BRADFORD Literature Festival has announced the full programme for its 2022 edition, boasting over 500 events across 10 action-packed days.

The eighth annual edition of the festival will be held from 24 June to 3 July and will welcome speakers from across the worlds of literature, politics, history and the arts.

Guests at this year’s event will include the likes of John Barnes, Robert Peston, Delia Smith, Alastair Campbell, Ben Okri, Karen Armstrong, Sheikh Yahya Rhodus and Ed Balls, amongst others.

Popular mainstays of the festival will return, including Poetry with a Punch, Lyrical Mehfil, Brontë Day, a heritage tour and a new David Hockney Day.

Panel discussions and workshops - on subjects ranging from the 75th anniversaries of the publication of Anne Frank's diary and the Partition of India – will also be held.

Other talks will discuss the Platinum Jubilee and the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun.

There will also be a diverse offering of music, theatre and performance ranging from Sufi music to conversations on the works of Paul Weller.

A new theme for the festival this year is 'In Memory of Andalusia', which will focus on the cultural dialogue between Jewish and Muslim scholars in the ‘golden age’.

Bradford Literature Festival CEO and Artistic Director, Syima Aslam, said: "The aim of Bradford Literature Festival is to create a space where people come together to debate and explore ideas, that shine a light on the big issues of the day, which has never been more relevant.

“I am delighted that the festival is back in person this year, and I am looking forward to once again welcoming our artists and audiences, to the centre of Bradford, the heart of Yorkshire."

Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, added: "I'm delighted to support the 2022 Bradford Literature Festival.

“This year's programme will connect the people of West Yorkshire to an amazing array of world-class writers.

“It covers a truly diverse range of subjects including sport, poetry, cooking, technology, and vital issues we all face such as climate change, global conflict, and inequality.

“I hope as many people as possible will take the opportunity to enjoy the festival's live performances and workshops.

“The Bradford Literature Festival highlights that West Yorkshire is a region where culture and art is truly flourishing and that we offer some of the very best creative and cultural experiences in the UK."