Sheffield DocFest: Maxine Peake Set As 2026 Guest Of Honour

The Sheffield DocFest has announced the first part of its 2026 lineup. The festival runs from June 10 to 15. 

Maxine Peake will serve as the festival’s 2026 Guest of Honour, and she will travel to the festival for an in conversation session with filmmaker Paul Sng (Tish) about how working-class voices are represented in the media and on screen. 

As this year’s Guest of Honour, Peake will also take on a curatorial role, selecting films to form part of the line-up, including some of her favourite documentaries.

“I feel very giddy about being this year’s guest of honour,” Peake said in a statement. “I adore Sheffield DocFest and the brilliant way it promotes and highlights documentary films and their makers. Documentary film is absolutely essential to human existence. It is able to mine and shine its focus on humanity and our lived experiences like no other medium can.”

Miriam Margolyes will travel to DocFest for the first time to take part in an in conversation session with her long-time collaborator and director Simon Draper. Scroll down for the full talks lineup announced this morning. 

Elsewhere, the festival will host a tribute to David Attenborough, who turns 100 this year. Hosted by filmmaker Alice Aedy, the festival will mount an on-stage session with wildlife filmmakers, on-screen voices, scientists, and activists, including Chris Packham, Gordon Buchanan, Nadeem Perera, Lizzie Daly, and Climate Justice Activist, Speaker, and Writer Dominique Palmer. 

“I grew up with Sagan, Bronowski, Moore, and Attenborough… I liked doctors of science and the arts, not Dr Who’s,” Packham said in a statement. 

“I liked learning, I still like learning, I’ll choose a documentary over drama every time. As I type, I’m watch/listening to a doc about the history of the Bauhaus movement… sorry, I’ve never watched Mad Men, Baby Reindeer, or Casualty. I’m lucky to play a role in making natural science programmes about things I’m interested in, know a bit about – but the greatest joy is that I learn more every day at work.”

LISTINGS

Andrea Arnold in Conversation: Storytelling Without Scripts

Friday 12 June | 2:30pm-3:30pm |  Lyceum Theatre | BSL interpreted and Live Captioned

A Thoroughly Horrible Morning!

Saturday 13 June | 10am-11:15am |  Lyceum Theatre  | BSL interpreted and Live Captioned

In partnership with Lion TV
In partnership with BBC

Sir David Attenborough at 100: A Living Legacy
Saturday 13 June | 12:30pm – 1:45pm | Lyceum Theatre  | BSL interpreted and Live Captioned
In partnership with Wildscreen

In partnership with BBC Studios
 

Maxine Peake in Conversation with Paul Sng

Saturday 13 June | 2:45pm-4pm |  Lyceum Theatre  | BSL interpreted and Live Captioned

The BBC Interview: In Conversation with Chris Packham
Saturday 13 June | 5pm – 6:15pm | Lyceum Theatre  | BSL interpreted and Live Captioned
Supported by BBC

No Filter: In conversation with Miriam Margolyes

Sunday 14 June | 3pm-4:15pm |  Lyceum Theatre  | BSL interpreted and Live Captioned