Helen Lederer’s Hartwell House highlight 

DATE

January 28, 2026

The Hartwell House team invite you to enjoy In Conversation With… actress & comedy legend Helen Lederer, an afternoon tea highlight on Friday, 27th February 

If anyone can bring grief, faith, celebrity and comedy together at the same table (preferably over cake) it’s Helen Lederer. The actress, comedian, author and all-round national treasure is bringing her trademark wit, warmth and wicked honesty to Hartwell House on 27th February, kicking off the stately home’s new In Conversation With… series. 

Helen will talk about her memoir Not That I’m Bitter, now out in paperback and freshly updated with two new chapters. Funny, frank and unexpectedly moving, the book charts her journey from being labelled a “show-off” by her mother to becoming a trailblazer in the male-dominated world of alternative comedy – all while navigating rejection, resilience, grief and faith. It’s laugh-out-loud in places, quietly devastating in others, and always unmistakably Helen. 

Finding fame as the gloriously dippy journalist Catriona in Absolutely Fabulous, Helen’s career spans television, radio, theatre and novels, with recent roles including Coronation Street, Midsomer Murders and a West End appearance in Fawlty Towers. She also founded the Comedy Women in Print Prize, championing witty women writers and proving she’s just as generous behind the scenes as she is entertaining on stage. 

The paperback release follows Helen’s much-loved appearance on the BBC’s Pilgrimage. The new chapters lift the curtain further, touching on the hidden impact of the Holocaust, celebrity secrets and the loss of her close friend Tony Slattery – all handled with that rare ability to make big, difficult subjects both funny and fascinating. 

Set within the elegant surroundings of Grade I-listed Hartwell House, the afternoon promises laughter, insight and plenty of personality. The event includes a live conversation, audience Q&A, book signing, afternoon tea (naturally) and a signed copy of the book to take home. 

Tickets are £75pp, and the event begins at 2pm. Expect honesty, humour and a reminder that bitterness is optional… but cake is essential, and Hartwell’s afternoon teas are unbeatabble! Find out more & book your tickets at hartwell-house.com/whats-on-events-at-hartwell-house 

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