Adrian Turpin smiles at the camera in a bright red jumper

Adrian Turpin has led Wigtown Book Festival since 2006

Changing Faces

Bridport Literary Festival appoints new director

Arts Professional
1 min read

The Bridport Literary Festival (BridLit) has announced the appointment of ADRIAN TURPIN as its new festival director. He will take up the post at the beginning of 2026, succeeding TANYA BRUCE-LOCKHART, who co-founded the Dorset-based festival.

Turpin is currently creative and strategic director of the Wigtown Book Festival in Scotland, which last year as named Best Festival or Cultural Event by The Thistles, Scotland’s national event awards.

Before that, he was a writer and editor on national newspapers including The Independent and The Sunday Times.

Turpin said: “Tanya’s passion, enthusiasm and commitment to excellence made BridLit into a mainstay of the region’s cultural calendar and a nationally respected literary festival.”

“Hers are big shoes for me to fill. I’m honoured to have that trust placed in me and I’m excited at the prospect of building on such a strong legacy,” he added.

BridLit chair STUART ROCK said he was “delighted” with the appointment and said Turpin had “an exceptional track record at Wigtown of running and growing a world-class literary festival”.