ROSL is thrilled to partner with Fane Productions to offer a series of online talks featuring celebrated authors, actors and personalities direct to members in the comfort of their own home. 

Ticket packages include an option to purchase the speaker’s book at a discounted price and selected authors will be offering signed copies. All events deliver an at-home cinema-style experience that goes beyond the standard livestream. The talks are made available on a designated day and time, but can be watched at any point within a 48 hour period after this.

First up, on 26 October, we are excited to share the bestselling author and activist, Armistead Maupin in conversation with Sir Ian McKellenMaupin’s iconic and ground-breaking series Tales of the City was first published in the 1970’s as a column in the San Francisco Chronicle and the novel series has been taking the literary world by storm ever since. A key figure in US popular culture and one of America’s greatest storytellers, Maupin recounts his favourite tales, offering engaging observations on society and the world we inhabit. Ian McKellen is an international award-winning actor across theatre, cinema, and television. He has been an eloquent advocate for gay rights since he came out in 1988 and co-founded Stonewall, the charity which lobbies for legal and social equality for gay people. He was appointed Companion of Honour ‘for services to Drama and Equality’ in 2007.

£15. Book here.

On 30 October, it's the turn of TV personality and author Graham NortonAs a hugely successful Friday night BBC1 chat show host with his blend of tongue-in-cheek humour and piercing candour, Norton has captured the hearts of millions. Hear Graham discuss his life, career and what inspired him to write his lastet novel, Home StretchFollowing on from the success of his first two best-selling novels - Holding and A Keeper – this will be Norton’s first Home Stretch event. Set in 1987, and a small Irish community is preparing for a wedding. The day before the ceremony a group of young friends, including bride and groom, drive out to the beach. There is an accident. Three survive, but three are killed. The story focuses on Connor, one of the survivors and the driver of the car, who leaves the only place he knows for another life. Travelling first to Liverpool, then London and then making a home in New York, Connor tries to forget his past. But the secrets and regrets will not be silenced.

£15. Book here.

On 4 November, hear from explorer Sir Ranulph FiennesNamed by the Guinness Book of Records as ‘the world’s greatest living explorer’, Sir Ranulph has spent his life in pursuit of extreme adventure, risking life and limb in some of the most ambitious private expeditions ever undertaken. Amongst his many record-breaking achievements, he was the first to reach both Poles, the first to cross the Antarctic and Arctic Ocean, and the first to circumnavigate the world along its polar axis. In our online event, Sir Ranulph offers a personal journey through his life, from his early years to the present day. Both light-hearted and strikingly poignant, the recorded talk spans Sir Ranulph’s childhood and school misdemeanours, his army life and early expeditions, right through the Transglobe Expedition to his current Global Reach Challenge - his goal to become the first person in the world to cross both polar ice caps and climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.

£15. Book here.

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