The Southbank Centre and Goalhanger have unveiled the programme for Goalhanger: The Rest Is Fest, new festival featuring live events linked to their popular podcast series, and will explore ‘the stories shaping our world - from history and politics to science, sport, and culture’.
Taking place across the Southbank Centre’s iconic site, this landmark collaboration between Europe’s largest arts centre and one of the world's largest independent podcast producers is a highlight of the centre’s 75th anniversary celebrations in 2026.
Taking place in the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room and smaller spaces across the site, the programme boasts a range of intimate and large scale live shows, featuring established names and renowned experts.
Gary Lineker, co-founder of Goalhanger and co-host Of The Rest Is Football said: “The Southbank Centre was created in 1951 - even before I was born - to make the arts and culture more accessible to all - and that’s a mission we can really get behind. From the Festival of Britain until now, the Southbank Centre has been the beating heart of London’s cultural life and we’re excited to respond to this major milestone with a festival of ideas across their iconic site. From the future and what it holds to intriguing stories about our history and cultural life, this takeover will be a series of truly unmissable conversations.”
In 1951 the Festival of Britain was created to celebrate the best of British innovation and propel the nation forward toward an optimistic future, with the Southbank Centre as a key part of this. The Rest Is Fest is tying into this spirit.
Mark Ball, Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre, says, “In a fast-paced world of rising misinformation, it’s now more important than ever that the Southbank Centre provides a democratic, trusted space for open discussion, debate and new ideas. In our 75th anniversary year, we’re thrilled to be collaborating with the UK’s most pioneering podcast producer Goalhanger, on their seismic The Rest Is Fest takeover, bringing each of their acclaimed podcasts to a live audience across the whole of the Southbank Centre site. We’re looking forward to welcoming audiences to explore society’s big issues and consider what the future holds.”
Programme details (more to be announced)
GOALHANGER: THE REST IS FEST | THE REST IS MONEY: LIVE
Friday 4 September, 7.30pm, Purcell Room
Robert Peston and Steph McGovern take the audience on a journey, starting from the credit crunch in 2008 and going right through to Trump’s tariffs in 2025 – and their first-hand experience of reporting on both. They also chat about their biggest interviews with tech billionaires, chancellors and some of the most divisive people in politics.
GOALHANGER: THE REST IS FEST | THE REST IS FOOTBALL: BURSTING ONTO THE STAGE
Friday 4 September, 8.30pm, Royal Festival Hall
The boys have a review of the FIFA World Cup and the new 2026 season that you’ll want to hear – but they also take you behind the scenes of some of their most memorable moments, both on and off the pitch.
GOALHANGER: THE REST IS FEST | EMPIRE: BOOZE AND BREWS
Sunday 5 September, 1pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall
From India Pale Ale to the gin and tonic and a humble cup of tea – both booze and brews are completely intertwined in the history of the British Empire. Anita Anand and Willie Dalrymple, both historians and authors, explore the intricate stories of power struggles and territorial conquests that shaped, and continue to influence, world history.
GOALHANGER: THE REST IS FEST | SHERLOCK & CO.
Saturday 5 September, 4pm, Purcell Room
221B Baker Street invites you to witness a brand-new tale featuring John, Mariana and, of course, Sherlock Holmes. The cast of the beloved audio drama perform an original story that was written exclusively for the Southbank Centre stage.
GOALHANGER: THE REST IS FEST | THE REST IS HISTORY: LIVE
Saturday 5 September, 4pm, Royal Festival Hall
Historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook's combination of penetrating knowledge, wit and superbly judged accents have sold out shows across the UK, Australia and the United States.
Touching on the bloody amphitheatres of Ancient Rome; Montezuma and the fall of the Aztecs; the Napoleonic Wars and Nelson’s mastery of the seas; Hitler’s rise to power and the Second World War; and the calamities of 1970s Britain, The Rest Is History retells the tales that have shaped humanity with bombast, drama and historical precision.
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GOALHANGER: THE REST IS FEST | THE REST IS ENTERTAINMENT: LIVE
Saturday 5 September, 7.30pm, Royal Festival Hall
Join Richard Osman and Marina Hyde as they pull back the curtain on television, movies, celebrities and much more in their riotous live show. Who are the greatest- and worst-behaved people in Hollywood? The pair rank their own ultimate heroes and villains of entertainment history (hopefully, they get it in the right order...). This is the ultimate evening of excess, with the gossip and scandal you've come to expect from the UK’s favourite entertainment podcast.
GOALHANGER: THE REST IS FEST | WE HAVE WAYS OF MAKING YOU TALK
Sunday 6 September, 4pm, Purcell Room
Hosts Al Murray and James Holland argue the fiercest (and most serious) debates, including Bren or MG42? Spitfire or Hurricane? Monty or Alex? Come along and find out the answers for yourself.
GOALHANGER: THE REST IS FEST | THE REST IS POLITICS: US TRUMP ON A KNIFE EDGE
Sunday 6 September, 4pm, Royal Festival Hall
The year 2026 marks a pivotal moment in Donald Trump’s second term: Americans head to the polls in the mid-term elections to decide the fate of the Trumpian reign. Journalist Katty Kay and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci reveal secrets from inside the White House inner circles, as well as taking a wider look at the intricacies of the society of the United States and how they shape the world's most important economy. After a decade of MAGA politics, will the nation pull itself back from the brink, or is Trump’s strongman populism only gaining momentum?
GOALHANGER: THE REST IS FEST | THE REST IS POLITICS: OFF THE RECORD
Sunday 6 September, 7pm, Royal Festival Hall
Hosts Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell are back, bringing their trademark art of disagreeing agreeably live to the stage. As AI-powered disinformation and populism infect our newsfeeds and public sphere, writer and former politician Rory Stewart and journalist-turned-strategist Alastair Campbell ask how democracy can survive in its current state. The nation's most popular political podcast takes on the biggest stories, both at home and abroad.
Tickets go on sale to Goalhanger and Southbank Centre Members on Thursday 4 December 10am and to the general public on Thursday 11 December, 10am, at southbankcentre.co.uk
For more information about the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary celebrations, visit southbankcentre.co.uk/our-75th-anniversary
