Roddy Doyle and Sarah Jessica Parker as judges for Booker Prize 2025

Irish novelist and screenwriter Roddy Doyle has been named as the chair of judges for the 2025 Booker prize.

Known for writing 19 novels, and several short stories including The Snapper, The Van, The Commitments. Doyle recently spoke in an interview with Hot press about his novel The Women Behind The Door. Doyle received the prize in 1993 for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, a story about a young boy growing up in North Dublin.

Doyle says that "For more than forty years, I've been writing novels, or editing novels, or thinking about the next novel. For longer still – since my mother taught me how to read – I’ve filled hours of every day with novels, reading them, re-reading them, just gazing at them."

The author, known for books The Snapper, The Van, The Commitments, is the first Booker Prize winner to chair the judging panel. He won the prestigious award in 1993 for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.

The panel also includes the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, Chris Power and  author Kiley Reid.

Doyle continues by saying, "I’m looking forward to working with a great panel of judges. I’ve never been in a book club before, but I think I’m probably joining a good one."

The Booker Prize is annually awarded to the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language and published in the UK and/or Ireland.

The prize is now open for submissions from publishers for books published between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025.

The 'Booker Dozen’ of 12 or 13 books will be announced next July, with the shortlist of six books to follow in September.

The winner of the Booker Prize 2025 will be announced in November, with the winner receiving £50,000 (€60,000).