Dan Walker, Hugh Bonneville and Martyn Ware join Sheffield Off the Shelf line up

Run by the University of Sheffield, Off the Shelf Festival of Words is a nationally renowned literary festival that brings together the best of local, regional, and international literary talent.

Taking place from October 14 to October 30 this year, it will play host to over 80 online and in-person events. As well as national household names, there will also be an array of Sheffield celebrities taking part such as broadcast journalist Dan Walker and musician Martyn Ware.

Dan Walker, who graduated from the University of Sheffield in 1999, will be in attendance on October 15 to celebrate his most recent book ‘Standing on the shoulders: Incredible heroes and how they inspire us.’ The book dives into the stories of lesser known everyday heroes as well as names such as 2021 Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis and Dan’s own Strictly partner Nadiya Bychkova.

Sheffield-born musician and composer Martyn Ware will be showcasing his book ‘Electronically Yours Vol 1’ which revisits his journey from Sheffield lad to stardom to professorships – through meditations on culture, politics, travel and sport, his love of 60s films and loyalty to Sheffield Wednesday.

MORE: Dan Walker: Presenter on his favourite Sheffield spots

The list of guests expands beyond Sheffield featuring names such as Hugh Bonneville, Melvyn Bragg, Baroness Floella Benjamin, Susie Dent and the Reverend Richard Coles, journalist Marina Hyde, and groundbreaking musician Cosey Fanni Tutti.

Actor Hugh Bonneville is familiar to audiences worldwide and best known for his role as Robert Crawley in the historical hit TV show Downton Abbey. He also appeared in Notting Hill, the Paddington films, and now he’ll be appearing in Sheffield.

Mr Bonneville will be at the Octagon Centre on October 23 as part of the festival to talk about his memoir, ‘Playing Under the Piano: From Downton to Darkest Peru.’ The book creates a vivid picture of his life off and on screen. A wickedly funny storyteller, Hugh also writes with poignancy about his father’s dementia and of his mother, whose life in the secret service only emerged after her death.

As well as celebrities and upcoming novels there are also events for all the family. Festival partner and supporter Sheffield Hallam University will present a range of online and live in venue events, curated by the Department of Humanities.

These include Creative Writing masterclasses, poetry readings and a series of events which are suitable for families.

Professor Vanessa Toulmin, Director of City Culture, Partnerships and Regional Engagement at the University of Sheffield said: “We like to surpass expectations with our increasingly diverse programme of events which aim to inform, please and stimulate our Audiences.

“Our national and international reputation allows us to bring well-known names to our region, and our flexibility provides the necessary platforms for up-and-coming literary talent to thrive. Niche and popular is our goal – a festival full of character and depth - and after 31 years it’s an ambition I believe we deliver.”

To get tickets to Off the Shelf festival, visit https://offtheshelf.org.uk/.