We’re finding it hard to wait until January for the T. S. Eliot Prize Shortlist Readings at the Southbank’s Royal Festival Hall… so we thought we’d relive some of the previous events by asking those involved about their experiences.
Ted Hodgkinson is Head of Literature and Spoken Word at the Southbank Centre where the Readings have been held since the 2010 Prize event. Ted shares his thoughts on hosting the best of contemporary poetry in a historic venue.
Every January for just shy of fifteen years now we’ve opened our literature and spoken word programme at the Southbank Centre with the T. S. Eliot Prize Shortlist Readings in the Royal Festival Hall. Without fail it brings together the range and power of contemporary poetry in a night that is as varied as it is enlivening. The shape of the production has been largely unchanged throughout this time, with each of the ten shortlisted poets reading in turn, always introduced with great gusto by our inimitable host Ian McMillan.
For an occasion on an epic scale, I’m always struck by the way the hall transforms into an intimate space, the distance between poet and audience bridged by poems as distinctive as they are arresting. A poet’s voice and a single spotlight are all that’s required, with Ian framing each reading with warmth, humour and insight. There’s something special about hosting the event in the same building that T. S. Eliot himself opened our National Poetry Library, and when we’ve opened the event with a reading from his work, there’s something uncanny about hearing his words reverberate in the space.
Over the years we’ve seen both the in-person and online audience grow to over 2,000 in 2024, which makes it one of the largest and longest running poetry events in the UK. It’s a hugely encouraging sign about the deep well of public interest in poetry and the future of the artform.
See and hear the Eliot Prize experience for yourself by booking now for the T. S. Eliot Prize Shortlist Readings 2025 at 7pm on Sunday 18 January 2026. The event will be British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted and includes live captioning. Tickets are available from the Southbank Centre’s website or by calling their box office on 020 3879 9555. You can also join us from the comfort of your own home via the live stream.
