Bill Paterson, Lucy Porter, Sam Heughan Among Wigtown Book Festival’s Line Up

The programme has been unveiled today, and the public can buy tickets from 24 July.

Paterson, a Scottish national treasure and star of shows like Fleabag, and the voice of everything from the BBC’s coverage of the Edinburgh Tattoo to The Repair Shop, will be talking about his book, Tales from the Back Green, and his upbringing in 1950s Glasgow.

A patron of the festival since his first visit in 2008 (when the book was originally published), he has a strong affection for Wigtown and said: “I’m really looking forward to returning to Wigtown after nearly 20 years. The festival has grown so much in that time and this year’s programme looks dazzlingly varied.”

Paterson has slightly updated his book which is a series autobiographical tales from his childhood and early teens. One, Twilight of the Trams has a special resonance for him, and to this day one of his fondest possessions is a an original “destination sign” (pictured in accompanying photos) from one of the trams which ran past his home.

Across the nation and oversees

Taking place from 25 September to 4 October, Wigtown Book Festival provides a platform for writers, poets, journalists, scientists, celebrities and others. Guests come from all across the nation, overseas and are also drawn from its home ground in Dumfries & Galloway.

Comedian Lucy Porter will discuss her new book Middle-Aged Women Get Sh*t Done (published 13 August) on 28 September and broadcaster Sophie Raworth will be talking about her book, Running on Air, and how she found her feet through running, on 2 October.

The festival finale is provided by Outlander star Sam Heughan, born in the region in Balmaclellan, who will chat about his love of Scotland and long association with Dumfries & Galloway. There will also be tours and festival events at the Galloway Distillery not far from Wigtown, near Newton Stewart, which was co-founded by Heughan.

All tastes and ages

As ever, the festival is designed to appeal to all tastes and ages. Young adult attractions range from the Make a Scene filmmaking workshop to the Sunday Sessions, poetry events featuring the likes of Michael Mullen, Morag Anderson, Shasta Ali, Taylor Dyson and Susi Briggs.

There is also an entire series of Big Wig children’s events. Galloway connections abound with a taut Tartan noir novel, Snowstorm in June, by crime writer and comedian and creator of Scotland Unplugged RMG Parker – a man who has also spent years hunting down internet fraudsters.

Isla Rosser-Owen, Wigtown Festival Company CEO, said: “There’s so much in this year’s programme - life stories, family tales, Scottish fiction, witchcraft, crime, poetry, film, theatre, young adult and children’s literature.

From household names to debut novelists

“Over the 10 days we will present everyone from household names like Bill Paterson, Lucy Porter and Sam Heughan to a whole selection of up-and-coming debut novelists.

“As ever we will be showcasing some of the best in international and national writing while championing the creative talent of Dumfries & Galloway.

“We hope people will seize the opportunity to come to the festival, explore Scotland’s National Book Town and discover more about what our beautiful rural region has to offer.”

Lee Randall, this who curated this year’s main programme, added: “My goal was to create a richly varied menu with much to tempt a variety of interests — and to do justice to much- missed Wigtownshire writer Alastair Reid, whose centenary year we mark this year in a variety of ways and whose phrase, ‘Patina, gloss and whorl’, we’ve taken as this year’s theme.”

Among the other guests will be:

• Manjeet Mann: Roar. An empowering novel of resistance inspired by Sampat Pal and
  the Pink Sari Gang from the award-winning author of Run, Rebel and The Crossing.
• Maclean brothers: Three Brothers in a Boat. Meet the three Scottish brothers who in
  2025 set out to row 9,000 miles non- stop across the stormy Pacific Ocean.
• Louise Welsh and Chris Brookmyre: Killer Stories. Two smart, funny crime writers
  discuss their friendship, the state of Scottish crime fiction, and the fine art of murder.
• Coinneach MacLeod: Hebridean Hygge. The TV star and internationally best-selling
  cookbook author (whose new book A Scottish Christmas is out in November) celebrates
  life’s quieter pleasures, offering ideas for enjoying seasonal creature comforts.
• Polly Pullar: In the Company of Sheep. Polly tells us about journeying from Dartmoor to
  Shetland to find out all there is to know about this humble, farm animal.
• Manni and Reuben Coe: Little Ruins: Rebuilding a Life. A touching story of brotherly
  love. Learn about Manni’s life before rescuing his younger sibling amid the emotional
  turbulence of the pandemic and a fracturing care system.
• Mairi Kidd: Newes of Witches. The best-selling historical novelist transports audiences
  to 17th-century Scotland – a dangerous time to be a woman, especially one accused of
  witchcraft (part of the festival’s witchcraft theme).
• Alice Strang: The Scottish Colourists. Why was Galloway such a crucial factor in
  moulding the work of Scottish Colourists like Samuel John Peploe (an exhibition of
  Peploe’s work is on display at Kirkcudbright Galleries, until 4 October).
• Anne-Marie Te Whiu: Mettle. This year’s Cove Park International Fellowship Winner,
  from Sydney, Australia, will read from her debut poetry collection, talk about her
  fascinating family background, her latest project and her work as a weaver.

There will also be events featuring Matthew Sweet (discussing The Great Dictator: A Life of Barbara Cartland), Jenni Fagan (The Delusions), Sara Sheridan (The Jewel Keepers) and Chris Chibnall (The Parkwood Murders).

Panel discussions will tackle subjects such as Scotland’s international and domestic challenges, and how to reverse the country’s rural depopulation. There will be the Wigtown Poetry Prize awards plus the unveiling of the winner of this year’s Anne Brown Essay Prize.

Music and Film

Live music will be provided by the likes of The Bookshop Band, based in Wigtown, while author, filmmaker and former NASA storyteller Jessica Fox co-hosts a series of Moon Snacks podcasts.

Driftwood Cinema will present a curated series of films with literary links such as Irish road movie The Spin. Scotland’s smallest theatre, The Swallow (which is celebrating its 30th birthday), will present a series of productions including a solo adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

Walks and workshops

There will be mindful walks, foraging expeditions and tours of the town highlighting its history. A multitude of workshops will be taking place covering everything from the art of writing and character development through to making zines and signwriting.

Cathy Agnew, Chair of Wigtown Festival Company, said: “Yet again we are extremely proud to present a truly diverse 10-day programme of stimulating and challenging experiences of literary related talks, panels, walks and films. It’s a terrific opportunity to share our literary offer with those who live locally and with those whom we welcome from far and wide each year.”

Wigtown Book Festival tickets can be purchased via our website.