JULIE HESMONDHALGH GOES ALL IN TO GET BRITAIN READING
Award-winning actor Julie Hesmondhalgh is encouraging the nation to rethink what it means to be a reader as she takes centre stage in a new short film for the National Year of Reading 2026.
The acclaimed stage and screen actor stars in a specially produced short film celebrating the many ways reading is woven into our everyday lives, from books, comics and magazines to restaurant reviews, social media, audiobooks and even the instructions for putting up a shed.
It forms part of the National Year of Reading 2026, a UK-wide campaign encouraging people of all ages to Go All In and discover how reading can take them deeper into the things they already love.
The Department for Education initiative, delivered by the National Literacy Trust alongside strategic partners, is seeking to reconnect reading with everyday culture at a time when fewer people are choosing to read for pleasure.
Julie, who recently won the 2026 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and is currently starring in the latest series of the BBC’s Celebrity Traitors, brings the campaign message to life through poetry in the new short film.
Julie has also written two books herself – An Actor’s Alphabet and A Working Diary, and she wrote the poem for the short film for a National Year of Reading event in Salford.
Produced by Scott Dawson Advertising, it follows Julie through a series of familiar, everyday settings as she explores the idea that reading is all around us and that being a reader doesn’t have to mean working your way through the classics.
Forget the idea that reading is all about Blyton and Dickens. It can be a Beano or Dandy, a magazine at the hairdressers, reviews before choosing where to eat or what to watch, an article that catches your eye on social media or an audiobook playing through your headphones at the gym.
It can happen on the bus, in the pub, over dinner, at the library or while walking in the park.
That approach reflects the message at the heart of Go All In: whatever you’re into, read into it. Whether your passion is sport, music, food, gaming, fashion, film or something else entirely, reading can be a way to discover more about the things that matter to you.
The short film also explores reading’s ability to open minds and change perspectives; to distract, inspire and excite, and to connect us with new ideas, different experiences and each other.
And getting involved can be as simple as reading a story to your children, siblings or grandparents, joining a library, downloading a novel, picking up a comic or listening to an audiobook.
Julie Hesmondhalgh said: “Reading can take so many different forms and it has the power to open up new ideas, new worlds and new ways of seeing things. The message of the National Year of Reading is simple: Go All In. I hope this short film encourages people to be part of the movement to get Britain reading.”
Sarah Bird, Regional Lead for the National Year of Reading, said: “The National Year of Reading is a chance to change the way people think about reading and celebrate the many ways it is already part of our lives. Julie captures that beautifully in her poem and seeing her words brought to life in Accrington makes for a film full of joy. We hope that joy is infectious and encourages people across the country to Go All In and discover reading in a way that feels right for them.”
The film was shot in and around Julie’s hometown of Accrington in Lancashire, with locations ranging from the town’s Carnegie Library and a local chippy to a hair salon, pub, restaurant, gym and park.
She even boarded the local 888 bus to Huncoat as part of the shoot, helping underline the message that reading can happen anywhere. The film also features several ‘Easter Eggs’ of books written by writers from Accrington.
The National Year of Reading 2026 is inviting people across the UK to see reading differently and make it a regular part of their lives, connecting it with the interests and passions they already have. The campaign is running throughout 2026, with events and activities taking place across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Julie Hesmondhalgh short film received a special premiere in October before being released nationally as part of the National Year of Reading campaign Thursday 15th October.
At the same event, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library returned to Hyndburn, an initiative that provides free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five.
The world-famous programme will be sponsored locally by businessman Lawrence Whittaker, which will allow 50 children to receive free books for a year.
To find out more about the National Year of Reading and how to get involved, visit goallin.org.uk
Learn more about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library here: https://imaginationlibrary.com/
