Trace the history of the North Sea coast and the people it has shaped with Alistair Moffat, award-winning Scottish writer, journalist and former director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Alistair Moffat spent a year travelling the coast of the North Sea to better understand our relationship to this life-giving and destructive environment.

Running from Kent and the Rhine estuary to the Norwegian coast and Shetland Islands, it has been home to warring tribes, foreign invaders, lost civilisations and holidaymakers.

In this insightful talk, hear a multitude of stories spanning a millennia – from Pictish citadels, Roman invasions and Viking raids to submarine engineering, weather forecasting, North Sea oil and offshore windfarms.

As these waters rise and reclaim parts of the east coast, there has never been a better time to reflect on how the North Sea has shaped us and continues to do so.

Alistair Moffat MBE was born in Kelso, Scotland in 1950. He is an award-winning writer, historian and former Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Director of Programmes at Scottish Television. He is the founder of the Borders Book Festival and was awarded the MBE for services to literature and culture in 2025.