An online storytelling event is set to take place on Wednesday, 10 June 2026.

Thousands of schoolchildren will have the opportunity to hear former Children’s Laureate, Sir Michael Morpurgo, live from a historic railway carriage at the National Railway Museum in York.

During the 10 am to 10:45 am session, Morpurgo is set to read from Flying Scotsman and the Best Birthday Ever, along with taking questions from young viewers.

BBC News, Culture, and Media Editor Katie Razzall will be hosting the stream, with pupils from St Barnabas CE Primary School in York attending in person at the museum’s Station Hall.

The free session is titled All Aboard the Story Time Express and forms part of the celebrations for the National Year of Reading 2026.

It has been organised by the York Festival of Ideas, in partnership with the National Railway Museum, and supported by London North Eastern Railway (LNER).

London North Eastern Railway research highlights strong engagement with reading on trains: 52% of surveyed travellers listen to audiobooks and podcasts, 30% use e-books, 15% read virtual newspapers and magazines, while 45% of onboard readers still prefer physical books.

The event is the centrepiece of the Festival’s Michael Morpurgo Celebration Day, which reached more than 18,500 schoolchildren last year.

Additional Festival-linked activity includes railway and engineering family events at the National Railway Museum and a concert at the University of York, featuring Morpurgo and cellist Clare O’Connell.

Morpurgo also celebrated World Book Day earlier this year in a collaboration with Great Western Railway, being the introductory writer to Line to Legend Land.

The York Festival of Ideas, led by the University of York, runs from 30 May to 12 June 2026, with more than 200 mostly free in-person and online events.

The broadcast will run live from 10:00 am to 10:45 am on 10 June 2026, allowing schools to join remotely across the UK and internationally. Educators interested in registering for the event can do so online.

“Michael has an incredible ability to connect with young minds and we are immensely proud to host this extraordinary event in celebration of the National Year of Reading. 

“By partnering with the National Railway Museum and LNER, we are able to use the power of digital technology to bring the beauty of literature and York’s rich railway heritage to tens of thousands of children across the country and beyond.”

Joan Concannon, Director of York Festival of Ideas.

“For me, when history and memory meet can be all I need to dream up a new story. I loved steam trains as a child, and wanted to be a train driver when I grew up.

“To tell my story, in York, from a carriage once hauled along the railway by a steam locomotive will be wonderful. And maybe I could sound a whistle again! And again. And again. I’ll sound it out for books and storytelling, and for the York Festival of Ideas!”

Sir Michael Morpurgo