Comedian London Hughes (“London Hughes: To Catch a D*ck”) will deliver the Alternative MacTaggart lecture at this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival, which has also added Neil Gaiman (“Good Omens”), Steve Coogan (“Philomena”) and environmental speaker Greta Thunberg to its line-up.
Hughes, the first British Black woman nominated for the Dave Edinburgh Comedy ‘Best Show’ Award in 2019, will be in discussion with the festival’s international editor, Tan France (“Queer Eye”).
Topics will include Hughes’ career and experiences in the U.K. versus the U.S. as well as the topics of inclusivity and supporting women in the industry.
Hughes said: “It’s an absolute honour to be doing the Alternative MacTaggart this year. I have so much to say about the U.K. TV industry and I can’t wait to get into it with Tan. It’ll be fun, yet beautifully truthful. Expect to learn and to laugh A LOT!”
Elsewhere at the festival, Gaiman will join his frequent collaborator Douglas Mackinnon (“Line of Duty”) to discuss their work, which includes “Doctor Who” and “Sherlock,” with writer-director Raisah Ahmed, and Steve Coogan will host an “Alan Partridge” masterclass discussing the show’s success with host Charlene White.
Also appearing at the festival will be activist Greta Thunberg who will deliver the WorldView Address about sustainability and the climate crisis, alongside author Jo Nesbo (“Harry Hole”).
Finally, the festival will host “Spotlight On…” sessions featuring one-to-one interviews with creative content chiefs and leaders at the major U.K. broadcasters and streamers while the “International Insight” sessions will explore the commissioning strategies of chiefs from Amazon Studios, Discovery+, NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia.