BBC announces all free events for the Hay Festival this year

All of the free BBC events have been announced for Hay Festival 2026 – including fan favourites The Archers, In Our Time and Uncanny

More than 30 free BBC events have been added to Hay Festival’s flagship spring programme, taking place 21–26 May in the Exchange Marquee, set in the centre of the free-to-enter Hay Festival site.

Listeners can catch live programme recordings and more from Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, including a special Archers event in celebration of the programme’s 75th anniversary year, hosted by Archers Podcast host Emma Freud, which will see the modern-day cast recreate on stage the 1955 episode featuring the death of Grace Fairbrother, which became the most-listened-to moment in the programme’s history.

In Our Time’s new host Misha Glenny will discuss ancient Welsh folklore with guests; Danny Robbins and guests will be investigating a new paranormal case for a special live recording of the ever-popular Uncanny, and Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the secrets of longevity with Professor Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh in What’s Up Docs?

The Radio 4 continuity announcers will also return to the marquee to host events over the Bank Holiday weekend. Radio 3 and BBC Radio Wales will also be bringing fan favourites to the Marquee.

Today with Anna Foster will be broadcast live from the festival site, while Saturday Live with host Adrian Chiles and guests Dawn French, Hugh Bonneville and Matt Haig will deliver its signature blend of listener stories and interviews. Meanwhile, three daily recordings of Newscast will bring sharp political insight and lively debate.

Everything is Fake (and Nobody Cares) sees journalist Jamie Bartlett take a thought-provoking look at how the line between reality and artifice is becoming increasingly blurred in today’s world, and Marianna in Conspiracyland with Marianna Spring investigates conspiracy culture.

BBC Inside Science sees host Tom Whipple dive into the secrets of the deep sea with guests Helen Czerski and Vincent Doumeizel.

The Marquee

Some of BBC Radio’s most popular literature, arts and music programmes will also be coming to the Marquee. For Free Thinking, Shahidha Bari gathers a panel of experts who deal with the concept of responsibility in very different contexts, including Baroness Hale, who served as the most senior judge in the UK, and philosopher Simon Critchley; Start the Week, hosted by Tom Sutcliffe, features guests Antony Beevor, Susan Neiman and Natalie Haynes, who consider the power of mythmaking.

Book lovers can enjoy A Good Read with Harriet Gilbert, The Verb with Ian McMillan, Poetry Please with Roger McGough and guest, the impressionist Alistair McGowan, Take Four Books, where James Crawford will be speaking to novelists Tahmima Anam and Liz Nugent, and All Things Considered, BBC Radio Wales’ religious affairs programme.

Plus, a live edition of Front Row, hosted by Samira Ahmed, will bring interviews and reviews from across the cultural landscape. Radio 3 Unwind offers a moment of calm and reflection as presenter Niall Breslin brings a live performance edition of his Classical Wind Down.

Comedy and entertainment 

There will also be plenty of comedy and entertainment, with The News Quiz hosted by Andy Zaltzman bringing satirical takes on current affairs, Loose Ends with Clive Anderson mixing music, chat and humour, while the hugely popular Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics sees ancient Greek stories come to life through stand-up.

Meanwhile, Life Changing with Dr Sian Williams will feature guests sharing their powerful real-life experiences; All in the Mind with Claudia Hammond explores psychology and mental health; The Moral Maze, chaired by Michael Buerk, with panellists Matthew Taylor, Anne McElvoy, Ella Whelan and Mona Siddiqui, asks whether networks form the glue of society or the architecture of privilege, and there will be uplifting stories from Café Hope with Rachel Burden.

BBC Radio Wales will also present special programmes for book lovers, including
Aberystwyth Book Club, hosted by Hannah Loy, and Radio Wales Arts Show with Gary Raymond and guests. Lucy Owen talks with famous names about the books they loved as a child in Books that Made Me.

Anniversary

Mohit Bakaya, Director of Speech & Controller, Radio 4 & Radio 4 Extra, says:“Hay Festival is always a wonderful celebration of ideas and culture, and I’m delighted to be bringing such a rich mix of BBC programming to this year’s line-up once again. This includes marking the 75th anniversary of The Archers with a very special recreation of one of its most iconic episodes, as well as broadcasting the Today programme live.

“We’re also showcasing some of our biggest podcasts, including Uncanny, Life Changing and What’s Up Docs? as well as some of our most cherished titles such as Start the Week, Front Row, The News Quiz, and a rare opportunity for fans to see In Our Time at Hay.

“And we’ll be offering audiences the chance to delve into some of the key questions shaping our age with Jamie Bartlett’s Everything is Fake (and Nobody Cares) and Marianna Spring’s Marianna in Conspiracyland both exploring the increasingly blurred lines between truth and artifice in modern life. It should be a terrific set of events and I look forward to meeting many of our listeners in the BBC Marquee.”

New shows

Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said: “This year the BBC brings the best of Hay Festival to the world. With a fantastic line up of live recordings in our Exchange Marquee, audiences can experience Hay Festival inspiration wherever they may be, free and open to all.

“Alongside Festival favourites from BBC Sounds, Radio 4, Radio 3 and Radio Wales, there are some exciting new shows to enjoy, mixing great British talent with major global names. Join us on site or from afar; everyone is welcome.”

More than 500 events make up the full Hay Festival 2026 programme – discover more online now at hayfestival.org/hay-on-wye.