FAMOUS FACES JOIN MENTALK FESTIVAL AT THE EXCHANGE, TWICKENHAM
The Exchange in Twickenham has announced that figures from the worlds of sport, business, entertainment, music and health will be participating in MENtalk on 25 October 2025, a mini festival of talks, debates, comedy, and performance which the venue has launched in response to addressing issues surrounding men and boys’ mental health, offering insights and solutions.
MENtalk opens with on Friday 24 October with Bringing Up Boys, featuring songwriter, author and campaigner, Billy Bragg who will headline a conversation in response to the TV drama Adolescence and the challenge of bringing up boys in a world of toxic social media.
Bragg will be joined by internationally celebrated writer Laura Bates, and DJ and broadcaster Nihal Athanayake.
MENtalk Festival Day on Saturday 25 October includes, comedian and producer Jimmy Mulville, Chris Difford from Squeeze, and actor David Morrissey who will discuss how alcohol and substance abuse impact men’s lives and what changes to make to move forward. Ex rugby player and life coach, Kent Bray, explores male depression and shares new approaches to men’s health and building a positive life. Other guests include Paterson Joseph and Nick Love.
Festival Director, Robbie Bird, said “It’s clear that ‘being a man’ doesn’t feel as straightforward as it was in previous generations and men are asking if long held assumptions about male roles and behaviour fit with modern societies and modern family life.
“Our daughters and partners need to be championed to have equal rights, but we also must recognise that men and boys need new approaches to issues of confidence and identity.
“It’s important to have a chance to think about what it means to ‘be a man’. That’s why MENtalk is so timely.”
Other topics of conversation during the festival, include male friendship, how to stop being a gym obsessive, men in caring roles, job and money pressures, having a good sex life, the part that music and sport play in men’s lives and finding a purpose.
There will be powerful stories of challenges, survival and change from ordinary men of all ages and backgrounds.
Stand-up comedian Marcus Brigstocke will close the festival with his hit show, Vitruvian Mango, which asks, ‘what are men for!’.
MENtalk will take place in an informal atmosphere where stories, ideas and life experiences will be heard, sharing ideas and laughs, and will be an opportunity to get involved in frank conversations about how to make life more positive.
Sessions will be facilitated by industry experts John McKeown, Clinical Psychotherapist and Addiction Counsellor, and Ivor McKay, Psychotherapist and Group Analyst. A resident free counsellor will be on hand throughout the festival day event.
Confirmed guests:
Billy Bragg – Songwriter, author and campaigner
Nihal Athanayake – DJ and broadcaster
Jimmy Mulville – Comedian and producer
Chris Difford – Musician and founder member of rock band, Squeeze
David Morrissey – Actor and film maker
Kent Bray – Ex rugby player and life coach
Paterson Joseph – Actor and author
David Westhead – Actor
Nick Love – Film director
Laura Bates – Writer
YOU CAN SEE MORE DETAIL AND BOOK TICKETS HERE; MENTALK Festival – The Exchange, Twickenham