A GALAXY of stars are set to entertain audiences at this year's Malvern Summer Festival.

The event runs from early July to late September and promises a wealth of top-quality entertainment at Malvern Theatres.

Well-known names and faces set to appear in a series of top shows include Lionel Blair, Edward Fox, Paul Nicholas and Tony Britton.

It all begins on Monday, July 8, with a new comedy, Snakes and Ladders, by writer Eric Chappell, whose past creations include such massive television hits as Rising Damp, Only When I Laugh and Duty Free. The seven-strong cast features Paul Nicholas and The Saint's Ian Ogilvy.

Lionel Blair and George Sewell star in the nail-biting thriller, Who Killed Agatha Christie?, which runs from Monday, July 22, to Saturday, July 27.

Family fun comes in the shape of children's classic The Railway Children. Brian Cant, one-time Playaway regular, stars as The Old Gentleman in E. Nesbitt's classic adventure between Tuesday, August 13, and Saturday, August 17.

Fans of one of Britain's greatest modern playwrights, Alan Ayckbourn, are in for a real treat later that month when the Festival Theatre plays host to three new comedies under the overall bill of Damsels in Distress.

Written and directed by Ayckbourn, GamePlan, FlatSpin and RolePlay are separate productions but star the same cast on the same set and devotees even have the chance to see all three in one day on Saturday, August 24.

Tony Britton returns to Malvern after his roles in The Kingfisher in 1999 and Hobson's Choice earlier this year to feature in Somerset Maugham's play, The Circle, alongside Malvern newcomer Wendy Craig.

Edward Fox and Simon Ward star in Rattigan's The Winslow Boy and Timothy West brings Shakespeare's King Lear to the stage.

It's not all drama though, with a variety of productions for music lovers, including Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operetta, The Gondoliers in September and Royal Opera House performers in Pure Puccini on Friday, August 16.

West End star Ruthie Henshall takes to the stage on Saturday and Sunday, July 27 and 28, for a performance of some of the stage's biggest hits.

There's more music in Beyond The Barricades and performances by the Halle Orchestra, The Syd Lawrence Orchestra and pianist Angela Hewitt.

There is a festival of eight arts films from July 31 to August 22 and a series of workshops through the summer.

Further information is available from the Malvern Theatres on 01684 569256 or the Box Office on 01684 892277.