Director of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Arts Jonty Claypole introduces a new Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ campaign for 2016 designed to inspire reading, and a new selection of book-related programming across radio and television.
#LovetoRead is a Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ campaign for 2016, bringing together a range of leading literary partners to encourage reading for pleasure and to create a national conversation about books.
Authors and books have always been at the heart of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ but our pledge to book lovers is to push reading even higher up the agenda, to include more people, inspire a new generation, and let everyone have a say on the books that matter most to them.
Over the course of 2016, we want to inspire audiences with a broad range of special programming about great authors and their novels on all our platforms – nationally, regionally and locally. Across the nation our radio stations are in the process of launching book clubs in partnership with their local libraries and the autumn will see the launch of a nationwide social media campaign to share book recommendations. In the summer, we’re putting a focus on children’s books and celebrating Roald Dahl’s centenary and many of the ‘Awesome Authors’ at work today.
In the autumn, we’re celebrating some of the Books That Made Britain and asking the nation to share the book that matters most to them through social media. There’ll be 14 national and regional documentaries identifying the books that have defined different parts of the UK and discussions on all local networks. In October on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two, Saturday night will be Book Night with a host of programming celebrating authors, reading and much, much more.
Meanwhile Mariella Frostrup, Simon Mayo, Harriett Gilbert and James Naughtie will drive the campaign on radio and online. On Radio 2 Simon Mayo will be talking to celebrity authors about the books they couldn’t live without and there will be a wealth of programming across Radio 3 and 4 including a new series within Open Book and a special Radio 4 Bookclub. The season will culminate with the #LovetoRead weekend in early November when the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ and partners hope to inspire everyone everywhere to read something new.
Throughout the year, we’ll be encouraging the public to get writing as well as reading, through our schemes such as , the and the .
No other broadcaster celebrates authors or encourages reading like the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. With so many of our services committed to books, we want to make it easier for audiences to find what they want. Now Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Arts has enhanced its site, bringing audiences the best of what we do.
Our ambition for 2016 is to get the nation reading more, talking about the books they love, and by doing so inspiring a new generation of readers too.
Jonty Claypole is Director, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Arts
- Watch on the website
- to the finalists in Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 2's 2016 500 Words competition