The Song and the Story: The Passing of the Year

Caroline Lucas is a highly influential British politician, speaker and writer widely recognised as the UK’s first Green Party Member of Parliament.

Dame Mary Beard is a preeminent British classicist, author, and television presenter, renowned for making ancient history accessible and engaging to a wide audience.

Elif Shafak is a Turkish-British bestselling novelist, essayist, academic, and activist. She writes in both Turkish and English, and her work has been translated into over 50 languages.

Renowned for his vibrant performances and engaging storytelling, Michael Rosen has authored over 140 books, including the beloved picture book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.

Michael Ignatieff is a distinguished Canadian academic, author, and former politician. Educated at the University of Toronto and Harvard, he specialises in human rights, international affairs, and political philosophy.

Sir Chris Bryant MP is a prominent British Labour politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Rhondda (and now Rhondda and Ogmore) since 2001.

Dr Gwen Adshead is a distinguished forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist with nearly three decades of experience in the NHS, including work in prisons and secure hospitals like Broadmoor.

Cassa Pancho MBE is the pioneering founder and inspirational artistic director of Ballet Black, a professional ballet company established in 2001.

Sam Wells is Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, where he leads a unique configuration of commercial, cultural and charitable initiatives, rooted in a vibrant congregational life.

Rowan Williams is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian, and poet, who served as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012.

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde is the first woman to serve as the Bishop of Washington, leading the Episcopal Diocese of Washington since 2011.