Leeds Lit Fest presents

Inspiring the City is supported by Leeds Inspired, part of Leeds City Council.

“The best storytelling club in the country.” Ben Haggarty

The Shaggy Dog Storytellers, one of the country’s finest story telling clubs will be hosting a storytelling evening at Interplay Theatre in Armley, embracing the magical, the unusual, the humorous and the strange. Performing on the night will be a trio of nationally renowned story tellers, Christine McMahon, Rod Dimbleby and George Murphy who will be performing Yorkshire and Northern themed yarns especially for the Festival.

CHRISTINE McMAHON has an international reputation, having appeared all around the UK and Ireland, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Costa Rica and Canada. She has told stories and supported storytelling in prisons, schools and clubs. She specialises in homespun tales from the north of England and has been a leading light and driving force behind the success of Shaggy Dog Storytellers for 25 years.

ROD DIMBLEBY has told at over 300 venues across the north, including schools, museums, libraries, Probes clubs, Women’s Institutes and numerous societies and clubs. Rod is Chair of the Yorkshire Dialect Society Committee and his tales have recently featured on ITV News at Ten and Radio 4, but his often humorous tales can be enjoyed by all - even ‘offcumdens’.

GEORGE MURPHY writes and performs his own monologues and songs which borrow from a music hall tradition. He was dubbed ‘the king of the monologue’ after starting his Secret History cycle of tales. Topics have included UFOS, boggarts, nymphs, buskers, floods, cautionary tales and Le Grand Depart. George often performs alongside Rod Dimbleby in the very popular Rod and George Show. Many of his tales have been collected in “Hippy Valley.”