Festival line-up includes top comedians and chef

Tom Kerridge sat at a table, eating and smiling
Image caption,

Tom Kerridge, who grew up in Gloucester, is among the stars appearing at the festival

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A TV chef, famous broadcasters, and several comedians are among the names that have been announced for an upcoming festival.

Gloucester History Festival will reveal "secrets, sins and skeletons in the cupboards" during 150 events in the city between 7 to 22 September.

Chef Tom Kerridge, broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, and comedians Natalie Haynes and Stewart Lee have all been confirmed.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, with festival president Janina Ramirez promising it will be "the most special yet".

Kerridge, who has launched a number of cook books and went to catering college in Cheltenham, is in the company of historians, authors and broadcasters.

Among this year's names are Horrible Histories star and You're Dead To Me host Greg Jenner, A House Through Time presenter David Olusoga, and explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

Festival highlights include TV historian Kate Williams on the secrets and scandals of the royal palaces, broadcaster Diarmaid MacCulloch on sex and religion, and author Shalina Patel on the people hidden from history books.

Image source, Gloucester History Festival
Image caption,

Dating back to 1239, Blackfriars Priory will host talks as part of Gloucester History Festival

Gloucester's medieval Blackfriars Priory will provide the backdrop to The Blackfriars Talks, which are considered "the centrepiece" of the festival.

Topics covered include Gloucester's greatest buildings, a time traveller's guide to the River Severn, the life of Oliver Cromwell and the real story behind the gangsters made famous in the TV show Peaky Blinders.

Meanwhile, Greg Jenner will take historians of all ages on a riotous journey through Roman Britain and archaeologist Alex Thomson shares discoveries from the A417 "Missing Link" dig.

The entire programme of talks taking place at Blackfriars Priory, what organisers have said will be "Britain's oldest history festival venue", will be livestreamed.

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