CHELTENHAM will come alive this weekend as the annual Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival opens its doors.

The popular festival will run from October 2-11 and tickets are still available.

With a diverse range of speakers and a spectacular programme of more than 500 events, there is something to suit everyone’s tastes.

There are a large range of best-selling fiction authors attending to discuss their works, including, Bull Bryson, Audrey Niffenegger, and Victoria Hislop.

There is also a fiction pharmacy that offers literary remedies to sooth any soul and features Edinburgh Fringe sensation Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel.

Music highlights includes Ronnie Wood revisiting his lost diary from 1965, charting his journey to superstardom, while Chrissie Hynde, lead singer of the Pretenders talks to Stuart Maconie about her career and the inspiration behind her music.

Adventurers will not be disappointed with BAFTA-winning presenter Steve Backshall on hand to discuss Mountain: A Life on the Rocks.

There is plenty on offer for sports fans as well with reminiscences from tennis champion Boris Becker, F1’s Nigel Mansell, a Rugby World Cup review from Ben Cohen as well as a revealing look at FIFA.

The festival will bid farewell to Downton Abbey with a celebration featuring creator Julian Fellows and several cast members and Poldark also features in the festival programme.

There’s a lot on offer for kids too, with an extensive family fun programme that sees the illustrators for Horrible Science and Horrible Histories present disgustingly entertaining talks on their latest works.

And fans of Thomas the Tank Engine can help to celebrate 70 years of the children’s classic.

  • THE full festival line-up can be found at cheltenhamfestivals.com. Booking opens to members at 1pm on Wednesday, August 26 and to the general public at 1pm on Wednesday, September 2.