Kent’s popular In Conversation series will return on 4 October with guests Herman Van Rompuy, Sandi Toksvig OBE, Bernard Cornwell OBE and Dame Diana Rigg DBE.
Launched in 2015, each event in the series consists of an informal conversation between the University’s Chancellor, BBC journalist and author Gavin Esler, and a leading public figure. Audience members can participate in the conversations by 30submitting questions in advance via Twitter using #GavinAsks or email at events@kent.ac.uk.
The new series will take place at the Gulbenkian on the University’s Canterbury campus and, for the first time, at its Brussels School of International Studies (BSIS).
The Gulbenkian events are:
- comedian, writer, broadcaster and University of Kent Honorary Graduate Sandi Toksvig OBE on 4 October
- Bernard Cornwell OBE, author of historical novels, on 17 October
- actress Dame Diana Rigg DBE (The Avengers, Game of Thrones) on 28 November
Herman Van Rompuy, the former Prime Minister of Belgium, the first President of the European Council and University of Kent Honorary Graduate, will join the Chancellor for what promises to be a topical and thought provoking evening at BSIS on 11 October. This edition of In Conversation will also be live-streamed from Brussels to a lecture theatre on the Canterbury campus. To register interest for this event, please visit In Conversation with Herman Van Rompuy Live Stream.
For further information and how to book for an In Conversation event, please visit the In Conversation website. Tickets for the Canterbury events cost £5 (£4 for students). All proceeds will go towards the Kent Opportunity Fund, which supports a broad range of scholarships, student projects to enhance extra-curricular activities at Kent, and bursaries to support students experiencing financial hardship.
Previous guests for In Conversation include former Labour party leader Lord (Neil) Kinnock, crime writer Ian Rankin, songwriter and musician Robert Wyatt, and film critic Mark Kermode.
Full recordings of previous In Conversation events are available on the University’s Youtube channel.