Dame Hilary Mantel, famous for her prize-winning Wolf Hall trilogy, will be in conversation with broadcaster and journalist Mark Lawson as an exclusive curtain-raiser for this year’s Proms LitFest. This represents the inaugural Memorial Interview in honour of Proms’ late patron, Dr David Cohen CBE, whose eponymous literary prize she won in 2013. The recorded interview will be accessible online free of charge from 19.00 on Saturday 19 June.

“We were privileged to have the philanthropist Dr David Cohen as an engaged patron, friend and member of our community,” said Niamh O’Donnell-Keenan, Proms Trustee and LitFest Chair, “and are delighted to honour his involvement in the local community and his support of Proms at St Jude’s with this annual interview. We are very grateful to Hilary Mantel and Mark Lawson for launching this series and helping to share his legacy so widely now.”

Other best-selling authors being interviewed for the 10th annual Festival live at The Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead Garden Suburb and online on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 June are:

Sathnam Sanghera (Empireland)
Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason (House of Music)
Philippe Sands (The Ratline)
Rory Cellan-Jones (Always ON)
David Nott (War Doctor)
Marina Wheeler (The Lost Homestead)
John Preston (Fall)

For the live events, which will follow latest Government health guidance, tickets (£10) must be booked in advance. You can also watch online for £5 per event or it’s £20 for an online pass to see all of them.

As well as its concerts from 26 June to 4 July, Proms is also running a fabulous programme of guided Heritage Walks. These range from a gentle stroll in Kenwood and local insights into Hampstead and the Suburb to explorations of Shakespeare’s London and Suburb founder Henrietta Barnett’s early days in Whitechapel.

The Box Office opens on Saturday 29 May, but it’s not too late to join as a Friend to enjoy priority booking and support the Proms partner charities – Toynbee Hall and North London Hospice. All details at https://promsatstjudes.org.uk or 020 3322 8123.