QUEEN CAMILLA TO FEATURE IN NEW BBC DOCUMENTAY 'THE BOOK THAT CHANGED MY LIFE'
Details of the new BBC Arts documentary featuring Her Majesty Queen Camilla were revealed today at The Queen’s Reading Room Festival, which returned to Chatsworth.
Broadcasting in the National Year of Reading 2026, the documentary sees Queen Camilla explore the transformative power of reading, meeting four remarkable people whose lives have been changed by books at moments when they most needed them. Warm, emotional, and full of hope, the film explores how reading can lift us, open our minds and, sometimes, change the course of a life.
The latest details were shared during a festival discussion on the power of book clubs, led by novelist and crime writer Ann Cleeves. Ann spoke to Ian Kirby, one of the contributors to the documentary, about his own experience of finding community and hope through reading.
Ian, from Gateshead, fell into a deep depression after a traumatic incident at home. He turned his life around after joining a local book club and picking up the autobiography of local boxing hero, Glenn McCrory, which offered a new perspective on his own experiences. Today, Ian describes himself as living a rich and fulfilled life, with reading at the heart of his recovery.
Speaking in the documentary, Ian says: “That is the beauty of a book. It can give you experiences you’ve never experienced, but they can also be an inspiration.”
Ian is now a member of the Reading Ramblers, which combines reading and audiobooks with guided walks through Chopwell Wood.
He says: “Just listening to an audiobook, walking through [the woods], with lovely people. My confidence is back and I’ve made new friends, and it’s all through the joy of reading.”
The Book That Changed My Life is expected to air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on 14 October.
