After many years of attending the festival, my 4 year old daughter鈥檚 highlight this year was celebrating the Gruffalo鈥檚 birthday in the company of it鈥檚 creator, Julia Donaldson. She also went to a reading of the kids book, Shifty McGifty. The story was told by the writers themselves, Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton with help from a budding bunch of eager toddlers.

I am now au fait with Shifty the dog鈥檚 world鈥e鈥檚 a robber dog who gives up a life of crime to pursue a cupcakes business. As a parent, that kind of imagination coupled with the performance element is joyous. Or at least it will be until about 8 o'clock when I fear the expectancy will be to produce props and musical accompaniment for bedtime stories.

I was hoping to attend a debate entitled 鈥業s the planet full?鈥� but unfortunately it was full. Really. On this final weekend of Hay 2014 hearing the 麻豆约拍 hit comedy Rev star and writer Tom Hollander discuss the extraordinary success of the show is fascinating. They were joined by the writer of the newly published Rev Diaries, John Canter. Canter recalled his agent contacting him about writing the book鈥︹�滼ohn, we鈥檝e got a project for you鈥� to which the atheist author replied, 鈥淭here is a God!鈥� When Hollander was asked by an audience member how they cast the show (with the likes of Oliva Coleman and Miles Jupp) he said it was largely thanks to a fantastic casting agent and also because, 鈥減eople do things cos they like the writing.鈥� They could have cast Rev a thousand times over.

Kate Adie passionately told the story of women鈥檚 plight during the first World War and shared a wonderful story about her grandmother. As the Germans were overhead in a zeppelin, Adie鈥檚 grandmother was charged to lay down and take cover. The zeppelin鈥檚 gondola was low enough for the German鈥檚 to make eye contact with the Brits below鈥die鈥檚 grandmother was furious. Furious that the Germans were so low to the ground that they would have without doubt caught slight of her petticoat. It鈥檚 charming anecdotes like that, enjoying a live performance on Bethan Elfyn鈥檚 麻豆约拍 Radio Wales stage and knowing that you will always see or hear something random, unexpected or occasionally mind-blowing, that makes Hay special for me.

Here we are in the hills, basically in the middle of nowhere, listening to authors talk about their books; scientists share their theories and philosophers philosophising. It is a unique and extraordinary coming together of very clever people on stage sharing their knowledge, thoughts and oaccisiaonnly, crack-pot theories.

Glastonbury may boast magical leylines, Hay meanwhile offers up line after line of inspiration. To paraphrase Tom Hollander, people like writing. And that writing has left me feeling brighter, smarter and more intelligent鈥or a couple of days, at least.

Chris Hawkins is a DJ on 6Music

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• Read Chris' other blogs from Hay - and .
• About the 麻豆约拍's Hannah Khalil has collected links to in her weekly blog round-up.
• Jon Jacob was broadcast live from Hay last week - read about his experiences on the About the 麻豆约拍 Blog.
• Radio 4's Broadcasting House was also at Hay for a special programme - journalist explained how the production team sought contributions from the festival audience.听
• also reflected on the weekend he spent at the Hay Festival.听
• are available on the 麻豆约拍 Arts website.听
• Follow on Twitter.听

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Something magical happens when the 麻豆约拍 goes on the road. When members of the public come to an outside broadcast, eyes light up and warm smiles are readily exchanged whenever they engage with members of 麻豆约拍 staff. I鈥檝e experienced it a few times now. The exchange tempts further analysis:

1. audience member (adult) is excited to be in attendance at a 麻豆约拍 event;
2. staffer (me) is pleased to see audience member excited to be in attendance;
3. warm sensation of pride envelopes the staffer;
4. both parties beam at one another with mutual respect.

Point 4 can go on for some time, it has to be said. The sight of a colleague running around frantically somewhere in the periphery usually reminds the staffer in question that he or she is really there to work, not beam inanely at a member of the public. After all, as we all know, beaming can sometimes be interpreted as staring. And staring, like pointing, is quite rude.

I experienced the same thing (sort of) again yesterday morning when parents and their children stepped excitedly into the 麻豆约拍 Tent at Hay Festival poised to take part in the 500 WORDS Final. Broadcast during Chris Evans' Breakfast Show on Radio 2 today, the final marked the culmination of 6 months work for the 500 WORDS team. The four year old creative writing competition for youngsters launched in 2011. This year鈥檚 youngest competitor was 7 years old. Yes, 7 years old.

50 young writers swayed, clapped, cheered and stared during the songs played throughout the programme. All of them, joined by the army of Hay Festival attendants and selection of volunteer judges, were all up for a good time. A testament to the unfailing energy of Chris Evans鈥� producer Lisa, ever insistent that all present should forget the ungodly hour, and stand up and jig about. No one faked it. No-one was there reluctantly. This was a big deal for all concerned, not least for the finalists and their parents. Just like the 听where Frank Cottrell Boyce advised young writers to ''听a few months back, the atmosphere in the Tent was infectious.

Only six of them would be medal winners - take a read or a listen to the final 50 in Radio 2鈥檚 special podcast and see who you pick out as the winner; decision-making is difficult.

I admit it. I did wonder whether I might feel a tiny bit envious of their talents. I've long had a 'book on the go' - one I've been meaning to write for the past twelve years. Would their talent be precocious? Would their abilities play on my deep-seated insecurities? Would I leave Hay feeling bitter and resentful, tear up my drafts and trample on any remaining creative aspirations in the process?

No. I didn't. How could I when the writer in question has the face of an angel, an infectious enthusiasm or adorable inquisitiveness for everything going on around him or her? When that reaction is reflected in the faces of the presenters and production team those writers interact with, then it鈥檚 not going to be long before you get a sense of how powerful an experience 鈥榬adio on the road鈥� can be. It鈥檚 not a cast on stage entertaining the audience sat in front of them, it's a group of people bringing a multitude of talents into the same space, all bouncing off one another and producing something compelling to listen to. All of this before 7.30am 鈥� at this hour I鈥檓 normally on my second mug of tea when I鈥檓 at home.

So imagine, with all of this loveliness going on, out of nowhere, a familiar face suddenly appears. "I won't tell you who we've managed to get for the show," said Alison, the 500 Words producer on the phone to me, the night before, "I don't want to ruin the surprise for you." I'm glad she didn't. Surprises are the key to any good story.

Benedict Cumberbatch had rocked up for his appearance on the show. Cool and calm, he could have easily passed without note backstage, were it not for a live blogger with a weakness for spotting celebrities. I did what any normal adult would do: I texted my nearest and dearest, desperate to share my exciting news. (As it happens, he was in the middle of his cup of tea before he made his journey to work, listening to Radio 2.) 鈥淥h my God. It鈥檚 actually Benedict Cumberbatch. He鈥檚 standing on the other side of the table from me. I have to get a picture."

To his credit, The Cumberbatch was utterly professional, if a little bemused. He had it easy. When Hugh Bonneville subsequently made an appearance, I was forced to pull out all the stops. Needs must. "Maybe I could get two pictures of you Mr Bonneville, sir? One for the blog 鈥� and one for my mother?"

Their appearances, alongside that of Paloma Faith, Dick and Dom, Barney Harwood and actor Matthew Lewis reminded me of the extra special prize every writer loves (but usually forgets about): the prize of hearing another voice bringing your story to life. It is an electrifying experience and one affirming one, one which has the potential to fuel future creativity.

That I can experience all of this running a live blog during a live radio programme, sculpted by an experienced production team who have been up since 5am, isn't a testament to me, nor the crew (although their accomplishments shouldn't in any way be played down). Rather, it's because the work of talented youngsters who have committed to a creative endeavour shines through.

Years ago, I embarked on the same thing, entering all sorts of writing competitions (many of them staged by 麻豆约拍 Learning). Winning wasn鈥檛 important. Embarking on the creative endeavour was. The 500 WORDS Final reminded me of that early lesson today. As a staffer I am unashamedly proud that the 麻豆约拍 has been and continues to be a part of that.

Jon Jacob is Editor, About the 麻豆约拍 Blog and Inside the 麻豆约拍 website.

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• The and their stories feature on the 500 WORDS website.
• Download the read by members of the 麻豆约拍 Radio Drama Company.听
• Listen to the from Friday 30 May during which the winners were announced.听
• Read the blog post from the staged in the Radio Theatre.听

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The Hay Festival celebrates the power of language and the pleasure of debate. It encourages new thinking with a focus on our planet鈥檚 future and the wellbeing of next generations.

Along the way there are bacon sandwiches from locally reared animals, tasty pies brought to the site from the town, less than a mile down the road and breweries in Herefordshire and Powys. I sampled the full range through the course of today.

It鈥檚 a day which began in the mud. The Hay app said 鈥榳et weather parking鈥� which meant the 10 mile drive from a farmhouse in the hills ended just short of the festival site and required a shuttle bus to complete the journey.

My wife, daughter and I are sharing the farmhouse in the hills with my 6 Music colleague Gideon Coe, his wife and son. DJs don鈥檛 always bunk up together for holidays but we鈥檝e made Hay an annual date for five years now. We spent last night indulging in some of Gid鈥檚 favourite pastimes - drinking red wine, eating cheese and with Britain鈥檚 Got Talent in the background, mumbling about karaoke standard singers on TV.

Gideon has been to two events so far this year. Both have been about war. My day of enlightenment began at 11.30 with Roman Krznaric. This was the philosopher鈥檚 one hour opportunity to start an empathy revolution. Krznaric believes the act of stepping into someone else鈥檚 shoes and viewing the world from their perspective is a tool for social change and should be a guiding light for the art of living. With that in mind, I spent half an hour this morning experimenting with being Gideon Coe. Alas, with the yardarm before midday, it felt a little early for cheese and wine.

The people of Hay are largely receptive to the massive influx of festival goers for a fortnight each year. Most are welcoming and many are grateful for the 14 day surge in the local economy. Gideon and I had a 鈥榩ower lunch鈥� off site in the picturesque town today to discuss the show we will present from here on Sunday (2 - 4pm, 麻豆约拍 Radio 6 Music). We agreed on the music, jotted down questions for our guests (Bob Stanley and John Hegley) and absolutely confirmed* that we will engage in a heavyweight debate about the intelligence or otherwise of animals, starting with sheep.

This afternoon, while my wife and daughter learnt how to draw huggable bears with the brilliant illustrator David Melling, I got to see one of my favourite authors up close and personal. Ian McEwan was on the 鈥榃ales Stage鈥� with one of the UK鈥檚 leading neurosurgeons recounting his triumphs, disasters and the moments of black humour that apparently characterise a brain surgeon鈥檚 life.

At Hay, McEwan is usually on the receiving end of questions about a new book - on this occasion he turned inquisitor on the basis that his intricately observed novel 鈥楽aturday鈥� centres around the life of a neurosurgeon. For research, he followed a working surgeon in London who was trained by Henry Marsh who, on stage this afternoon, described surgery as a bloodsport. He spoke of the adrenalin rush experienced before a major operation, the heightening of the senses and intensity of manipulating such an indescribably delicate matter under the microscope. When asked how neurosurgery compares to any other kind of surgery, Marsh spared the audience a detailed medical response and simply revealed, 鈥淭he good thing about brain surgery is that it doesn鈥檛 smell."

*Not confirmed

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Chris Hawkins is a DJ on 6 Music

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• Chris Hawkins and Gideon Coe will be hosting a show live on from the 麻豆约拍 Tent at Hay on Sunday 1 June, 2.00-4.00pm
  
• Chris will be writing again for the About the 麻豆约拍 Blog on Sunday
• Read his first blog from Hay -

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I am not grumpy about failing to get to again this year. Really. I鈥檓 not at all jealous that made it down there to do . Hay may be billed as a gathering of people, 鈥渁 big conversation about discovery and intellectual adventure鈥� but who wants to be involved in that? I鈥檇 rather be at home in London. It鈥檚 a highly cultural place. Except EVERYONE鈥橲 IN HAY. They must be, there was NO ONE on the tube this morning. Just me. So I鈥檓 the only one missing out (I am currently doing my grumpy Steptoe face).

That was how I听was听feeling. Until I remembered the 麻豆约拍's Hay partnership, and that lots of events are being streamed live from the muddy field. And then many of those recordings are going to be available on the for four weeks.

So, I will be able to watch , whose amazing novel Beloved I studied at school, talk about her work and the late great Maya Angelou; author of Birdsong which to my shame I鈥檝e yet to read (it鈥檚 on my bedside table though); funny folk and are also there, as well as former Children鈥檚 Laureate and conductor . To come this weekend are talks from Huffington post founder, and especially exciting for theatre-loving me, talking about telly adaptations of Shakespeare and series. The annual Hamlin Lecture is also available in full 鈥� this year given by American satirist .

And if you are just after a little flavour of the Haylights (ahem), rather than full portions, there are clips featuring something for everyone from Chris Tarrant, Ruby Wax, footballers Ossie Ardiles and Ricardo Villa, Tony Parsons, Carrie Fisher, Mary Berry, Al Murray, the list goes one 鈥� but I won鈥檛 you can just听.

So rather than feeling grumpy I鈥檓 beginning to feel rather smug that I鈥檒l be able to enjoy a little bit of Hay this weekend from the comfort of my sofa, with slippers instead of wellies on. Hay-ho, 听I鈥檓 virtually there.

Hannah Khalil is Digital Content Producer, About The 麻豆约拍 website and Blog. 听

• Read more blogs about the

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In the first of three special Hay Diaries, 6 Music DJ Chris Hawkins reveals his love affair with the Hay Festival and shares his experiences this year - apparently it's not all literature, you might brush up against the odd sporting legend too.

My first ever visit to Hay in 2007 began bleakly - it rained heavily. A group of us stayed in the only holiday home available at short notice - a bleak house that accommodated six and on day one involved a grim drive through an apocalyptic storm to a place which seems to be claimed by both the English and Welsh. Though it tinkers on the border of the two, Hay On Wye, is in Powys, Wales, just north of the Black Mountains and is the National Book Town of Wales. I鈥檓 certain there are more book shops in the tiny town of Hay than remain in central London and each of them is fabulous, curious and unique. They burst with pride and although they are a year-round tourist attraction, they do best business during the .

During that 听first visit to the festival, and thus the picturesque town, our gang (who had previously attended the V music festival together) arrived on site assuming we would collect wristbands and head straight for the bar. Lesson 1 about Hay was quickly learnt: you don鈥檛 pay for it. What you actually do, is pay for the events you want to attend and so with small change from 拢10, we found ourselves at an audience with Barry Cryer. Like most images of UK festivals, it was muddy under foot, the rain lashed on the canvas above but Cryer was magnificent and was just one of the star names on the bill again this year. I鈥檝e not missed a Hay since that first experience.

Lesson 2 was also learnt in year one - check the programme and book what you want to see as soon as possible. The festival takes place just outside the town centre in a field no bigger than a football pitch. There are tents of varying sizes (1,750 capacity for the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch) while niche events are more like a high powered village coffee morning discussing anything from alternative energy to the science of Star Wars.

As a 6 Music DJ and passionate music lover, the first event I plumped for this year was an afternoon鈥檚 conversation based on Philip Wallings book, Counting Sheep, a celebration of the pastoral heritage of Britain. Obviously. I now know there are 7 million sheep in Wales, that a fleece these days is worth 拢15 whereas in medieval times would have been worth the equivalent of 拢150 and that, according to Wallings, 鈥淪heep are not stupid but they are sheep and they do what sheep do and they are very good at it."

With a locally made ice cream in between, I went from sheep talk to a stellar line-up of footballers debating the world鈥檚 most high profile sport. I cannot believe I was there for this鈥� Geoff Hurst, Osvaldo Ardiles (pictured above), Ricardo Villa and Alan Smith. All in one tent. As a massive football fan this was an hour of heaven (Lesson 3 at Hay is to make the most of every session - few events are longer than an hour). Geoff Hurst is legendary for being the only man to score a hat trick in a World Cup Final (I鈥檓 pictured with him below). So how did he and the team celebrate their victory? Hurst revealed the evening was spent at Danny La Rue鈥檚 nightclub in London鈥檚 West End, saying, 鈥淚t was a Saturday night and I wasn鈥檛 sure if we鈥檇 get in.鈥� This, despite the fact that he had just won the World Cup. When asked if he secretly always hopes that England will get knocked out early, to keep his incredible record intact, he modestly replied: 鈥淣o. This year they will do well. Quarter Finals probably."

After 10 days of the festival, Hay shares one significant similarity with any other British festival. Mud. But with every event undercover and the promise of better weather, the leaden skies have done nothing to dampen the prospect of an exciting, inspiring and thought-provoking weekend which kicked off with the Radio 2 Chris Evans Breakfast Show coming live from the site with the final of this year's 500 WORDS this morning. And as well as Chris' show, audiences will be able to enjoy coverage across 麻豆约拍 TV, Radio, Online and globally with 麻豆约拍 World News.

is a DJ on 6 Music

• Chris Hawkins and Gideon Coe will be hosting a show live on from the 麻豆约拍 Tent at Hay on Sunday 1 June, 2.00-4.00pm
  
• Read more on the About the 麻豆约拍 Blog
• There's more from Hay at the听听including the winners of this years Competition as revealed during the this morning.听

Don't you love it when a plan comes together? After the frenzy of the last few months - the planning meetings, negotiations and brainstorms - suddenly there it is: a big 麻豆约拍 tent at the heart of the , equipped for broadcast and a packed schedule of events and world-class guests. It's a huge achievement and one that has needed the enthusiasm and commitment of most of the 麻豆约拍's services and teams all across the country to pull off. What this means is that over the course of this week, we are bringing the best of Hay (and therefore the best of British talent) to millions and millions of people, not just in the UK but across the globe. This is the 麻豆约拍 doing what only the 麻豆约拍 can do.

And why wouldn't we? You only have to be on site for five minutes to realise what is so extraordinary about Hay. For ten days, some of the greatest thinkers, writers and performers in the world are all pressed into the same muddy field on the Welsh borders to try out their latest theories, swap stories and - like the rest of us - be inspired. I'm not sure there's anywhere else where you can see Richard Dawkins, , and Carrie Fisher in the same afternoon. And for the 麻豆约拍, this is an irresistible opportunity - any show can get a guest list to die for. Just look at the line-up for Radio 3's this week: William Dalrymple, Sebastian Faulks, Ruby Wax and Alfred Brendel.

But we began the weekend with a string of non-broadcast events. Amanda Vickery came and spoke about her terrific series on women and art; Julien Temple on his dizzying Imagine film about Rio; Alan Yentob on his revealing Philip Roth biopic; a lively session from Paddy O'Connell on Broadcasting House; and I had the privilege of interviewing one of my heroes, Simon Armitage, about his forthcoming The Great War: An Elegy. I've had Simon make a number of films over the years for the Arts department, in most of which he has endured unnaturally bad weather. Even as we began talking about it, the skies opened up above us and we had to talk louder and louder to be heard over the downpour.

The main broadcasts were just beginning this morning. I had the bizarre experience of seeing a looky-likey of The Verb's Ian McMillan queuing to watch the show, only to find out it was in fact Ian himself who likes to get in the mood by waiting with his audience. He was joined by the mesmerising Karl Ove Knausgard, whose six volume My Struggle (the similarities with Hitler's autobiography end there) is causing a stir for making the banal unputdownable. Also on the show was children's author Philip Ardagh talking about the difference between his public and private persona - apparently there isn't one, except the former wears more clothes.

From here, it's a packed week. Chris Evans will be giving the results of the short story competition for Radio 2. Radio 3's Free Thinking has PJ O'Rourke and the authors of Freakonomics. Radio 4 has special editions of The Write Stuff, Midweek, With Great Pleasure and Front Row. Good Morning Wales is broadcasting every morning. While Mark Radcliffe, Stuart Maconie, Cerys Matthews, Gideon Coe and Chris Hawkins are all there for Radio 6. There's also broadcasting for 麻豆约拍 One, 麻豆约拍 Four, World News and 麻豆约拍 Arts Online.

听And it's worth saying that we aren't just confined to our tent like Achilles (it's Hay so I need to use a literary metaphor). One of the exciting things has been seeing our teams out and about throughout the festival, drawing crowds and capturing all the best things going on. I have developed an uncanny talent for appearing in Martha Kearney's eye-line whenever she is about to do a piece-to-camera for a 麻豆约拍 Four documentary, The Town That Loves Books, which goes out on Sunday. It was also a real kick seeing the festival's largest stage (I don't know what the capacity is but there seemed to be well over a thousand people there) given over to a brilliant Talking Books interview with Razia Iqbal and Jung Chang.

And let's say a prayer for the 麻豆约拍 Arts Online team who are working like troopers in a portacabin round the back of the festival site, which can only be accessed by wading through a treacherous mudbath, and are throughout the day for all those who want to enjoy the festival from the dryness of their homes.

Amidst all this, I even had time to get out and see some non-麻豆约拍 events - Simon Schama delivering a tour-de-force lecture on the History of the Jews; Hans Ulrich Obrist on contemporary art; and Lily Cole and Brendan O'Hea reading extracts from Simon Armitage's new play The Last Days of Troy.

The only downside has been the rain - lots of it. From Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, it didn't stop. In a moment of optimism, I'd decided to camp across the road from the festival site. Picking my way through the flooded field on Sunday morning, mud splattered up my trousers, wash bag and towel under my arm, I wondered if it had been such a clever idea. Strange to go from that to rubbing shoulders with the great and good within an hour. But then, Hay is all about variety - intellectual, emotional and meteorological.

Jonty Claypole is Director, 麻豆约拍 Arts.

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• More blogs by Jonty about 麻豆约拍 Arts are available to view on the .
• '
• Live coverage of events from the Hay Festival is available on the 麻豆约拍 Arts website.听
• Read Simon Maybin's blog post about .
• Follow on Twitter.

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