Kyle MacLachlan

Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-fiction 2026, Edmund Richardson came in to speak with us about his quest to better understand one of the most elusive figures from ancient history: Alexander the Great. From his childhood obsession with Homer to a military campaign that would touch three continents and create the largest empire Europe had ever known, we spoke about the driving forces behind his epic journey into the East, the words that help us to understand him and the legacy left after his death at just 32.

Kyle MacLachlan is an actor with such range that everyone seems to know him from a different piece of work. From his debut in Dune, to iconic roles in Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives, he's always seemed to be brave enough to take anything on. Even Showgirls. But as we discovered from our conversation with him, it's never been quite that simple. Join us as we discuss creative collaboration, conquering fear and why David Lynch will always be a part of him.

The only thing better than talking to Judi Dench about her career in acting is to talk to her a SECOND time! We were delighted to be invited back to her home for a conversation alongside Brendan O'Hea about her work on stage, TV and film, and some incredible insight into her childhood, upbringing and family life, as captured in her memoir, Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?

Taking inspiration from the life of Gustave Flaubert, the new novel from Elif Shafak flips expectations by giving voice to the women who shaped him. In an inspiring conversation about creativity in times of crisis and conflict, we spoke with her about her views on the nature of time, marrying Eastern and Western literature and whether she has found an answer to the question that prompted this new book.

Louise Kennedy has followed her Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize-nominated Trespasses with another brilliant novel, Stations, which follows the trajectories of two teenage friends as they leave '80s Ireland for London. We sat down with her to talk about her own journey, why escape is so difficult and creating characters for readers to take to their hearts.

After losing her best friend, Ann Patchett poured all that love into her new novel, Whistler. Bringing platonic love to the fore, alongside the unearthing of the past and a reckoning with our own mortality; we sat down to speak with her about what it means to love and to lose, what she's learned as a bookseller about reading and why the most important thing for any writer is getting your posture right.

50% of people in the UK take supplements and the consumer blood-testing industry is now a $128 billion business. But does any of it work? In an increasingly confusing world Xand van Tulleken wanted to cut through the noise to sort fact from fiction. Two years later, his new book, Make Me Well, shares the results. We sat down with him to discover what wellness means, what works (and what doesn't) and why for most people the real benefits might be found elsewhere entirely.

In her most personal novel yet, Rebecca F. Kuang transports readers to Taipei, where Yale student Lily is working on her Chinese language to better connect with her Chinese family, only for loss to appear suddenly and change her perspective. In a fascinating discussion we spoke with Rebecca about linguistic relativity, getting grief wrong and falling foul of flat listings with clever camera angles.

Kate Atkinson's latest novel beautifully combines her skills in historical detail and crime caper plotting for a story which assembles a motley crew of misfits attempting to curate 1951's Festival of Britain. We sat down to speak with her about the allure of the period, how she creates character and why bringing joy to readers is still what drives her.

Join us as we celebrate Rebecca Perry as the author of this year's Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize-winner, May We Feed The King. Over a glass of bubbly, we discuss the connections between her curator character and the art of writing, playing with the tropes of historical fiction, and her love of cats.