Cunard has announced the speaker line-up for the remainder of 2026, with 800+ Insights contributors scheduled across its fleet between August and December, including around 200 prominent figures from broadcasting, sport, science, literature and entertainment.
The programme will feature broadcaster and author Clare Balding CBE, actress Celia Imrie CBE, artificial intelligence pioneer Dame Wendy Hall, comedian and author Ruby Wax OBE and crime novelist Peter James among the principal names appearing on Cunard voyages.
Cunard President Katie McAlister said the Insights programme was designed to bring a broad range of expertise and personal experience to the company’s ships. The latest programme, she noted, would combine broadcasters, Olympic athletes, actors, authors, explorers and scientists, reflecting the range of subjects sought by passengers.
On board Queen Mary 2, guests travelling between Southampton and New York will have access to a varied programme of speakers during the season. Celia Imrie is scheduled to appear during the ship’s 450th Transatlantic Crossing in November, while other contributors will include children’s television presenter Dame Floella Benjamin and US pilot Jeff Skiles.
Queen Anne’s programme will include Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington OBE, broadcaster Rachel Riley MBE and former England rugby captain Will Carling.
Queen Victoria, operating voyages in the Mediterranean, Canary Islands and Western Europe, will host Ruby Wax OBE, journalist and documentary maker Jane Corbin and author Peter James.
In Alaska, Queen Elizabeth will feature Clare Balding CBE alongside explorer Alison Teal and actress and pilot Ariel Tweto. The ship’s Caribbean programme will include NASA astronaut Susan Kilrain, entertainment journalist Nelson Aspen and actor Patrick Duffy, known for his role in Dallas.
The autumn and winter Insights programme continues Cunard’s use of expert-led enrichment as a component of its onboard offering, with speakers scheduled according to individual voyage programmes and destinations.