Manchester Literature Festival Presents An Evening with Russell T Davies & Bernardine Evaristo

  • Spoken Word

When

Sun 11 Oct 2026, 7.30pm

Price

£22 – £40

Where

RNCM Concert Hall

Promoter

Manchester Literature Festival

The end time for this event is tbc. More details will be published nearer to the event.

About

An evening with one of Britain’s most influential television writers as Russell T Davies joins Bernadine Evaristo to discuss his forthcoming memoir and how his extraordinary work has transformed the landscape of modern television.

Passionate, outspoken and deeply entertaining, Russell has spent the last four decades creating brilliant and transgressive television from Queer as Folk, It’s a Sin, and Years and Years to the triumphant return of Doctor Who. In The Queerest of Folk, he shares hilarious stories, hard-won insights and revelatory behind-the-scenes moments in his career. Join us for this special celebration of storytelling, creativity and the power of television to bring our nation together.

Russell T Davies is the award-winning creator of some of Britain’s most groundbreaking dramas including Queer As Folk, Bob & Rose, Cucumber, The Second Coming, and in 2018, A Very English Scandal for BBC One.  His latest drama is the acclaimed thriller Tip Toe. He has served as Head Writer and Executive Producer of Doctor Who since its 2005 revival. He divides his time between Cardiff and Manchester.

Bernardine Evaristo is the author of ten books including Girl, Woman, Other, which won the 2019 Booker Prize, and Manifesto: On Never Giving Up. Her novel Mr Loverman was adapted into an BBC One television series by Nathaniel Price. Other works are in development for screen and theatre.

Access Seating

If you have step-free accessible seating requirements or require a wheelchair position, please contact the RNCM Box Office by emailing [email protected] or phoning 0161 907 5555. Emails are monitored throughout the week. RNCM phone lines are open on Mondays and Thursdays between 2pm and 5pm. Please note this excludes bank holidays.

This week

Each one brings something distinctive, a quality that sets them apart from the rest. This is especially true of the Inspirational Artists we’ve invited to perform at the RNCM.

Things to know before your visit

At the RNCM, the safety of our students, staff, and audiences is our highest priority. To improve safety for our visitors, we have enhanced our security provision. If you bring a bag with you, this may be searched on entry to the building. For a list of prohibited items and other security information, please visit our Security page.

Unless otherwise stated on the event listing page, our Front of House team will permit latecomers into a performance at a suitable opportunity.

We do not operate a cloakroom at our venue. Please do not bring large bags with you, as these are not permitted in the auditoria. Coat rails may be available, and for some family events, we may provide a dedicated buggy park area. Please note that these items are not monitored by staff and are left at the owner’s risk.

We are an all-ages venue but recommend that under 14s are accompanied by an adult. Some performances may have a discretionary age advisory or minimum age limit, which will be listed on the event listing page.

Ticket refund protection allows you to protect your order from the unexpected should you be unable to attend. It is available to purchase on selected events from Secure My Booking, a leading third-party refund protection provider to arts and entertainment venues. Protection must be purchased alongside your ticket order and allows you to apply to Secure My Booking for a full refund under the protection’s qualifying terms and conditions: Ticket Refund Protection – UK – Secure My Booking.

If you have accessible seating requirements or need to bring an Essential Companion to assist you, please contact [email protected] or phone 0161 907 5555. You can also visit our Access page for full details about our building’s accessibility to help you plan your visit.

Events will sometimes list a ‘doors’ time for the venue to open and customers to begin taking their seats. Performances usually begin 30 minutes after an advertised ‘doors’ time, but this can vary depending on the event. Our venue curfew is 11pm. More precise timings for live events are often confirmed close to the performance date. If we have this information, it will be added to the event listing page.

About the RNCM Concert Hall

Venue

The RNCM Concert Hall is a striking performance venue with tiered seating for up to 550 audience members, including balcony seating for 165, offering excellent sightlines and an intimate concert experience.

Access

The Concert Hall offers a range of access options, including step-free routes to selected seating areas, lift access to the Upper Hall, and handrails on all staircases. Step-free access is available to Row A in the Lower Hall and Row GG in the Upper Hall, with additional accessible stalls seating available for some performances.

Our complete listings guide

Discover our latest season all in one place with extraordinary music from world-class artists and the next generation of musicians.

How to Get Here

Bus

There are frequent bus services from Manchester City Centre (Piccadilly Gardens) to Oxford Road and Booth Street West.

These bus stops are all within a five-minute walk to the RNCM:

Aquatics Centre (Southbound):
Bus Numbers 15, 18, 41 CrossCity, 42, 42A, 42B, 42C, 43, 111, 142, 142N, 143, 147, 191, 197, V1 Vantage, V2 Vantage, V4

Cavendish Street (Northbound), Higher Cambridge St/Boundary St West (Southbound):
Bus Numbers 101, 102, 103

Royal Northern College of Music (both directions):
Bus Numbers 53 Orbits, 85, 85A, 86, 250, 263 Sapphire

University Shopping (Northbound):
Bus Numbers 15, 18, 41 CrossCity, 42, 42A, 42B, 42C, 43, 111, 142, 142N, 143, 147, 191, 197, V1 Vantage, V2 Vantage, V4

Tram

The nearest tram stop is St Peter’s Square (0.8 miles). From there you can walk to the RNCM in 15 minutes or catch a southbound bus down Oxford Road.

Bike

A public bike rack can be found in the RNCM surface car park located on Rosamond Street West, next to the entrance doors – don’t forget to bring your bike lock!

There is also a Bee Network docking station on the corner of Rosamond Street West and Oxford Road, next to the RNCM.

Please note that e-bikes are not permitted at the RNCM.

Train

The nearest train station is Manchester Oxford Road (0.5 miles). From there you can walk to the RNCM in 13 minutes or catch a southbound bus down Oxford Road.

Other train stations include:
Manchester Piccadilly (0.8 miles/20 minute walk)
Deansgate (0.9 miles/21 minute walk)
Manchester Victoria (1.5 miles/33 minute walk)

Car and Parking Information

If you are travelling by car we recommend that you allow plenty of time for your journey. Please note that general traffic along Oxford Road is no longer permitted to use the route between 6am and 9pm, seven days a week. Visitors driving into and across the city centre will need to use alternative routes, such as Upper Brook Street and Princess Street, rather than Oxford Road.

Parking 

Please note that there is no public car parking available at the RNCM on weekdays and Saturdays before 5pm. Daytime visitors are advised to use nearby public car parks.

We have limited blue badge spaces within our surface car park that can be pre-booked by customers at [email protected] (these are subject to availability). There is also limited on street provision for disabled parking on Rosamond Street West, adjacent to the main car park entrance.

Sir Charles Groves Hall of Residence Underground Car Park (evenings and all day on Sundays) Off Rosamond Street West

On weekdays and Saturdays between 5 – 11.30pm, and on Sundays between 6am – 11.30pm, visitor parking is available in the RNCM secure underground car park, located next to the College in the basement of Sir Charles Groves Hall of Residence. This is a cashless car park.

The current charge per visit is £5 per car, payable by contactless or chip and pin only.*

Please note that the underground car park entrance/exit is 2.1 metres high and 2.3 metres wide. Customers who own larger vehicles may wish to consider using alternative car parks in order to reduce the risk of damage to vehicles.

Overnight parking in the Sir Charles Groves Hall car park is prohibited, and is subject to a fine of £50 per night.

The two closest public car parks to the RNCM are:

University of Manchester Booth Street West Car Park
Booth Street West
M15 6AR (access via Higher Cambridge Street)
Further information

Manchester Aquatics Centre Car Park (NCP)
Booth Street East
M13 9SS
Further information

Please note that travel and parking information has been given as a guide only, and may be subject to change. Car parks 2 and 3 are not managed by the RNCM. Visitors are advised to check travel plans ahead of your journey.

Air

Our nearest airport is Manchester Airport, located about 10 miles south of the city centre. There are regular train, bus and taxi connections to the city.

For more information please visit the Manchester Airport website.

Where to eat

Our fully accessible RNCM Café Bar serves freshly prepared breakfasts, lunches, and evening meals, as well as takeaway salads, sandwiches, wraps, cakes, and snacks. All our selections include vegan options, and we operate our service in a sustainable, environmentally responsible way.