Michael Lewis: Blockers
In conversation with author Elizabeth Day, Michael Lewis discusses his new book, Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State.
The bestselling author of Liar’s Poker and The Big Short takes us on a wild ride through the destruction of the US government – and introduces us to the heroes who tried to stop it.
In early 2025, the tech bro acolytes of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) were on a mission to seek and destroy, by any means necessary. But once inside the government, they came up against a group of people whose courage, commitment and devotion to the nation they served would quickly earn them the wrath of Elon Musk. He called them Blockers. Find the Blockers, Musk told his band of worshipful young men – and eliminate them.
This is the story of the unsung heroes at the heart of the most powerful machine ever designed by humankind, who fought back when DOGE, and then even darker forces, wanted to smash it all up. One kept Americans’ most sensitive tax data out of the wrong hands, another made sure that politicians and civil servants played by the rules. One figured out how to stop wildfires from destroying suburban neighbourhoods, another delivered the cure to cystic fibrosis. There was also a security guard.
Blockers is a thriller about unlikely rebels and power-drunk villains, told by one of the most compelling storytellers of our time.
Need to know
You can buy an exclusive box package for this event. More details of our Royal Festival Hall exclusive box package.
Times & tickets
Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
20 Oct 2026, 7.30pm
Run time
1 hour and 15 minutes (approx)
All timings are approximate and subject to change
Standard entry
from £29
Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.
Concessions
Learn more about concession discounts
Refunds and exchanges
Find out more about our refund and exchange policy
Become a Member
Members get free entry to the Hayward Gallery and the first chance to book our entire programme of events, including go-down-in-history gigs, concerts with world-class orchestras, and talks from cultural icons and political giants.
Join today from £60
Access
Accessible events
To book tickets for BSL interpretation, email [email protected] or call us on 020 3879 9555.
You can join our free Access Scheme through your online Southbank Centre account or via email.
Find out more about our Access Scheme
All our access information
For your visit
This event is held at the Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
The Royal Festival Hall is open six days a week.
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
Plan your visit
The Royal Festival Hall is home to our largest auditorium as well as The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe and Skylon restaurant.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.