Health

Leeds International Festival of Ideas is just one month away – full list of speakers, highlights and tickets

AnyFans 2025-09-17

By Benjamin Jackson

Leeds International Festival of Ideas is just one month away - full list of speakers, highlights and tickets

Chuck D, Vicky McClure and Sally Wainwright OBE are just some of the names announced for Leeds International Festival of Ideas 2025.The festival, taking place throughout October, brings together a diverse range of influential voices from culture, politics, science, technology and the arts.Here’s the current list of hosts, panellists and keynote speakers appearing this year, along with five programme highlights that might pique your interest.

With a goal of challenging our understanding of the world and inspiring new ideas ahead of what the future may hold, the annual Leeds International Festival of Ideas returns to the city in a little under a month, with an incredible array of programming this year.

The festival, founded by LeedsBID and now in its fifth year, hosts a series of panel discussions, keynote speeches and fireside chats tackling a range of topics ever-present in modern times: politics, social issues, well-being and culture.

The hope is that promoting bold conversations, fresh thinking and new perspectives on some of the most pressing issues facing society and the public today might help in creating a mutual understanding of where we are and perhaps, rather than offering complete solutions, will instead provide an alternative means of thinking regarding issues many of us either have faced or continue to face.

This year’s line-up includes some huge names from the world of entertainment, but more importantly, representatives from different art forms and cultures offering their honest take on what is right, what is wrong and what we can do to promote some form of ‘common ground’ when it comes to some of life’s more complex matters.

Festival Director Martin Dickson hopes that some of the names included, and the addition of Young LIFI, will draw in a younger audience in 2025.

He said: “This year, we’re opening up the conversation to younger audiences with the launch of Young LIFI. Resilience and mental health are among the most important issues for the next generation, and by creating a platform for role models to share their stories, we hope to equip young people with tools to face challenges head-on.

Leeds is a city of voices and it’s vital that our younger voices are part of that.”

Who are the speakers confirmed for LIFI25?

Panellists and Hosts:

Annie Price: Presenter, speaker, and founder of Well Woman ClubMyleene Klass MBE: Musician and presenterJoanna Reeve: UK Director at Intrepid TravelFred Sirieix: TV personality and hospitality expertShanequa Paris: BBC Newsround presenterJamie Jones Buchanan MBE: Rugby league legend and Chief Executive of Leeds RhinosDr. Radha Modgil: NHS GP, broadcaster, and wellbeing expertMatthew Akpan: Entrepreneur, educator, and advocate for young peopleAmi Charles: Social media personality and motivational speakerTamsin Greig: Actor and star of Riot Women

Headline and Key Speakers:

Chuck D: Co-founder and leader of the rap group Public EnemyDavid Baddiel: Comedian and authorVicky McClure MBE: Actor and founder of Our Dementia ChoirCaitlin Moran: Journalist and authorSally Wainwright OBE: Screenwriter and directorFara Williams MBE: Former professional footballerVictoria Derbyshire: Journalist and broadcasterWilliam Hanson: Etiquette expert

Five highlights set to take place at LIFI25

Chuck D: How Hip-Hop Changed the World (October 14 – 8pm)

Join one of music history’s most influential figures, Chuck D of Public Enemy, as he discusses his life’s work with broadcaster Nihal Arthanayake.

Chuck D transformed hip-hop into a powerful instrument for social and political change. Together, they will explore Public Enemy’s genre-defying sound and the seismic cultural impact of hip-hop. This talk is an essential look at the struggle for social justice and the music that made the world stop and listen.