London Literature Festival
The UK’s longest-running annual celebration of the written and spoken word, the London Literature Festival returns this October to the Royal Festival Hall. Excitingly, this year’s edition is helmed by none other than pop-star slash book-lover Dua Lipa, whose line-up includes a conversation with Zadie Smith about her 2000 novel White Teeth, a sit-down with Patti Smith about her memoir Bread of Angels, a session with Malorie Blackman to celebrate 25 years of Noughts and Crosses and a creative writing masterclass with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hisham Matar.
Website: southbankcentre.co.uk
The Lives of Others, The Adelphi
Keira Knightley returns to the stage for the first time in 15 years this October, as she stars in The Lives of Others at The Adelphi from the 14 October. The show is an adaptation of the 2006 film of the same name, which focussed on a Stasi agent and the relationship he has with the couple he is spying on. Others on the bill include Stephen Dillane and Luke Thompson, while the director is Robert Icke of recent Romeo & Juliet fame, so the material is in good hands.
Website: thelivesofothersplay.com
London Film Festival
A highlight on any film fan’s calendar, the London Film Festival is back at the BFI Southbank from 7-18 October. This year’s gala premiere is the Oscar-tipped Elsinore, which stars Andrew Scott as the actor Ian Charleson, who takes on the role of Hamlet in the final months of his life before he succumbs to Aids. Another to look out for is Artificial, the latest from Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino. A biopic about OpenAI founder Sam Altman (played by Andrew Garfield) it offers a haunting look at where AI came from – and where it could go. On the same theme, you can also catch Taika Waititi’s adaptation of the best-selling novel Klara and the Sun, in which Jenna Ortega stars as a robot companion.