Join us for the final episode of The Big Scottish Book Club!
Join us for the final episode of The Big Scottish Book Club!

Join us for the final episode of The Big Scottish Book Club on the 18th December 10pm on BBC iPlayer & BBC Scotland.

Damian Barr chats to writer and radio presenter Reverend Richard Coles about his best-selling debut novel, ‘Murder Before Evensong’; award-winning writer and poet Lemn Sissay shares his favourite books; and musician and broadcaster Cerys Matthews reveals her love of Dylan Thomas and discusses her new adaptation of ‘Under Milk Wood’. The readers of St Boswell’s share their thoughts on Scottish classic ‘Trumpet’, by Jackie Kay, and recommend the books they would give to a friend.

Thank you for all of your support! You can watch us live or catch-up with past episodes on BBC iPlayer & BBC Scotland!

WATCH HERE

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Guest UserThe Big Scottish Book Club, Damian Barr, Cerys Matthews, Lemn Sissay, Rev. Richard Coles, IWC, IWC Media, BBC Scotland, BBC iPlayer, Under Milk Wood, Murder Before Evensong
Watch The Big Scottish Book Club on BBC iPlayer and BBC Scotland!
Watch The Big Scottish Book Club on BBC iPlayer and BBC Scotland!

The Big Scottish Book Club is back on Sunday 6th November, 10pm for episode two of the new series!

Damian's joined by Armistead Maupin to discuss his classic Tales of the City series, Glasgow-based comedian Josie Long reveals the writers that inspire her, and Andrew Cotter talks about his books Dog Days and Olive, Mabel and Me.

The Edinburgh Gay Men’s Book Group rate Scottish classic Trainspotting and regulars at The Portobello Bookshop give their recommended reads.

Watch live or catch-up with past episodes on BBC iPlayer & BBC Scotland!

WATCH HERE

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Guest UserBBC Scotland, BBC iPlayer, IWC Media, IWC, The Big Scottish Book Club, Damian Barr, Armistead Maupin, Tales of the City, Josie Long, Andrew Cotter, Edinburgh Gay Men’s Book Group, The Portobello Bookshop
The Big Scottish Book Club is back for series four!
The Big Scottish Book Club is back for series four!

The Big Scottish Book Club is back with a new series and new format!

Damian Barr is joined by special guests to talk literature & life with a big dose of insight and laughs!

The Big Scottish Book Club is an IWC (a Banijay UK company) production for BBC Scotland. The new eight-part series will start on the BBC Scotland channel and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 30th October at 10pm.

Click HERE for more info. You can also still enjoy series three on BBC iPlayer.

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Guest UserBBC SCOTLANDDamian Barr, The Big Scottish Book Club, BBC iPlayer, BBC Scotland, IWC, IWC Media, Chitra Ramaswamy, Pat Nevin, Elaine C. Smith, Gavin Mitchell, Ricky Ross, Cerys Matthews, Charlie Higson, Rachelle Atalla, Denise Mina, Lemn Sissay, Kate Mosse, Armistead Maupin
NEW DATE FOR AN EVENING WITH MISS MARPLE!
NEW DATE FOR AN EVENING WITH MISS MARPLE!

Join us on the 21st November for an in-person and online Salon at The British Library, as we celebrate Marple: Twelve New Stories, a brand-new collection of original tales penned by some of the world’s most acclaimed and bestselling female writers. Each story takes inspiration from Agatha Christie’s classic originals to feature a new mystery for Miss Marple to solve. As ever, she knows more than she appears to.

Damian Barr will be joined by contributing authors Lucy Foley and Kate Mosse, as well as Agatha Christie’s great grandson and CEO and Chairman of Agatha Christie Ltd, James Prichard. The evening will feature exclusive readings, expert insights, and special appearances from Marple super-fans, celebrating the incomparable, enigmatic spirt of Jane Marple and her legendary creator Agatha Christie.

Tickets start at £10 for the in-person event (concessions are available) and £5 online. A ticket and book bundle will also be available and books will be on sale on the night. The box office and bar open at 6.30pm and the Salon will start at 7pm. Lucy Foley and Kate Mosse will also be signing books after the event.

The British Library is the national library of the UK, collecting an unparalleled archive of books, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, sounds and even websites. It’s collection of over 170 million items span both the momentous and the everyday, from Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, Jane Austen’s early writings, and Benjamin Zephaniah’s handwritten poetry to rare sacred texts, feminist literature and the UK’s earliest newspapers. The Library shares these collections with thousands of people every day, helping to inspire the next great idea or moment of joyful discovery.

See you there!

GET TICKETS

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Guest UserBritish LibraryMiss Marple: Twelve New Stories, Agatha Christie, Harper Fiction, Damian Barr, Damian Barr's Literary Salon
Book of the Week on the Damian Barr's Literary Salon podcast
Book of the Week on the Damian Barr's Literary Salon podcast

Welcome to our Book of the Week podcast! Every week, our team of editors and readers brings you a special reading from a new book that we've fallen in love with and that we think you'll love too. Visit our podcast on your favourite platform for a short reading and a recommendation from Damian. Your TBR is already teetering but there always room for one more, right?

Our Book of the Week podcast replaces Salon Exclusives--why? Well, there are just too many brilliant new books to share and we really don't want you to miss out. We launched Book of the Week with a world-first reading from the Marriage Portrait, Maggie O'Farrell's new novel. And we've got a lot more coming up! You can still listen to all our past episodes on our podcast and share with your pals. Thanks for listening!

Book of the Week is programmed by Matt Casbourne (matt@literary-salon.co.uk) and produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman (megan@literary-salon.co.uk) for Damian Barr's Literary Salon.

We started SEs in March 2019! Past titles have included The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney, The Prophets and Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies which went on to win the Desmond Elliott Prize 2022. If you’d like to suggest a book for BOTW from Jan ‘23 onwards please email matt@literary-salon.co.uk.

LISTEN HERE!

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Guest UserBook of the Week, Salon Exclusives, Damian Barr's Literary Salon, Matt Casbourne, Literary Salon
Salon Postponed
Salon Postponed

We are very sorry, but An Evening with Miss Marple has been postponed. The event was due to take place tomorrow, Tues 13th Sept, but will now be held at a later date.

The British Library has cancelled all events until after the Queen's funeral.

We will let you know as soon as a new date has been confirmed. All ticket holders will be contacted by the British Library.

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Guest UserThe British LibraryDamian Barr, Literary Salon, The British Library, Lucy Worsley, Lucy Foley, Kate Mosse, Harper Collins, Harper Fiction, Agatha Christie
David Bowie named Britain’s most influential artist of the last 50 years!
David Bowie named Britain’s most influential artist of the last 50 years!

David Bowie has been named Britain’s most influential artist of the last 50 years!
Bowie topped the Sky Arts list of 50 influential artists. The list was created by a panel of judges chaired by Lauren Laverne. Judges included Damian Barr , Kanya King CBE and Ali Plumb.

In honour of David Bowie’s win a special piece of artwork was made by London-based artist Joe Black, out of over 8,500 3D printed guitar plectrums. The individual designs of the plectrums represent the campaign’s five categories, as well as a lightning bolt to nod to Bowie’s iconic symbol.

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Guest UserDavid Bowie, Damian Barr, Sky Arts, Top 50, Joe Black, Lauren Laverne, Kanya King CBE, Ali Plumb
Damian Barr’s Literary Salon and the British Library present An Evening with Miss Marple.
Damian Barr’s Literary Salon and the British Library present An Evening with Miss Marple.

TICKETS NOW ON SALE!

Join Damian on the 13th September for an in-person and online Salon at the British Library, as the Literary Salon launches Marple: Twelve New Stories, a brand-new collection of original tales penned by some of the world’s most acclaimed and bestselling female writers. Each story takes inspiration from Agatha Christie’s classic originals to feature a new mystery for Miss Marple to solve. As ever, she knows more than she appears to.

Damian Barr will be joined by contributing authors Lucy Foley and Kate Mosse, as well as historian, presenter and Christie biographer Lucy Worsley. The evening will feature exclusive readings, expert insights, and special appearances from Marple super-fans, celebrating the incomparable, enigmatic spirt of Jane Marple and her legendary creator Agatha Christie.

Tickets start at £10 for the in-person event (concessions are available) and £5 online. A ticket and book bundle will also be available and books will be on sale on the night. The box office and bar open at 6pm, theatre doors at 6.45pm and the Salon will start at 7pm. Lucy Foley, Kate Mosse and Lucy Worsley will also be signing books after the event.

See you there!

GET TICKETS

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Guest UserThe British LibraryDamian Barr, The British Library, Kate Mosse, Kate Foley, Lucy Worsley, Damian Barr's Literary Salon, Literary Salon, Miss Marple, Harper Collins, Miss Marple: Twelve New Stories
The Big Scottish Book Club is back!
The Big Scottish Book Club is back!

The Big Scottish Book Club has been recommissioned by BBC Scotland for a fourth series. The IWC (a Banijay UK company) series will return later this year for a further eight episodes, with some exciting changes to the format.

Writer and host, Damian Barr, will be joined by three guests together in the studio, each with a great story to tell and stories to share. Guests will range from authors with a new fiction, non-fiction book or memoir to well-known book lovers talking about the books that changed their life and the writers they are most passionate about.

In addition to studio guests, The Big Scottish Book Club will head out and about to speak to book lovers across Scotland. Readers will be invited to give a book review of a classic title, and each week, the show visits a different village or town and challenges three residents to tell viewers in 45 seconds about their bucket-list book on a new theme each week.

Pauline Law, Executive Producer for The Big Scottish Book Club, said:

“We’re really looking forward to bringing The Big Scottish Book Club back. It’s a wonderful series to make and while some elements might look slightly different, the series remains a celebration of literature, and our love for books remains very much at the heart of the series.“

Damian Barr said:

“2022 is Scotland’s year of stories and I am thrilled that The Big Scottish Book Club will return for a fourth series among the celebrations. We are bringing the audience at home right into the heart of the show by making it even cosier and more conversational. This next chapter is exciting and I hope it brings even more viewers and readers to the show. I love

hearing from folk who have picked up new books because of the show or got back in to reading again so thanks for your feedback and keep in touch. Happy reading.”

Gareth Hydes, Commissioning Editor at BBC Scotland, said:

“We are delighted to have a fourth series later this year, with just a few tweaks to the format. Viewers love The Big Scottish Book Club and Damian for the warmth, intelligence but also accessibility of the series and that very much remains the core of the show.”

The Big Scottish Book Club (8x45’) is an IWC production for BBC Scotland. It was

commissioned by Gareth Hydes. It will be executive produced by Pauline Law for IWC and will

broadcast later this year.

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Guest UserBSBC, The Big Scottish Book Club, #bigscottishbookclub, Big Scottish Book Club, Damian Barr, BBC iPlayer, BBC Scotland
In Search of Sir Walter Scott on BBC iPlayer for only five more weeks!
In Search of Sir Walter Scott on BBC iPlayer for only five more weeks!

Just five weeks left to watch this! I mean, we are all just glued to the news but should you wish to escape into my documentary about Sir Walter Scott, you have not long left to catch it!

Made by Factory Films.

Watch now!

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Guest UserIn Search of Walter Scott, In Search of Sir Walter Scott, Sir Walter Scott, Sir Walter Scott 250, Sir Walter Scott’s 250th birthday, Factory Films, Damian Barr, BBC iPlayer, BBC Four
Treasures of The National Library of Scotland podcast
Treasures of The National Library of Scotland podcast

To mark the opening of Treasures of the National Library of Scotland, the National Library asked some of Scotland’s real-life national treasures to select their favourite items. What riches to pick from! This makes me officially vintage! And one of the other folk on my episode is Liz Lochead—one of my actual heroes!

Listen to them all here!

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Guest UserNational Library of ScotlandTreasures of the National Library of Scotland, National Library of Scotland, Liz Lochead
Author and campaigner Damian Barr on why we still need Pride
Author and campaigner Damian Barr on why we still need Pride

Yes, we still need Pride. We are still being harassed and attacked and fired and evicted. Now, more than ever, your LGBTQ+ beloveds need your support. This piece addresses the renewed attempts to divide us by attacking trans and non binary folk and looks at new ‘section 28’ laws here and in the US.

i’ve written a piece and made a video about why we still need Pride. I hope it speaks to you and that you speak with the lqbtq+ people and allies in your life about standing together.

Click here to read the full article and watch the video.

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Guest UserPride, Pride Month, Yahoo, Yahoo Life, Damian Barr