London Book & Screen Week and CAMEOs cancelled over coronavirus

London Book & Screen Week, the consumer-facing arm of the London Book Fair, has been cancelled in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

The programme of events was scheduled to run this week with a line-up including an evening with Lynda La Plante (pictured) and an appearance from “Yes, Minister” co-creator Jonathan Lynn.

It had been due to kick off yesterday (9th March) with the Creativity Across Media: Entertainment & Originality (CAMEO) Awards. That ceremony was called off and now organisers have announced the whole week’s events have also been cancelled.

In a statement, organisers said: “Following the escalation of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Europe, we are unable to go ahead with the London Book & Screen Week events programme 2020. LBSW apologise for any inconvenience that these circumstances, beyond our control, have caused.”

Instead the winners of the CAMEO awards were announced online.

The cancellation comes after the London Book Fair was also axed last week after days of organisers insisting it would go ahead. Reed Exhibitions eventually pulled the plug following a wave of pull-outs from publishers and an announcement that the coronavirus would be classified as a “notifiable disease”, potentially allowing businesses to recoup losses via their insurance policies.