And just like that Sarah Jessica Parker became a literary player

Her Cosmopolitan-sipping, Manolo-wearing, wise-cracking Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City was a generation-defining star turn. Now Sarah Jessica Parker has an unexpectedly cerebral new role, as a judge on next year's Booker Prize.

- Jess Cartner-Morley

Her Cosmopolitan-sipping, Manolo-wearing, wise-cracking Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City was a generation-defining star turn. Now Sarah Jessica Parker has an unexpectedly cerebral new role, as a judge on next year's Booker Prize. Parker said it was "the thrill of a life" to be appointed to the panel, which will be chaired by former winner Paddy Doyle. The actor, who earlier this year appeared in the West End in the play Plaza Suite, has been quietly embedded in the literary world since becoming an editorial director at Hogarth in 2017, launching her own imprint, SJP Lit, with independent publisher Zando in 2022.

Novelist Bernardine Evaristo, winner of the 2019 Booker for her novel Girl, Woman, Other, welcomed the appointment for its ability to "hopefully draw attention to and even expand the audience for literary fiction". She added that "an ideal Booker judge is someone who is extremely well-read and passionate about novels, and open to a wide range of original voices and different cultures". Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker prize foundation, described Parker this week as an "incredible supporter of contemporary fiction" whose reading recommendations are frequently "ahead of the game or ahead of the Booker".

Parker brings Oscar-night stardust to the UK's premier literary prize. A wardrobe which includes custom-made Chanel and a Dolce & Gabbana golden crown featuring a nativity scene, worn to the Met Ball, will up the ante at a ceremony not known for its fashion moments.