TICKET sales for this year's Cheltenham Festival of Literature have broken all previous records, say organisers.

In less than six weeks, more than 25,000 advance tickets have been sold by the box office. Sell-outs include Bill Bryson, Hannah Gordon and Peter Barkworth.

Director Sarah Smyth said: "We're delighted ticket sales are going so well and, although some events have sold out, there are still tickets available for over 200 wonderful events."