Journalists, chefs, comedians, writers, members of parliament and TV personality aplenty will be filling Leeds with debate over a huge four day festival.
Leeds International Festival of Ideas is set to host the UK’s ‘biggest celebration of new ideas’, with fireside chats and panel discussions with the likes of Davina McCall, Will Young, Dame Prue Leith and Matt Baker.
Just over the Pennines TV barrister and University of Manchester alumni Rob Rinder will be bringing ‘the rule of law’ to life whilst Northern journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy takes on the question: ‘Who does our political system benefit?’ – but that’s just the beginning…
Taking place this September inside new venue Leeds Playhouse, this is set to be LIFI’s biggest year to date, The Hoot reports.
Announcing the full line-up last night, festival organisers have revealed that the likes of Davina McCall, Dame Prue Leith and Will Young, will be taking to the stage alongside huge names from the world of entertainment, politics and business, including Yorkshire’s Michelin starred chef Tommy Banks, Matt Baker MBE, Jay Blades MBE, Gemma Whelan, Amber Rudd, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Rob Rinder, Sir Jon Cuncliffe, and many more.
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These exciting names will be joining TV personality Bimini, who will be talking about ‘a world beyond the binary’; author and comedian Ruby Wax OBE will be bringing ‘my journey to mindfulness’ to life with a key note speaker show whilst ‘a new generation of entrepreneurism’ will be covered by Diary of a CEO’s Steven Bartlett.
Working in partnership with LeedsBID, The Hoot Leeds and Weightmans, the idea of the festival is to bring conversations to the surface, using a combination of panels, fireside chats and speeches to inspire, provoke and encourage discussions.
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Questions vary from ‘what’s our obsession with true crime?’ to ‘who does our political system benefit?’ and ‘how do we talk about grief?’ – and this year’s line-up certainly won’t be shying away from the hard questions.
Will Young, appearing at LIFI23 says: “I’m excited to be part of a festival exploring many of the things that make us human. It’s so important not only to ask these questions of each other, but to spend time listening when we don’t have all the answers. What a fantastic line up!”
Leeds International Festival of Ideas Full Line-up
Wednesday 27 September 2023
Davina McCall will be on the panel for ‘when will women’s health be taken seriously’. / Image: Chapter 81
Panel: When will women’s health be taken seriously? with Davina McCall, Dr Christine Ekechi and Lauren Mahon, plus more names to be announced
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Fireside chat: A New Generation Of Entrepreneurism with Steven Bartlett
Tickets cost from £10 – £15 each for subsidised tickets, and this year there’s more seats than ever before (moving to the Playhouse has increased seating capacity by 40%).
Leeds Playhouse, Artistic Director and CEO James Brining said: “It is so exciting to see the range of artists and speakers attending Leeds International Festival 2023. All are individuals at the top of their game and using their platforms to amplify the voices of others as well as exploring issues of importance and significance for contemporary society.
“At Leeds Playhouse, our aim is to open up our theatre, with its flexible conference spaces and three auditoria, welcoming local, national and international artists to the region, facilitating conversations and sharing stories that reflect the world we live in. We also aim to celebrate Leeds as a culture rich, vibrant city and hosting LIFI in 2023 certainly helps us achieve that goal.”
Feature Image – Chapter 81
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Art & Culture
J. Cole to play biggest ever Manchester show on first world tour in half a decade
Danny Jones
Calling all those living in Cole World since 2007, J is coming to Manchester on his first world tour in more than five years, and we’re collectively losing our minds.
You could even say we’re in Dreamville.
Announcing a run of just half a dozen live gigs here in Britain, his UK leg will be kicking off this autumn, amid other shows over in mainland Europe, Australia and New Zealand, the States and the rest of North America, even South Africa.
Confirming Co-op Live as the chosen room for his long-awaited return to Manchester, this will be his debut at the massive indoor venue.
He’s even done a cool twist on the tour announcement.
Set to tour his latest release, The Fall-Off – his seventh studio album, which is rolling back the years after being pushed as a double-disk mixtape-esque CD – this feels like a full circle moment, nearly two whole decades on from his actual breakout mixtape, The Come Up. Time flies.
Moreover, it feels like Mancs have had to wait almost just as long to see him again.
The last time J. Cole visited Manchester was on the ‘4 Your Eyez Only Tour’ in 2017, meaning it’ll be nearly 10 whole years by the time we watch him live back up in the North West of England.
It’s also been widely publicised that this record was made with the intentions of it being his last (say it ain’t so), meaning this could also be one of your last chances to see the hip-hop legend live – at least for another VERY long time.
All told, the 41-year-old is set to perform in a total of 50 cities across 15 different countries on this upcoming tour, which gets underway in October.
31 October – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena Nottingham
As detailed by the arena already, official Co-op members can get first in line for tickets, but you can also try your luck with presale by ordering a copy of The Fall-Off.
Otherwise, general admission will be available from 9am this Friday, 20 February, so you’d best be quick about getting them in your basket, all bought and paid for.
If this is set to be his final hurrah, it’s been one hell of a ride for someone who will, without a doubt, go down as one of the best rappers of all time.
Featured Images — Press shot (supplied via Co-op Live)
Art & Culture
Jack Whitehall announces massive Manc gig as part of brand-new live stand-up tour
Danny Jones
British comedy legend Jack Whitehall is making a triumphant return to Manchester yet again with a trip to Co-op Live.
That’s right, in addition to hosting the 2026 BRIT Awards at the massive indoor entertainment arena this month, the seasoned stand-up will be headlining the venue himself too.
Heading back on the road award-winning comic is heading back on the road for a huge national arena tour that promises bigger laughs than ever before, so get ready to laugh your socks off.
Fresh from starring in crime thriller Malice on Amazon Prime Video and stepping into the spotlight as presenter once again to host the BRITs, Jack Whitehall is returning to what he does best: live comedy.
Audiences can expect classic Whitehall awkward storytelling and quick-witted observations that have made him one of the UK’s most loved stand-up comedians.
Entitled Bad Influence, his new hour will showcase brand-new material that has been specifically written for 2027.
The newly confirmed show will almost a year on from his debut visit to the Co-op on Saturday, 28 February for the BRITs.
Jack Whitehall Bad Influence tour dates:
January 2027
Thursday 7 January – Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Saturday 9 January – Co-op Live, Manchester
Sunday 10 January – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
Tuesday 12 January – Playhouse, Edinburgh
Wednesday 13 January – Playhouse, Edinburgh
Thursday 14 January – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
Saturday 16 January – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
Sunday 17 January – Swansea Building Society Arena
He’ll also be doing a handful of live shows the following month, including a trio over in Yorkshire at the likes of Leeds’ First Direct Arena and more; you can see those dates down below:
February 2027
Tuesday 2 February – BIC, Bournemouth
Wednesday 3 February – Utilita Arena, Sheffield
Thursday 4 February – Connexin Live, Hull
Saturday 6 February – First Direct Arena, Leeds
Sunday 7 Feburary – Vaillant Live, Derby
Presale to see Jack Whitehall in Manchester goes live from 10am on Wednesday 18 February, and Co-op members can also enjoy early access via the venue.
As for general admission tickets, they will be available from 10am this Friday (20 Feb).
Sophie Smith -
5th April 2023 
