New Fellows
This year, we are thrilled to welcome four incredibly talented and highly committed Fellows: Sophie Ellis-Bextor, singer and songwriter; Bernardine Evaristo OBE, author and Professor of Creative Writing; Peter Frankopan, author and Professor of Global History; and Frank Gardner OBE, BBC Security Correspondent and disability campaigner and advocate.
City Lit Fellowships were established by the Board of Governors in 2015. They are awarded to individuals who have shown a significant commitment to adult education in the United Kingdom and who have provided support and inspiration to City Lit and our students.
Our Fellows represent a remarkable community of cultural leaders, creatives, and public figures, including actor Gillian Anderson OBE, broadcaster and former Cabinet Minister Ed Balls, and Turner Prize–winning artist Sir Grayson Perry CBE. Together, they reflect the breadth of talent and generosity that enriches City Lit’s mission and amplifies the transformative power of adult learning.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Singer and songwriter
With an impressive musical career spanning 25 years, Sophie has achieved five Top 10 albums and eight Top 10 singles, including hits such as Murder on the Dancefloor, Take Me Home, Get Over You, Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer) and many more. Most recently, following its iconic appearance in the final scene of Emerald Fennell’s film Saltburn, her much‑loved 2001 single Murder on the Dancefloor enjoyed a major resurgence.
Sophie’s new album Perimenopop entered the UK Albums Chart at No.5, giving her a first Top 5 record in over a decade and marking her sixth Top 10 album. A celebratory soundtrack for mid‑life happiness, the album sees Sophie return to big, bold pop. It is her first release with Fontana and her eighth studio album.
Her use of music and the arts to form connections, support mental health and wellbeing and create community reflects the values of City Lit and our belief in the power of the creative arts.
Bernardine Evaristo OBE - Author and Professor of Creative Writing
Bernardine is the author of Girl, Woman, Other, winner of the 2019 Booker Prize and an international bestseller. Her other novels include Lara (1997), The Emperor’s Babe (2001), Blonde Roots (2009), Hello Mum (2010) and Mr. Loverman (2013), alongside her memoir Manifesto: On Never Giving Up (2021).
She has received over 90 honours, including two British Book Awards (2020), the Women’s Prize Outstanding Contribution Award (2025), and the Powerlist Woman of the Year Award (2025). A champion of inclusion, she founded several initiatives for writers and served as President of the Royal Society of Literature (2022–2025). She is Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London.
Peter Frankopan - Author and Professor of Global History
Peter is Professor of Global History at Oxford University and UNESCO Professor of Silk Roads Studies at King’s College, Cambridge. He is the author of several bestselling and widely translated books, including The Silk Roads: A New History of the World (2015), named a Sunday Times Book of the Decade and a No.1 bestseller in multiple countries, and its follow‑up The New Silk Roads (2018), winner of the Carical Prize for Social Sciences.
His latest book, The Earth Transformed: An Untold History (2023), became an international bestseller and was selected as a Book of the Year by the Financial Times, The Times, The Guardian and others.
A Fellow of multiple learned societies, Frankopan serves as President of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs and advises governments and global institutions on international affairs and geopolitics. Frequently described as a “rockstar historian”, he has been hailed as “the first great historian of the 21st century”.
Frank Gardner OBE - BBC Security Correspondent and disability campaigner and advocate
Frank has been the BBC’s Security Correspondent since 2002, covering global security stories from the Middle East to Ukraine and beyond. In 2004, he survived an Al-Qaida attack in Saudi Arabia, returning to work after extensive surgery. He holds a degree in Arabic & Islamic Studies from Exeter University, eight honorary doctorates, and was awarded an OBE for services to journalism in 2005.
His career began in investment banking, and he also served as a Territorial Army officer. Gardner is the author of five bestselling books, including his memoir Blood & Sand and the spy thriller Invasion (2025). A passionate nature photographer, he is President of the British Trust for Ornithology.
Learn about the City Lit Fellows
The City Lit Fellowship Programme acknowledges those extraordinary individuals who, throughout their careers, have been pioneers who have challenged convention and demonstrated a conviction to improve lives, and the quality of life, through the opportunity and experience of learning.
