Ram full of fun! The Ram Comedy Festival 2026 Programme Now Complete. It'll set Derbyshire Laughing

The Ram Comedy Festival, Derby's premier independent celebration of live comedy, is excited to announce its 2026 programme is now complete. 

Running from May 28 to June 7, 2026, the festival will feature an impressive lineup of 92 shows, with 57 offering free entry to make laughter accessible to all. 

This year's expanded schedule promises a diverse mix of stand up, improv, podcasts, new act competitions, and family friendly performances across multiple venues in the city of Derby.

Building on the resounding success of the 2025 iteration, which marked the festival's triumphant big return after a five year hiatus, the event saw 72 shows across 6 venues and over 1,600 tickets issued, drawing comedy enthusiasts from near and far.

The 2026 programme continues this momentum, showcasing emerging and established talent.

Attendees can look forward to standout performances from a roster of highly talented comedians. While you may not have seen these people regularly on TV, comedy is like an iceberg, and there's a wealth of talent you don't see that we love to celebrate. Highlights include:

David Eagle, a folk music and comedy legend from Hartlepool, known for his work as a blind comedian, singer, and musician. As a member of the three time BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winning band The Young'uns, Eagle brings a unique blend of humor and music, with accolades including Best Variety Show at the Leicester Comedy Festival 2024 and New Comedian of the Year at Leicester Square Theatre.

Dawn Bailey, an original performer and winner of the XS Manchester Radio Comedian of the Year 2016, celebrated for her authentic storytelling, sharp observational humor, and relatable takes on life as a fifty something mum.

Michael McKenzie, a rising stand up star and finalist in the Chortle Student Comedy Award 2023 and BBC New Comedy Awards 2022, known for his sharp, confident delivery and personal stories, including his experiences with a prosthetic leg.

Joe Wells, a neurodivergent comedian, writer, and podcaster acclaimed for his insightful and hilarious explorations of autism, as seen in his full stand up show "King of the Autistics" and popular videos on topics like getting an autism diagnosis.

Key events include the Opening Preview Show on May 28, the New Act of the Year Final on June 3, and the Comedian of the Year Final & Closing Show on June 7. Many shows operate on a pay what you like (PWYL) basis, ensuring high quality comedy is available to audiences of all budgets.

"We've curated an incredible array of talent to showcase Derby as a vibrant comedy hub," James Beckett, Festival Organiser told That's Books and More.

"Following last year's massive success with over 1,600 tickets issued across 72 shows, we're thrilled to expand to 92 performances this year. Whether you're into sharp stand up, interactive improv, or discovering the next big name, there's something for everyone."

Venues include fan favourites like The Old Bell Hotel, The Courtyard, Derby Conference Centre, The Royal Standard, Dubrek Studios & The Greyhound. All helping transform Derby into a laughter filled destination for 11 days.

Tickets and full programme details are available now at https://ramcomedyfestival.co.uk Early booking is recommended, as popular shows are expected to sell out.

The Ram Comedy Festival is an independent event dedicated to promoting live comedy in Derby, UK. Supporting local promoters and talent, it features a mix of free and ticketed shows to foster a thriving comedy scene.

TV Celebrity and Guinness World Record holder take on one of the World's Toughest Arctic Cycling Challenge

TV’s Louise Minchin and record holder Mimi Anderson are to race 300+ miles through Canada's Northwest Territories at temperatures of -40°C, proving age is no barrier to adventure.

In a bold and inspiring celebration of International Women's Day, award-winning author, journalist and broadcaster Louise Minchin and celebrated endurance athlete and multiple Guinness World Record holder Mimi Anderson are joining forces to take part in the inaugural Inuvik Weekend Warrior Fat Bike Race on 18th-21st March - a gruelling 300+ mile fat bike race through some of the coldest, most remote and most spectacular terrain on earth.

Set deep in Canada's Northwest Territories, the Inuvik Weekend Warrior Fat Bike Race is as formidable as it sounds. Louise and Mimi will cycle across frozen rivers, along remote highways and through vast snow-covered wilderness, enduring temperatures as low as -40°C. This is not simply a race for the pair; it is a statement of what women are capable of, at any age and is a celebration of women stepping out, of all ages, on International Women’s Day.

Louise and Mimi are driven by a shared and powerful purpose:

• Demonstrate that age is no barrier to adventure

• Show how building resilience through challenge can transform lives

• Share why keeping fit is vital for women's health and wellbeing

As they dug deep into rigorous training and prepared to face this epic arctic challenge, Louise and Mimi have been proudly fundraising for two outstanding charities: The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and Marie Curie — causes close to both their hearts that support young people's development and those facing terminal illness.

Says Louise: “This is going to be an epic challenge. It has been 40 years since I went on my first expedition as part of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Taking part all those years ago gave me a life-long love of being outdoors and I am hoping that by doing this expedition I can help raise funds for young people who might not be able to afford to take part in expeditions and would otherwise miss out on the opportunity to build confidence, resilience and skills for the future.”

Mimi adds: “I am thrilled and delighted to be taking on this huge challenge with Louise, whilst also raising money for my charity, Marie Curie, which is very close to my heart.

“I know that when the going gets tough — and it will — I will be able to draw on the reasons why I am doing this. It’s not only about the challenge itself, but about supporting an incredible cause, embracing the spirit of true adventure, and showing that age really isn’t a barrier when it comes to pursuing something extraordinary.”

Louise and Mimi are extremely grateful to be supported by a number of outstanding brands who have provided specialist kit and equipment for the challenge. Their product sponsors are:

• Deuter — specialist outdoor packs and equipment

• Findra — premium merino wool active and outdoor clothing

• Restrap — bikepacking bags and carrying solutions

• RAB — high-performance insulation and extreme weather gear

• Darn Tough — guaranteed-for-life merino wool performance socks

• THAW Gear — heated clothing and gear for extreme cold conditions

• The Bike Factory Chester — specialist cycling retailer providing bike support and equipment

• Trek — world-leading bicycle manufacturer providing the bikes for the challenge

FACTFILE:

Louise Minchin is a renowned author, journalist and broadcaster, best known as the former co-anchor of BBC Breakfast, current presenter of Rip Off Britain, and guest host on The One Show. A passionate advocate for women's fitness and wellbeing, Louise is also a committed endurance athlete who has competed in triathlons worldwide and authored books on fitness and resilience, as well as written fiction.

Mimi Anderson is one of the world's most accomplished endurance athletes and a multiple Guinness World Record holder. Over a career spanning decades, Mimi has completed some of the most extreme ultra-endurance events on the planet, cementing her status as a true pioneer of women in adventure sport. The epitome of a stay-at-home mum becoming a multiple Guinness World Record holder, Mimi has written two books and is an inspirational speaker.

'Together | Apart' - Upcoming Exhibition by Neuk Collective

Neuk Collective is proud to present "Together | Apart", a mixed media exhibition at Project Ability, Glasgow, opening 18 April 2026 (Private view on 23 April).

Bringing together work by members of Neuk Collective from across Scotland, Together | Apart explores experiences of separation and connection, and the ways these can exist simultaneously. 

Artists were invited to reflect on what it means to be both distinct and interwoven: separated by geography but connected through shared experience, identity and community.

Established in 2020, Neuk Collective is a neurodivergent-led initiative supporting and platforming neurodivergent artists across Scotland. What began with just four artists at its first exhibition in 2021 has grown into a network of over 250 neurodivergent creatives. 

Through exhibitions, workshops, advocacy and peer support, Neuk works to dismantle barriers in the arts and create spaces where neurodivergent artists can thrive.

Neuk is honoured to collaborate with Project Ability, an organisation with decades of work, including platforming and advocating for disabled artists. 

Together | Apart reflects a shared commitment to inclusive practice and artist-led collaboration. Neuk Collective is grateful to Project Ability for their gallery space and in-kind support throughout this project.

The exhibition showcases a wide range of media, including textiles, painting, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, video and sound. The result is a moving and diverse exploration of belonging, distance, interdependence and individuality.

Private View: 23rd April, 6-8pm.

Exhibition Dates: April 18 - May 23, 2026

Opening Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 11 AM – 5 PM

Venue: Project Ability Gallery, Trongate 103, Glasgow

Accessibility

Accessibility is central to Neuk Collective’s practice. The exhibition includes:

Ear defenders and sensory supports such as stim toys

Easy Read exhibition interpretation

Closed captions for all video content

A Visual Story available in advance to help visitors familiarise themselves with the space

Neuk Collective is grateful to Creative Scotland for supporting this exhibition.

doorinthewall.co.uk

The work used in the exhibition flyer is ‘He Visits In My Dreams’ by Isabella Luciani and ‘Connections’ by Grant Glennie.

“We are delighted to bring ‘Together | Apart’ to Project Ability,” Tzipporah Johnston, founder of Neuk Collective told That's Books and More.

“Neuk began as a small group of neurodivergent artists looking for connection. Today, we are a growing national network. This exhibition reflects both our differences and our deep interconnection, and shows what becomes possible when neurodivergent artists are supported to create on their own terms.

"Together | Apart feels like an exciting development for Neuk Collective’, said curator, Amy Milner. ‘Our previous two exhibitions have focused primarily on our identity as a neurodivergent collective. Together | Apart moves beyond this, yes, we are still vocal and proud to be showcasing neurodivergent talent, but this time we have deliberately chosen a theme that doesn’t focus on identity. Neurodivergent and disabled perspectives are relevant and important, not only on issues of accessibility and inclusion, but in all broader cultural conversations."

"I am delighted to be bringing the brilliant work of Neuk collective into the space with Project Ability,' said producer Naomi Walmsley. ‘The exhibit theme immediately spoke to me on many levels about the power of a community, the place of the individual and how we experience the world, wherever our brains may take us. The diversity of pieces in the exhibition both reflects these multiple dimensions and makes for a gorgeous viewing experience."

A spokesperson told That's Books and More: "We invite the whole community - and especially neurodivergent people and their friends, families and supporters - to join us for this exhibition showcasing the vibrancy of Scotland’s neurodivergent artist community.

For more information and a list of the artists who are featured please visit https://neukcollective.co.uk/exhibition

Sting – Sounds Like Art: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. Available from Today, March 5th on arte.tv

Sounds Like Art is an exciting new concert initiative that invites musicians to perform amongst works of art in a European museum of their choice. 

World-renowned artist Sting performs in the beautiful surroundings of Amsterdam’s Rijkmuseum amongst paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Judith Leyster, and reflects on the works of the old masters.

The 17-time Grammy Award winning artist performs a unique concert amongst masterpieces in the Gallery of Honour. 

Playing a rare 17th century guitar, Sting, managed by Martin Kierszenbaum/Cherrytree Music Company, reveals his love for the Old Masters and revels in the power of books and reading, while performing in the museum’s spectacular library. As an English teacher under his given name of Gordon Sumner, his love of books and reading should cause no surprise. 

Coinciding with an international run of Sting’s musical “The Last Ship” in Amsterdam, Paris, Brisbane and New York, this special performance includes selections from his TONY Award nominated musical, a deeply personal tribute to Sting’s native Northeast England and the now-vanished shipbuilding tradition of his hometown, Wallsend. 

Accompanied by his longtime guitarist Dominic Miller, Sting reflects on the musical’s origins, shares stories from throughout his career, and performs beloved songs spanning his illustrious catalogue, including classics from his celebrated band, The Police.

While the Rijksmuseum’s crown jewel, Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, undergoes restoration, the museum opens the doors of the painting’s striking glass-fronted gallery for a rare, intimate performance. For the occasion, Sting plays a unique 17th-century guitar, originally crafted for the court of Louis XIV, the Sun King, generously loaned to the museum.

A former English teacher with a lifelong devotion to reading and learning, Sting also performs in the Rijksmuseum’s spectacular library, celebrating the enduring power of books and curiosity. His openness, intellect, and willingness to keep challenging himself shine throughout this episode—an unforgettable encounter where timeless art meets timeless music, and where history, storytelling, and song come vividly alive.

WATCH STING - Sounds Like Art https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/119031-004-A/sting-sounds-like-art/

Self-taught songwriter lands two songs in UK Songwriting Contest final and wins 'Best Song' at Cannes

Self-taught songwriter and leader in the field of AI, Matthew Blakemore has landed two songs in the final of the UK Songwriting Contest, one of the world's longest-running international songwriting competitions, and won Best Song at the Cannes World Film Festival, all in the same year.

Blakemore's tracks Paper Cuts (Adult Contemporary) and Absence of Care (Singer-Songwriter) both reached the final of the 2025 UK Songwriting Contest (UKSC), now in its 24th year with entries from almost 100 countries. Finalists represent the top 1–2% of all entries. 

Two songs in the final from the same writer is a rare achievement. A third song, Why Say Sorry?, won the Best Song award at the Cannes World Film Festival.

Three songs. Three competitions. Two finals and a win.

Blakemore is entirely self-taught as a songwriter, he has never had a songwriting or music lesson outside of school, and has perfected his craft entirely on his own since the age of 16. 

He started writing songs as a teenager at John Henry Newman School in Stevenage, where music teacher Mr Wright selected one of his early compositions to be performed by the school choir. 

He went on to write songs for the charity Teens Unite Fighting Cancer and has received UKSC recognition across multiple years.

"When I was developing my craft, people used to laugh," says Blakemore. "They aren't laughing now."

By day, Blakemore is one of the UK's most prominent AI professionals. He is CEO of AI Caramba!, named AI Solutions Provider of the Year 2025, and serves as European Regional Director at Monarrch, known as 'The AI Royalty Company'. He was named in the Top 100 Influential People in AI (2025), awarded Forty Under 40 UK (2024), and is one of only four global Sub-Editors for ISO/IEC 8183, an international AI standard affecting 165+ countries.

Yet he never uses AI to write his lyrics. Not a single word.

"Every lyric comes from lived experience, the heartbreak, the joy, the frustration. That has to be human," says Blakemore. "What AI can do is help me realise the sound I hear in my head. I use it as a production tool to shape the music around my words, exactly as I envision it. That's empowerment, not replacement."

Blakemore uses AI music tools to iteratively shape and edit productions until they match his precise creative vision, a process far removed from the common misconception of simply typing a prompt and accepting whatever comes out.

His role at Monarrch places him at the centre of one of the biggest debates in the music industry right now: whether AI companies should compensate creators whose work is used to train AI models. Monarrch is developing a patent-pending AI Royalty Operating System (AIR-OS), designed to ensure fair remuneration for creators.

"I'm on the side of the creators," says Blakemore. "Not by blocking AI, but by making sure the people whose creativity feeds these models get their fair share."

This advocacy sits alongside his contributions to the EU AI Office's General-Purpose AI Code of Practice and his standards work through ISO/IEC and BSI, where he helps shape the governance frameworks that will determine how AI interacts with creative industries globally.

aicaramba.co.uk

Cambridge International Publishing Releases SG60 Anthology Featuring Over 500 Students: Now Available on Amazon

In celebration of Singapore’s 60th anniversary (SG60), a landmark literary project titled “Through Young Eyes: Singapore at 60” has been officially released.

The anthology, published by Cambridge International Publishing, features original essays and hand-drawn illustrations over 500 students representing a diverse cross-section of Singapore’s educational landscape, including Government and International schools.

This public welfare initiative was designed to provide a professional platform for the next generation to articulate their vision of the nation. 

Unlike traditional commercial publications, this project was entirely non-profit for the participants, ensuring the creative voices of children from all backgrounds were heard without financial barriers.

The collection is notable for its authenticity. Each essay is accompanied by student-created illustrations, offering a direct and genuine perspective on Singapore’s heritage and future, as seen through the eyes of its youngest citizens.

“Seeing 500 unique perspectives come together in one volume is a testament to the intellectual and creative vitality of Singapore’s youth,” the project lead at Cambridge International Publishing told That's Books and More.

“By publishing this work on global platforms like Amazon and making it available in physical bookstores, we are ensuring that these ‘New Voices’ are archived in the global cultural record.”

To celebrate the launch, a series of commemorative events are currently being held in Singapore. Young authors, accompanied by their families, are invited to collect their published works and certificates of achievement. 

These moments of recognition underscore the project’s mission: to foster a sense of national pride and scholarly accomplishment.

As a bridge between academic excellence and community contribution, this SG60 initiative demonstrates the power of independent publishing to document social milestones and empower emerging talent outside of traditional institutional constraints.

Cambridge International Publishing is an independent academic publisher based in Cambridgeshire, UK. The company focuses on promoting new voices and providing global platforms for intellectual and cultural exchange

https://www.cambridgepublish.com/main

School Library Association and Barrington Stoke launch new Reader of the Year Award in the National Year of Reading

Ahead of World Book Day, and to celebrate the National Year of Reading, the School Library Association (SLA) is launching a brand-new award in collaboration with one of the UK’s most innovative children’s publishers.

The Barrington Stoke Reader of the Year Award will be the only national award to celebrate young readers, recognising pupils in Year 7 and 8 who have overcome challenge to discover the joy of reading. 

The winner will receive £400 worth of Barrington Stoke books for their school library, a £100 book token for themselves, and a digital subscription to First News for both home and school.

Nominations are now open for the award, which celebrates engagement, enjoyment and determination over academic attainment or reading fluency. Awarded by the SLA, the Barrington Stoke Reader of the Year Award will also highlight the vital role school libraries and librarians play in getting the right books into the hands of the right pupils, helping every child develop their own positive relationship with reading.

Teachers, headteachers and school librarians from across the UK can nominate Year 7 and 8 pupils (S1 and S2 in Scotland). The closing date for nominations is Friday, 15th May, after which a prestigious judging panel will decide on a shortlist. 

The winner will be announced at the SLA’s Annual Awards Ceremony, taking place on 18th November 2026 in London.

Jane Walker, Sales & Marketing Director at Barrington Stoke, told That's Books and More: “At Barrington Stoke, young people are at the heart of everything we do, and we know that some of them face real challenges on the path to developing a love of reading. 

"We’re therefore thrilled to be working with the School Library Association, sponsoring an award to celebrate those readers, while also recognising the crucial role of the school librarians who support them on that journey.”

The judging panel will include SLA School Librarian of the Year 2025 – Julie Broadbent, author and SLA Patron Tom Palmer and Barrington Stoke author Catherine Johnson, as well as representatives from Barrington Stoke, the School Library Association and children’s newspaper First News, who will join the award as media partner.

Catherine Johnson said: “I am so excited to be a judge for the brand-new Barrington Stoke Reader of the Year Award! I firmly believe that school libraries and librarians are an integral part of any school community. And I am thrilled to help shine a light on those students – a vital part of those communities – who have found their way into books.”

Victoria Dilly, CEO of the SLA, said: “Launching a brand-new award that celebrates young readers puts children and young people at the heart of our National Year of Reading activity. We are thrilled to be joining forces with Barrington Stoke,  their focus on making books accessible to every reader makes them the perfect partner for an award specifically recognising young people who have had to overcome challenge to discover the joy of reading. 

"The Barrington Stoke Reader of the Year Award will celebrate the curiosity, empathy and imagination that all children and young people can unlock when they discover the joy of reading.

"With children’s reading for pleasure at an all-time low, and a mandatory Year 8 reading test soon to enter the curriculum, the need to celebrate children’s reading enjoyment has never been so important. We know that school libraries and school librarians help millions of children to develop more positive relationships with reading, and I can’t wait to hear about some of them.”

Nominations for the Barrington Stoke Reader of the Year Award can be made at: sla.org.uk/reader-of-the-year

https://collins.co.uk/pages/barrington-stoke