Actress and singer Michaela Coel will deliver this year’s James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture.
Coel, who is also a screenwriter, poet and playwright, appeared in Channel 4 drama Top Boy, wrote and starred in E4 sitcom Chewing Gum and had leading roles at the National Theatre.
The MacTaggart Lecture has formed the centrepiece of the Edinburgh International Television Festival since 1976.
Coel follows in the footsteps of Rupert Murdoch, Armando Iannucci and Jon Snow in giving the lecture on August 22nd.
She said: “I am overjoyed to accept this invitation.
“It seems in some way a celebration of the rapidly changing world we live in.
“But with the constant reshaping of our technological and political world comes a growing need to shine a light and be vigilant rather than complacent about the future of our industry. I feel honoured to contribute to this debate on such a prestigious stage.”
