Hebden Bridge Web

Monday, 2 October 2023

Some people would buy a ticket just on hearing the Julie's name. Others might say, "Julie who?" And then when being told that she was the actor who played Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street would then reach for their phone/ purse/ computer to grab a ticket. True that Julie played Hayley Cropper for 16 years between 1998 and 2014, but the list of her other roles and achievements, such as in Broadchurch, Happy Valley, Cucumber and Dr Who, is so long that it would take Amanda Dalton (our leading interlocutor) two or three evenings to tease the full story out of Julie.

Since she is in so much demand, we are so lucky to host Julie for just one evening. This much anticipated event promises to be jammed packed with gossip, laughter, and a healthy dollop of indiscretion – with some central themes of encouraging young people to engage with the arts, coping with a climate in the arts that ignores women over a certain age, maintaining ones creativity while navigating a dose of imposter syndrome, and what it was like playing roles such as Hayley Cropper, the first transgender character in a British soap opera.

In between her TV work, and appearing on radio and the stage, Julie finds time to write, mentor others and raise funds for charity. So, no doubt, we will hear about Julie's two books: A Working Diary and most recently, An Actor's Alphabet (an A-Z of Stuff I've Learnt and Stuff I'm Still Learning). Plus, the political theatre collective, Take Back, that she co-runs in Manchester, and the fundraising group 500 Acts of Kindness, which she started in 2019.

The Lit & Sci is fast building a reputation of mounting sell-out events. This season's first presentation in September by Professor John Wright (Born in Braford) filled the Waterfront Room in The Hebden Bridge Town Hall and Julie's evening is already on course to do the same thing.

Our programme continues with Nicholas Cullinan (Director of The National Portrait Gallery) on November 25th and Simon Armitage (The Poet Laureate) on January 20th, 2024. Tickets for these events have been on sale for some time and are selling very well. There is still time to get yours on: www.hblitandsci.org.uk