The Byline Festival is a festival whose aim is to promote independent journalism and free speech. The festival was founded by Stephen Colegrave and Peter Jukes in 2017. Its tagline is "Dance, Discuss, Laugh and Change the World".

History

2017

The first festival was held at Pippingford Park near

Nutley, East Sussex Nutley is a village in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It lies about north-west of Uckfield, the main road being the A22. Nutley, Fairwarp and Maresfield together form the Maresfield civil parish. The village is on the south ...

, from 2 June to 4 June 2017. More than 2,500 people were in attendance, including

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and Television presenter, presenter. Emerging from the Footlights, Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinbur ...

Andy Hamilton Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 28 May 1954) is a British comedian, game show panellist, television director, comedy screenwriter, radio dramatist, novelist and actor. Early life and education Hamilton was born in Fulham, West London. He was educa ...

Hardeep Singh Kohli Hardeep Singh Kohli (born 21 January 1969) is a British presenter, comedian, writer and director who has appeared on various radio and television programmes. Having moved to Scotland at a young age, he has had a long association with the arts i ...

, Jay Rosen and

Martin Bell Martin Bell, (born 31 August 1938) is a British UNICEF (UNICEF UK) Ambassador, a former broadcast war Journalist, reporter and former independent politician who became the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Ta ...

2018

The 2018 Byline Festival was partnered by the

Frontline Club The Frontline Club is a media club and registered charity created by Vaughan and Pranvera Smith, located near Paddington Station in London. With a strong emphasis on conflict reporting, it aims to champion independent journalism, provide an effe ...

and took place from 24 August to 27 August at Pippingford Park. Those present included Happy Graveyard Orchestra,

Alexei Sayle Alexei David Sayle (born 7 August 1952) is an English actor, author, stand-up comedian, television presenter and former recording artist. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. He was voted the 18th g ...

, June Sarpong,

Bonnie Greer Bonnie Greer, OBE FRSL (born 16 November 1948) is an American and British playwright, novelist, critic and broadcaster, who has lived in the UK since 1986. She has appeared as a panellist on television programmes such as '' Newsnight Review'' an ...

, Tom Watson MP, Baroness Warsi,

Lord Adebowale Victor Olufemi Adebowale, Baron Adebowale, (; born 21 July 1962) is the former Chief Executive of the social care enterprise Turning Point and the current Chair of the NHS Confederation, and was one of the first individuals to become a Peo ...

Damian Collins Damian Noel Thomas Collins (born 4 February 1974) is a British politician who served as a junior Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport between July and October 2022. A member of the ...

MP,

Kate Mosse Katherine Louise Mosse (born 1961) is a British novelist, non-fiction and short story writer and broadcaster. She is best known for her 2005 novel ''Labyrinth'', which has been translated into more than 37 languages. She co-founded in 1996 th ...

, A L Kennedy,

Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker ( ; born 30 November 1960) is an English Sports broadcasting, sports broadcaster and former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Lineker is the only player t ...

Joanna Scanlan Joanna Marion Scanlan (born 27 October 1961) is a British actress and writer. On television, she is known for her roles in ''The Thick of It'' (2005–2012), ''Big School'' (2013–2014), ''Puppy Love'' (2014), '' No Offence'' (2015–2018), ...

, Nick Davis,

Salena Godden Salena Godden is an English poet, author, activist, broadcaster, memoirist and essayist. Born in Hastings, UK, of Jamaican-Irish heritage, Godden based in London. Widely anthologised, she has published several books. She has also written for ...

, Madeleina Kay. Other events included circus, theatre, drama, poetry and music, as well as children's activities. Musical acts at the 2018 festival included

Pussy Riot Pussy Riot is a Feminism in Russia, Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in the fall of 2011 by the th ...

, Joey Base,

Badly Drawn Boy Damon Michael Gough (born 2 October 1969), known by the stage name Badly Drawn Boy, is an English indie singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Gough chose his stage name from a character in the show '' The Magic Ball'', which he saw on TV ...

The Blow Monkeys The Blow Monkeys are a British pop band formed in 1981. Their first single, "Live Today Love Tomorrow", was released in 1982. They subsequently enjoyed a successful career with several hit singles and albums throughout the 1980s before split ...

The Vapors The Vapors are an English new wave and power pop band formed in Guildford, active from 1978 to 1982 before reforming in 2016. They are best known for their 1980 hit single, "Turning Japanese", which reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart and ...

Tom Hingley Thomas William Hingley (born 9 July 1965) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontman of Inspiral Carpets.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 803 Early life Hingley was born i ...

from Inspiral Carpets,

Rhoda Dakar Rhoda Dakar (born 1959) is an English singer and musician, best known as the lead singer of The Bodysnatchers, who were signed to the 2 Tone record label. She also worked with The Specials/Special AKA, and also other 2-Tone artists. Career Daka ...

, the Courtesans,

Dramarama Dramarama is an American, New Jersey–based alternative rock/power pop band, who later moved to Los Angeles. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994. The band formally reunited in 2003 following an appearance on VH1's ' ...

, Hows Harry,

The Members The Members is a British punk rock, punk band that originated in Camberley, Surrey, England. In the UK, they are best known for their single "The Sound of the Suburbs", reaching No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart in 1979, and in Australia, "Radio" ...

, Sunstreets, Excursia, and the Priscillas. The theatre section was headlined by FoolishPeople. The

Cambridge Analytica Cambridge Analytica Ltd. (CA), previously known as SCL USA, was a British political consulting firm that came to prominence through the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal. It was started in 2013, as a subsidiary of the private intell ...

whistleblowers

Chris Wylie Christopher Wylie (born 19 June 1989) is a British-Canadian data consultant. He is noted as the whistleblower who released a cache of documents to ''The Guardian'' he obtained while he worked at Cambridge Analytica. This prompted the Facebook–Ca ...

, Shahmir Sanni and John Ford were present, along with

Carole Cadwalladr Carole Jane Cadwalladr (; born 1969) is a British author, investigative journalist, and features writer. She was a features writer for ''The Observer'' and formerly worked at ''The Daily Telegraph''. Cadwalladr rose to international prominence i ...

. The festival had five main stages which were tents in the forest. These hosted 150 talk sessions and over 100 workshops. In the evening, tents provided entertainment including immersive theatre, rap battles and live art demonstrations. The festival fringe included Idler, BBC Virtual Reality, The Fourth Group, Overtake and Frontline Club.

2019

Byline Festival 2019 was held in Pippingford Park from 23 to 26 August. Speakers included

, Victor Adebowale,

Misha Glenny Michael V. E. "Misha" Glenny (born 25 April 1958) is an English journalist and Television presenter, broadcaster, specialising in southeast Europe, global organised crime, and cybersecurity. He has been Rector of the Institute for Human Science ...

, Caroline Orr,

Luke Harding Luke Daniel Harding (born 21 April 1968) is a British journalist who is a foreign correspondent for ''The Guardian''. He is known for his coverage of Russia under Vladimir Putin, WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden. He was based in Russia for ''Th ...

, Anthony Barnett,

John Niven John Niven (born 1966) is a Scottish author and screenwriter. His books include ''Kill Your Friends'', ''The Amateurs'', and ''The Second Coming''. Career Born in Irvine, Ayrshire, Niven read English literature at the University of Glasgow, g ...

, Birgitta Jonsdottir, Shahmir Sanni,

MP, Roger Law, Mike Stuchbery, Hardeep Matharu, Otto English, John Mitchinson, and

Jonathan Barnbrook Jonathan Barnbrook (born 1966) is a British graphic designer, film maker and typographer. He trained at Saint Martin's School of Art and at the Royal College of Art, both in London. Work Barnbrook designed the cover artwork of David Bowie's ...

. Entertainment was provided by: Pussy Riot, Badly Drawn Boy,

Extinction Rebellion Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a UK-founded global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and ...

Rebel Rebel Stage,

Lowkey Kareem Dennis (born 23 May 1986), better known by his stage name Lowkey, is a British rapper and activist from London. He first became known through a series of mixtapes he released before he was 18, before taking a hiatus from the music busi ...

Matt Bianco Matt Bianco are a British band formed in 1983, performing sophisti-pop, jazz-funk and Latin-flavoured music. From around mid- to late-80s, the group scored a number of internationally charting singles, including " Get Out of Your Lazy Bed", " Wh ...

, Priscillas,

Kevin Rowland Kevin Rowland (born 17 August 1953) is a British singer and musician best known as the frontman for the pop band Dexys Midnight Runners (currently called Dexys). The band had several hits in the early 1980s, the most notable being " Geno" and " ...

DJ Show,

Jerry Dammers Jeremy David Hounsell Dammers GCOT (born 22 May 1955) is a British musician who was a founder, keyboard player and primary songwriter of the Coventry-based ska band the Specials (also known as the Special A.K.A.) and later the Spatial AKA Orch ...

(founder of

The Specials The Specials, also known as the Special AKA, were an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, J ...

and Two Tone),

Don Letts Donovan Letts (born 10 January 1956) is a British film director, disc jockey (DJ) and musician. Letts first came to prominence as the videographer for the Clash, directing several of their music videos. In 1984, Letts co-founded the band Big Au ...

Big Audio Dynamite Big Audio Dynamite (later known as Big Audio Dynamite II and Big Audio, and often abbreviated BAD) were an English band, formed in London in 1984 by Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist), Mick Jones, former lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of th ...

Don Mescall Don Mescall is an Irish singer and songwriter from County Limerick. Mescall regularly tours in Ireland and the United Kingdom and plays some major festivals. He splits his time between the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States. Early ...

, Department S, Wag Club,

, Balaclava Blues, Livewire Poets, Bad Press Awards, Citizens of the World Refugee Choir, House of Comedy, and DJ Professor Gramophone. Other events included: Never Again Convention, Walk a Mile in My Shoes, Human Library, Frontline Club M.A.S.H. Tent, Frontline Club Documentary Tent, The Idler, The Magpie and the Wardrobe, Belarus Free Theatre's Kitchen Revolution, and MJ's Community Choir.

2022

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bylines Festivals for 2020 and 2021 were postponed until 2022. Byline Festival 2022 took place in Acklam Village Market, North Kensington, London from 29 April to 1 May 2022. It held a mix of inquisitive journalism, free speech, comedy, music, and entertainment. It featured:

Jonathan Pie Jonathan Pie is a fictional character portrayed by British comedian Tom Walker. Pie is a political correspondent who rants angrily about Western politics with a focus on popular topics of British, American, and Australian politics, giving his ...

Rio Ferdinand Rio Gavin Ferdinand (born 7 November 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, and is now a television pundit for TNT Sports. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and ...

David Harewood David Michael Harewood (born 8 December 1965) is a British actor, presenter and the current president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He is best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism Director David Estes in ''Homeland'' (2011–2012 ...

, Sanjeev Baskar,

Dawn Butler Dawn Petula Butler (born 3 November 1969) is a British Labour Party politician who is member of parliament (MP) for Brent East. She previously served as MP for Brent Central (2015–2024) and Brent South (2005–2010). Born in London to Jama ...

MP, Anthony Barnett, Annette Ditter,

Musa Okwonga Musa Okwonga (born 11 October 1979) is a British author, podcaster, and musician. Early life and education Okwonga's parents, medical students, fled Uganda under Idi Amin's dictatorship and settled in the UK. He is the eldest of four children w ...

, Hardeep Matharu, Peter Jukes, Otto English,

Ian Lucas Ian Colin Lucas (born 18 September 1960) is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wrexham, Wales from 2001 to 2019. He was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Business and Regulatory Reform in ...

, Rebecca Vincent,

Lee Lawrence Lee Lawrence (born Julius Leon Sirota, 1 September 1920 – 25 February 1961)The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Consulates, Netherlands Antilles and Surinam: Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages; Class: FO 907; Piece: ...

, Maria Purkiss,

, The Citizens of the World Refugee Choir, Samba Band, United Strings of Europe, Tokyo Taboo, the House of Comedy, and "The Bad Press Awards 2022". On 2 May 2022, the festival came under fire after a video was posted by a band named Tokyo Taboo in which the band's set was interrupted by the festival promoter, who confiscated the drummer's drumsticks to stop them from playing, the festival organisers and venue owner subsequently apologised to the band, citing noise complaints from neighbours as the reason for the set being cut short.

2023

Byline 2023 was run by the Dartington Trust based near

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and ab ...

in Devon from 14 to 16 July. It featured

OBE, Rosie Holt,

George Monbiot George Joshua Richard Monbiot ( ; born 27 January 1963) is an English journalist, author, and Environmental movement, environmental and political activist. He writes a regular column for ''The Guardian'' and has written several books. Monbiot ...

, Lord Victor Adebowale CBE,

Peter Oborne Peter Alan Oborne (; born 11 July 1957) is a British journalist and broadcaster. He is the former chief political commentator of ''The Daily Telegraph'', from which he resigned in early 2015. He is author of ''The Rise of Political Lying'' (2005 ...

, Hardeep Matharu, Marina Purkiss, Anthony Barnett,

Alexandra Hall Hall Alexandra Mary Hall Hall (born 1 February 1964) is a former British diplomat. Hall Hall studied at Durham University, where she read Economics and Politics, graduating with a 2:1 degree in 1986. She is married to Daniel Twining, head of the Int ...

MP, Adam Bienkov, Jemma Forte, Peter Jukes, John Sweeney, Otto English, Tom Cox, Patrick McCabe,

Jackie Morris Jackie Morris (born 1961) is a British writer and illustrator. She was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2016 and won it in 2019 for her illustration of ''The Lost Words'', voted the most beautiful book of 2016 by UK booksellers. She i ...

Martin Shaw Martin Shaw (born 21 January 1945) is an English actor. He came to national recognition in the role of Ray Doyle in ITV crime-action television drama series '' The Professionals'' (1977–1983). Further notable television parts include the ti ...

, and

Jay Griffiths Jay Griffiths (born in Manchester) is a British writer and author of '' Wild: An Elemental Journey'', ''Pip Pip: A Sideways Look at Time'', ''Anarchipelago'', ''A Love Letter from a Stray Moon'', ''Kith: The Riddle of the Childscape'' and '' T ...

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byline Festival Festivals in East Sussex 2017 in England Citizen journalism June 2017 in the United Kingdom Danehill, East Sussex