book tickets
There are no scheduled instances of Susie Dent presents The Secret Life of Words.
View similar events.
Susie Dent presents The Secret Life of Words
Lexicographer - Best Selling Author – Queen of Dictionary Corner
Take a journey into the curious, unexpected, and downright surreal origins of the words we use every day. Susie will retell the adventures that lie hidden within such words as lasagne (involving a chamber pot) and bugbear (a terrorising monster), and explain such oddities as the silent h in ghost and the mysterious disappearance of kempt, gormful, and ruly (and yes, you really can be gruntled). She will look to the lexicon of the past to fill some of today’s linguistic gaps – such as the frenzied fit of tidying we all do just as guests are about to descend (that’s a scurryfunge).
Alongside such forgotten stories you will hear Susie’s selection of the funniest moments from her 25 years on Countdown and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, as well as some startling results from eavesdropping on a group of waiters.
Each evening will include some of Susie’s favourite words from the towns and regions she visits, and she’ll be asking the audience for theirs. In fact, she’ll be welcoming any questions about word origins, usage irritations, the dreaded impact of Americanization, and the very future of our language in her very own ‘word surgery’.
WHY? 'Funny, fact-filled and delightful' Jonathan Ross
'Wonderfully clever and funny... a national treasury from a national treasure Richard Osman
'Susie Dent is a one-off. She breathes life and fun into words' Pam Ayres
Disclaimer: Susie explores the many meanings and origins of everyday words including a short section on swearing. Some may view it as unsuitable for the younger ears.
Courtyard Theatre
£20
other events you may be interested in
Intro to spoken word poetry
Led by Simon Mole.
Acclaimed poet Simon Mole has shared stages with John Cooper-Clarke, Kae Tempest, Hollie McNish and Simon Armitage - and this fun introduction to spoken word or ‘slam poetry’ uses that experience to bring words to life for children aged 9 + years.
Build skills and confidence through games and activities before being supported to write your own poem!
Suitable for ages 9+ years.
Sat 27 Jul and Wed 14 Aug
12.30pm - 1.30pm
£4 per person
Michael Palin - There and Back
Best-selling author and comedy legend Michael Palin is going back on the road, with a new 13 date UK tour this autumn.
There and Back - The Diary Tour 2024 will bring to life Palin’s upcoming Diary (called There and Back, published by Orion on 26 September) .
10 years since his last published diary, Michael unlocks volume four of his life and times, from 1999 to 2009. As the centuries change and Michael heads into middle age, he’s busier than ever. In this new show, with the help of rarely seen photos and video, Michael brings these momentous times to life as he talks through this latest Diary to take us backstage on this most productive decade of his life, whilst always, in the background, showing us the wider world, one of infinite possibilities and new and unimagined dangers.
He takes on four new travel series, and a wide variety of documentaries from art and artists to the last day of the First World War. He watches his family grow and expand at a time of ominous new threats and dangers. The Twin Towers fall, bombs blast London, banks collapse, whole economies teeter on the brink. Tony Blair offers hope with the Good Friday agreement, then embroils us in Iraq.
Michael enters his 60s, and finds grown-up responsibilities come his way. By the end of this diary, he's in his first year as President of the Royal Geographical Society. His diary reflects his constant struggle against routine and repetition, and his irresistible and often nerve-shredding attraction to new challenges. Some work, some don't, but by the end of this volume he's reached the retirement age of 65. And he's planning a new journey.
Announcing the tour, Michael Palin says: “In There and Back - The Diary Tour 2024, I’ll bring to life the fourth collection of my diaries and the first to be released for 10 years. Lots of fun as I go through the Noughties, and some dark times too.
I constantly surprise myself with the sheer amount I took on"
Courtyard Theatre
£28
Insta michael.palin
Fb Michael Palin
- 13 Sep SOLD OUT
have your say