BBC returns to Mount Stewart Conversations to talk everything from Westminster to the White House

The BBC will host a range of discussions on Saturday 1 September as part of the annual Mount Stewart Conversations - a joint initiative with the National Trust which reflects the County Down property’s long, and sometimes controversial, associations with domestic and international politics.

The BBC will host a range of discussions on Saturday 1 September as part of the annual Mount Stewart Conversations - a joint initiative with the National Trust which reflects the County Down property’s long, and sometimes controversial, associations with domestic and international politics.

The BBC sponsored talks will focus on recent developments in Russia and the United States; Prime Minister’s Questions and Westminster politics; and some of the issues around the impact of new digital technologies, junk news and social media on all our lives.

William Crawley will be the host for this afternoon of topical conversations and he’ll be joined by a stellar line-up of guests.

Contributors to the BBC @ Mount Stewart Conversations 2018 include: Angus Roxburgh (who has written extensively about Russian politics and was the BBC’s Moscow Correspondent); Professor Sarah Churchwell (an academic, critic and author who has published acclaimed books about American history and culture); Caitríona Perry (who was RTÉ’s Washington Correspondent and has written about the background to Donald Trump’s Presidency); Ayesha Hazarika (a former special adviser to leading Labour politicians and currently a columnist, commentator and comedian); Tom Hamilton (who worked as a policy specialist, speechwriter and political adviser with the Labour Party); Timandra Harkness (a writer, comedian and regular BBC programme presenter with a passion for science and maths); and Samantha Bradshaw (an academic with a specialist interest in junk news, social media and how digital technologies are affecting politics at home and around the world).

Tickets for each conversation will be distributed by random draw and can be registered at any time until 10pm on Tuesday 21 August at bbc.co.uk/tickets

Applicants can apply for a maximum of two tickets per session.