Hot political topics, radical families and domestic disasters all feature heavily in upcoming events at the Milton Rooms – interspersed with doses of the Blues and comedy with a lacing of musical nostalgia.

BBC Radio 4’s top current affairs discussion programme Any Questions? is being broadcast live from the Malton venue on June 16, when the still-to-be-announced panel will be answering questions from the audience.

The programme was first broadcast in 1948 and over the years many figures of note have appeared as panellists. Every prime minister since Harold Wilson has been on Any Questions? at some point in their political career and panels have also featured many distinguished figures from the arts, science, business, law and other areas of public life.

The panel, which is usually announced on the night of broadcast, never sees the questions in advance. The panellists hear them for the first time at the same moment the audience in the hall and at home does. Tickets are going fast, so to book head to www.themiltonrooms.com

Journalist, author and broadcaster Polly Toynbee is appearing at the Milton Rooms on July 18, to discuss her new book An Uneasy Inheritance, in which she reflects on coming from a long line of radicals, reformers and scholars.

There are laughs galore at the Hilarity Bites Comedy Club on June 30, with host Jack Gleadow introducing Danny Posthill and El Baldiniho and Blues comes from the John Doe Band at the Ryedale Blues Club on June 29.

Family misfortunes rear their head for Priscilla, Queen of Disasters on September 1 and musical nostalgia arrives with the Marrakesh Express playing tribute to Crosby, Stills and Nash on September 22, plus BBC legend Bob Harris and music journalist Colin Hall tell the story of the Songs The Beatles Gave Away on October 6.

There are many more events, with new ones being added all the time, so head over to www.themiltonrooms.com for the latest information and to book tickets. The upcoming shows include:

June

Friday, June 16: BBC Radio 4 Any Questions? live broadcast. The Milton Rooms welcomes the BBC for a live broadcast of its flagship current affairs programme. Alex Forsyth has recently been appointed only the sixth permanent presenter in the programme’s history. About 1.59 million people listen to the programme each week, with a live broadcast at 8pm and a Saturday lunchtime repeat. Tickets to the event are free and questions for the panel can be submitted on the day of the broadcast by dropping them into the Any Questions? box at the entrance to the Milton Rooms. Admission is free by ticket only, go to www.themiltonrooms.com to book.

Thursday, June 29: Ryedale Blues Club – John Doe Trio. A welcome back to the fantastic John Doe Trio, who have established themselves as one of the most exciting bands on the British blues circuit. Their debut album Stranger received critical acclaim both internationally and in the UK, and was described as “a masterpiece” and “most excellent” by British blues broadcasters. 8pm. Tickets £10.

Friday, June 30: Hilarity Bites Comedy Club – host Jack Gleadow plus Danny Posthill and El Baldiniho. Jack Gleadow is a multi-award winning stand-up from Hull, who takes his inspiration from the golden era of variety with the use of sounds, stories, jokes and a scooter. Britain’s Got Talent finalist Danny Posthill offers unbeatable stand up and a range of impressions such as Billy Connolly, Jimmy Carr and Lee Evans to guarantee an unforgettable night of laughter. El Baldiniho is a magician and prop comedian who performs on TV, in comedy clubs, at festivals and at corporate events across the UK and beyond, and was recently seen on Britain’s Got Talent. 8pm. Tickets: £10.

July

Saturday, July 1: An evening of Ballroom, Latin American and sequence dancing to concert and dance organists Howard Beaumont and Andrew Nix. 7.30pm. Tickets £15. For further details and to book, call 07508 876049.

Tuesday, July 18: Kemp’s Bookshop Literary Events presents Polly Toynbee – An Uneasy Inheritance. An intriguing evening with journalist, author and broadcaster Polly Toynbee, one of the most respected, prolific and razor-sharp voices in social commentary. She comes from a long line of radicals, reformers and scholars, all of whom have wrestled with the contradictions of being comfortably middle class while trying to further the cause of socialism. In a new book, An Uneasy Inheritance, she examines her own family tree which, in addition to her writer father, Philip, and her historian grandfather, Arnold, contains everyone from the Glenconners to Jessica Mitford to Bertrand Russell and features ancestral home Castle Howard as a backdrop. 7.30pm. Tickets £10 or £28 with the book.

Thursday, July 27: Ryedale Blues Club – The Terraplanes Blues Band. From Bristol, the Terraplanes Blues Band have established themselves as a force on the UK blues scene. Whether covering the songs of their heroes - Leadbelly, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters - or performing their own blistering compositions, the band’s dedication to the Blues gives them an authentic and exciting sound. 8pm. Tickets £10.

September

Friday, September 1: Priscilla Queen of the Disaster. Join Susie, a mother of two boys, as she shares her hilarious story of becoming a mum, not knowing what she is doing and how she makes it through each day of parenting two boys with no instructions. Laugh along as Susie realises that parenting is nothing like she expected, highly unpredictable and nobody is getting it right, despite what social media may portray. 7.30pm. Tickets £10.

Friday, September 22: Marrakesh Express – a tribute to the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. The Marrakesh Express are John Butler, Keith Buck, and Adam Ellis, who pay homage to the supergroup that was Crosby Stills and Nash. CSN1 came together in the late 1960s, the product of three very different bands. David Crosby was sacked by The Byrds, and brought with him his folk sensibilities, jangly guitars and harmonies, Stephen Stills had come from Buffalo Springfield, in which he had worked with Neil Young and Graham Nash had come from England and The Hollies. Marrakesh Express tell the story of the coming together, with music by Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, and The Hollies, interspersed with hits by CSN. To add more to the story, Neil Young’s contribution is also covered. 8pm. Tickets £14.

Thursday, September 28: Ryedale Blues Club welcomes Mojo Catfish, a Leeds-based Electric Blues Band. Versatile and talented, they play a range of powerhouse classic foot stompers, boogie woogies, Chicago blues and soulful ballads. 8pm. Tickets £10.

October

Friday, October 6: Bob Harris and Colin Hall – The Songs The Beatles Gave Away. BBC legend Bob Harris and author/music journalist Colin Hall host an intimate evening based around their mutual love and appreciation of The Beatles. In particular, they tell how Lennon, McCartney and, to a lesser extent, Harrison gifted their tunes to others. This is the story behind those songs, the hits, the misses and the demos that the group never released. 8pm. Tickets £20.

*The Milton Rooms needs volunteers to help to keep things running smoothly. We need help with office administration and ticket sales, event management (front of house/bar), technical support (sound and light), marketing and promotion, venue maintenance and DIY.

If you can spare some time to help, email info@themiltonrooms.com for more information.