UK's first national humanities festival unveils a rich programme of events

Being Human is a nine-day festival highlighting the richness and vitality of humanities research to actively engage members of the public. With less than three months to go - the festival runs 15-23 November - the full Being Human programme has been published online.

More than 100 free-to-attend public events led by over 60 universities will take place across the UK - from Orkney to Truro, Belfast to Swansea, and Liverpool to Norwich. Events will be hosted in all sorts of places including museums, galleries and cultural and community centres – even caves.

Conceived earlier this year, Being Human is led by the University of London's School of Advanced Study in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. Since its launch, over 100 universities have applied to take part in what is the first festival of its kind in the UK.

The programme features leading academics from the humanities alongside familiar faces, including the author and public intellectual Will Self (pictured right) in Aberdeen, the comedian and history enthusiast Al Murray in London, Hacienda DJ turned cultural historian Dave Haslam in Manchester, and poet and translator Simon Armitage in Birmingham.