Dee Anderson, daughter of Supermarionation Supremos Sylvia and Gerry, shares her memories of the thrilling adventures that defined a generation. If you were born or in the 60s – or grew up in the 60s and 70s – chances are the phrase ‘5-4-3-2 1 – Thunderbirds Are Go!’ brings back fond memories of the great and ground breaking British animated sci-fi children’s series Fireball XL5, Stingray and, of course, Thunderbirds.

As the daughter of the inventors of ‘Supermarionation’, Sylvia and Gerry Anderson, Dee Anderson lived and breathed the magic of Thunderbirds and all the other Supermarionation programmes as a child. In this show, Dee presents a heartfelt tribute to her parents’ boundless imagination and brings their extraordinary legacy vividly to life on stage like never before. In today’s fascinating talk Dee Anderson invites us into the world of a child who grew up with Thunderbirds. In her words: ‘It was simply FAB!’

​After a fascinating and enthusiastically received talk last year we’re very pleased to announce that Darren Coffield’s back to talk about his latest work – HEN, a portrait of Henrietta Moraes – illuminated by a slideshow featuring his subject, and the many colourful denizens of the infamous Colony Room to whom she was both a model and a muse, including Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Maggi Hambling and Marianne Faithfull. Grab your signed copy of HEN at the festival!

Stephanie Mynard is a successful Business Owner, Marketing Consultant, and Amazon bestselling author of Horror and Ghost Story novels, The House on Poultney Road, and its sequel, It Found Me. Today, Stephanie will be discussing her work as a novelist, her new book series, Chapter Two of Life, and giving us an insight on how authors can effectively use social media to promote and build an interest in their books even before its launch. An essential talk for anyone whose work needs a promotional boost – whether it’s because your publisher’s not doing it properly, or because you’re self-published.

Steven N. Adjei MRPharmS, MBA is a community pharmacist and author of Chasing Permanence (Routledge, 2026), shortlisted for the Business Book Awards 2026. He works with councils, BIDs, and place-based partnerships to turn fragmentation into coordinated action. Introducing his latest book, Steven points out that over 13,500 businesses a year are closing amid endless talk about the crisis that changes little. Remarkably, some continue to thrive. Steven explores their success stories and reveals that lasting success doesn’t begin with government policy — but the business itself. Chasing Permanence is the first book of its kind to shift the responsibility from external systems to internal leadership, culture, and everyday decisions.

To say that David Crabtree of ‘Green Onions’ fame (AKA Double-Decks/ DeeJay Dave) is a bit of a Hertford Legend would be something of an understatement. Spinning tunes since he was 14 ‘Ol’ Double Decks’ was in right at the start of the Mod movement – and something of a double life – as David Crabtree MA, university lecturer and consultant to The British Council by day and trailblazing Deejay Dave by night… (Google him!!) – informs the unique perspective of David’s talk today, taking us from 1960s Stamford Hill and the ‘forgotten café that begat Mod’ into the development of Mod(ern) Britain.

But this is much more than a bunch of anecdotes: David makes the case for cultural diversity as the basis of UK global dominance of fashion, music and art in the 29th (and 21st) Century. In what you might call a postmodern take on Mod sub-culture, Dave will ask have we squandered that heritage or is it still possible for the UK to rebuild itself afresh using that same ‘outsider’ energy? Like the records in Dave’s collection, the events, people and places featured will be strictly OVO (Original Vinyl Only – or in this case Original Voices Only!).

Born in Ireland, raised in Scotland and based in Hertford since 1978, Pat has worked in many other lands from Norway to Nova Scotia and Cork to the Congo. A well known and seasoned performer on the local folk scene, Pat runs the Four Rivers Folk Club at the Hertford Club. In today’s talk, Pat introduces us to the song that have influenced the creation of his own impressive body of work: songs that reflect the places he’s worked, the people he’s encountered and his observations of life.

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Friday 3rd July from 7pm 

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Live Music

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We heard him talk about the songs that influenced him most in his opening speech this afternoon... Now’s our chance to hear those influences in action in his songs inspired by his travels from Norway to Nova Scotia and Caledonia to the Congo. A prolific songwriter, the well travelled Pat Crilly runs The Four Rivers Folk Club out of the Hertford Club and his warm baritone blends beautifully with his Irish crafted guitars.

CEO and founder of the Literary and Multimedia Agency Agent Fox Media, Rick has served on the Hertford Club committee for over two years. This is Rick’s third year interviewing at the festival, having introduced and interviewed an array of his colourful clients including John Lyons, Neil Pearson, Sara Challice, Stephen Gillen and Helen Lederer.

Rick’s interviews are thorough and full of fun, leading questions helping to uncover the real personalities and stories behind his guests’ public biogs. 

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https://www.agentfoxmedia.com/

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Peter Crossley was born in Halifax, studied interior design and has lived in London and Germany and has eventually ended up living in a Hertfordshire village. Peter is a teacher of violin and guitar and is a very popular local singer songwriter and performer. Peter writes inspirational and uplifting folksy songs that make you think. His subjects range from childhood memories of skimming stones with his father to getting married later in life.

Mike Excell is a true folk singer with an excellent repertoire of traditional and contemporary songs including a varied selection of his own material. He’s also a terrific musician who really knows how to entertain.