Woman who answered 'astronaut wanted' ad to become Britain's first person in space to headline festival

Ms Sharman, who in 1991 became the first British person, first Western European woman and first privately funded woman in space, will speak at the festival in conversation with Earth scientist and former BBC presenter, Dr Hermione Cockburn.

Meanwhile, wildlife cameraman, presenter and author Hamza Yassin has also been announced as a headline appearance at the festival in April next year.

His talk, Hamza Yassin’s Adventures in Nature, will see him speak to science presenter Siân Bevan, sharing stories of unique experiences and adventures as a wildlife cameraman.

Having been born in Sudan, Mr Yassin moved to the UK as a young child and now lives on the west coast of Scotland.

Ms Sharman will reflect on the evolution of space exploration – from Tim Peake’s International Space Station mission to private space companies – and the growing international diversity in space programmes.

She will also share her experiences from her historic 1991 mission aboard the Mir space station. Audiences will hear about her training, blasting off on a Soyuz rocket and what it was like to live and work in space including conducting science experiments.

Ms Sharman said: “Space is getting really exciting again. I'm delighted to return to Edinburgh to share some insights, including my own experiences of what it's like in space."

Initially working as worked as a research and development technologist for the General Electric Company in London and later as a chemist for the confectioner Mars, dealing with the flavouring properties of chocolate, Ms Sharman became an astronaut after responding to a radio advert which stated: “Astronaut wanted. No experience necessary”. She was selected for the mission live on ITV, in November 1989, ahead of nearly 13,000 other applicants.

The project, known as Juno, was a collaboration between the UK and the Soviet Union. The initial mission to the Mir Space Station launched after 18 months of intensive training, on 18 May 1991.

Edinburgh Science director and chief executive, Hassun El-Zafar said: "As we prepare for the launch of our full 2026 festival programme in February, we are delighted to reveal that Helen Sharman and Hamza Yassin will be joining us in April.

“Our 2026 Festival theme, Going Global, will showcase the research and innovation created through international partnerships which address shared challenges.

He added: “We are excited to have Helen and Hamza, who have both worked at the forefront of their respective industries, back with us at the Festival to share their stories and experience."

Running from 4 to 19 April, this year’s Edinburgh Science Festival is focused on the theme Going Global. It will showcase the research and innovation created through international partnerships that address shared challenges, directly aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and highlighting Scotland’s contribution to scientific advances through research, innovation and its extraordinary people.

Tickets for both events, which will take place at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, will go on sale here at 10am on Wednesday, 10 December. The full programme will be announced in February.