Nicola Sturgeon to interview Brian Cox in star-studded Edinburgh Book Festival lineup

Nicola Sturgeon will interview Succession star Brian Cox and author Louise Welsh as part of a star-studded line up at the Edinburgh Book Festival.

The First Minister is to take part in a sit-down discussion with the actor about his life on stage and his role in the hit HBO television series and Welsh about her new novel The Second Cut – a sequel to the 2002 novel The Cutting Room.

Glasgow-born writer Douglas Stuart, who won the Booker Prize with his first novel Shuggie Bain, will be back in Scotland to discuss his next book, Young Mungo, while writers Irvine Welsh, Maggie O’Farrell and the newly-knighted Sir Ian Rankin will also be taking part in the festival.

Meanwhile, Outlander author Diana Gabaldon, essayist and linguist Noam Chomsky, and writer and director Armando Ianucci have signed on to appear at events between August 13 and August 29.

Jonathan Franzen, AM Homes and Jennifer Egan are to appear via video link from their homes in the United States as part of the “virtual” section of the programme.

Nick Barley, director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: “We’ve learned a great deal in the last two years, so that alongside the return of our full-scale in-person festival we can also offer the accessibility and international reach of livestreamed events.

“The world has changed immeasurably since 2019: we’re learning to live with the effects of the pandemic and war in Europe – but we’re also beginning to imagine what a better future should look like.

“Exploring these issues in inspiring conversations with scientists, historians, poets and novelists is exactly where the book festival comes into its own.”

There will also be events featuring musicians including Martha Wainwright, Jarvis Cocker, Vashti Bunyan, and Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross, who will share stories of their journeys through the world of music.

In the children’s section, writers such as Julia Donaldson, Cressida Cowell and Michael Morpurgo will all host their own in-person appearances.

Tickets for the 600 events go on sale from 10am on Thursday, June 23.