Overview

Formed in 1949, the Cheltenham Literature Festival is the longest-running festival of its kind in the world. The Festival was founded by the Spa Manager George Wilkinson, in conjunction with the Tewkesbury-based author John Moore, who served as its first director. Actor Ralph Richardson, who was born in Cheltenham, launched the festival, and poet Cecil Day-Lewis, who taught at Cheltenham College, read a selection of contemporary verse. The Festival currently has the national newspapers The Times and Sunday Times as its 'title' sponsors: therefore making the full name of the festival The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival. The 2013 Literature Festival issued around 135,000 tickets. The festival also sees the presentation each year of the Nick Clarke Award for best broadcast interview, as well welcoming literary prize winners to discuss their most recent work.