The Isle of Man Arts Council Annual Lecture Guest announcement

The special guest for the Isle of Man Arts Council’s 2024 Annual Lecture will be actress, Dame Joanna Lumley at the Gaiety Theatre on Monday 30th September 2024 at 7:30pm.

Joanna Lumley's early films include On Her Majesty's Secret Service and two Pink Panther comedies with early television appearances on General Hospital and Coronation Street before becoming immortalised as Purdy in The New Avengers.

However, it was her BAFTA-award winning role as the chain smoking Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous which brought her renewed fame with the series proving itself one of the classic sitcoms of British television. Since Ab Fab, Joanna has acted in many successful television dramas such as Dr Willoughby and A Rather English Marriage as well as working with Martin Scorsese in the acclaimed The Wolf of Wall Street, Paddington 2 and playing The Queen in the adaptation of David Walliams' Gangsta Granny.

Joanna is a keen supporter of the Gurkhas, and was the public face of a campaign to provide all Gurkha veterans who served in the British Army before 1997 the right to settle in Britain.

The lecture will give the audience a look into the life of one the UK’s most loved actresses, covering her modelling, activism, film and television career, and the evening will also include the opportunity for the audience to ask questions directly to Joanna.

Minister for Education, Sport and Culture, Daphne Caine MHK said:

 “After the success of previous Isle of Man Arts Council lectures with Louis Theroux and Kevin McCloud, we are delighted that Dame Joanna Lumley will be visiting the Gaiety Theatre to provide an insight into her life and work, also allowing the audience to ask questions in such an intimate setting.  As part of the National Strategy for Culture and the Arts, the opportunity to purchase subsidised tickets will broaden access across our community to attend this event.”

All tickets for the event will go on sale on Thursday 28th March at 10am via the Villa Gaiety website: www.villagaiety.com/joannalumley. 

As part of the IOM Arts Council subsidised ticketing programme, all tickets in the Amphitheatre and the Gallery will be priced at £10.00.  As last year, seats in the circle are priced at £35.00, stalls at £30.00 and boxes at £100.