal, final day of his life amid the mud of northern France..

Great-Uncle Harry is an utterly compelling account of an ordinary man who led an extraordinary life. A blend of biography, history, travelogue and personal memoir this is Michael Palin at his very finest.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Palin has written and starred in numerous TV programmes and films, from Monty Python and Ripping Yarns to The Missionary and The Death of Stalin. He has also made several much-acclaimed travel documentaries, his journeys taking him to the North and South Poles, the Sahara Desert, the Himalayas, Eastern Europe and Brazil. His books include accounts of his journeys, novels (Hemingway’s Chair and The Truth) and several volumes of diaries. 

Events are presented in association with Penguin.

Photography by John Swannell.

Access Information

Access information is available on venue websites or by email request:

Ely, Cathedral, Cambridgeshire: Contact - receptionist@elycathedral.org

Holy Trinity Garrison Church, Windsor: Contact: info@windsorfestival.com

Royal Hospital Chelsea, London: Contact: RHCevents@chelsea-pensioners.org.uk

City Hall, Glasgow: https://www.glasgowconcerthalls.com/Pages/venue-access.aspx

St Andrews: Contact - standrews@toppingbooks.co.uk

Newcastle Cathedral: https://newcastlecathedral.org.uk/visit/access-information/

The Forum, Bath: https://www.bathforum.co.uk/Groups/221244/Bath_Forum/Venue/Accessibility/Accessibility.aspx

Chester Cathedral: https://www.accessable.co.uk/cheshire-west-and-chester-council/cheshire-west-and-chester/access-guides/chesterhamathedral

Assembly Rooms: https://www.assemblyroomsedinburgh.co.uk/your-visit/access

Cheltenham Literature Festival: https://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature/whats-on/2023/michael-palin

National Liberal Club: secretariat@nlc.org.uk