Something Rhymes with Purple

Gyles Brandreth is a writer, broadcaster, actor, former MP and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, now Chancellor of the University of Chester and one of Britain’s most sought-after award ceremony hosts and after-dinner speakers. A star of Celebrity Gogglebox, a veteran of QI and Have I Got News For You, a reporter on The One Show, a regular on This Morning, and since the 1980s one of the stars of Just a Minute on BBC Radio 4, his latest book is a new biography of The Queen: Elizabeth: an intimate portrait – an immediate Sunday Times No 1 best-seller.

His many other books include an acclaimed childhood memoir, a Sunday Times best-seller in 2021, Odd Boy Out, as well nine detective novels biographies and three other recent best-sellers: The 7 Secrets of Happiness; Have You Eaten Grandma?; and his anthology of poetry to learn by heart, Dancing by the Light of the Moon.

Recently he has been appearing on stage with Dame Judi Dench at the Gielgud Theatre in London, at Hampton Court Palace and at the Royal Albert Hall, with more dates planned; on TV with Sheila Hancock in Great Canal Journeys, in the Pointless co-host seat, and on tour throughout the country with his one-man show. As a podcaster, he is Gold Award Winning at the British Podcast Awards. With his daughter Aphra Brandreth MP, he co-hosts the Commonwealth Poetry Podcast, celebrating poetry and the Commonwealth, launched with HM Queen Camilla in 2022. In 2023, he launched a new podcast, Rosebud, a weekly conversation with interesting and remarkable people all about their very first memories – from Dame Judi Dench to Sir Keir Starmer.

In 2024, Gyles fronted The Story of Panto with Gyles Brandreth for Sky Arts.

Susie Dent is an English lexicographer, author, and broadcaster, widely recognized for her role as the resident word expert on the long-running Channel 4 programme Countdown. A graduate of the University of Oxford, Dent has worked as an editor and consultant for dictionaries, including contributions to the Oxford English Dictionary. She has authored several books on language, exploring the history, quirks, and evolution of English words, and is celebrated for making etymology engaging and accessible to a broad audience.

Beyond her television work, Dent regularly delivers talks, participates in literary festivals, and contributes to media on language and linguistics. Her expertise and passion for words have made her a trusted voice in education and popular culture, and she continues to inspire audiences with her deep knowledge of the English language.