ESTHER Rantzen, Barry Norman and the author of Chocolat will head up this year's Bewdley Festival, set to entertain art lovers throughout the district in October.

The eight-day festival will welcome more than 20 acts to the town, bringing a mixture of music, drama and insightful talks to artistically minded Wyre Forest folk.

TV personalities Esther Rantzen and Barry Norman will both stop by the Ramada Hotel on Habberley Road to talk about their lives on and off screen, on October 10 and October 17 respectively.

Lending a familiar face to the festival - which runs for eight consecutive days from October 10 - will be Rabbi Lionel Blue, mountaineer Rebecca Stevens, poet Wendy Cope and Chocolat author Joanne Harris.

The first woman to climb Everest, Rebecca Stevens, will tell her tale of courage and determination at Bewdley Baptist Church on October 13 while broadcaster Rabbi Lionel Blue is set to raise a smile on October 15, again at the Ramada Hotel.

The spoken word runs throughout the festival with talks from Whitbread Poetry Prize nominee Wendy Cope and lectures about Bewdley's Macdonald daughters, Wribbenhall before the railway and art throughout the ages, the latter courtesy of scholar Adrian Sumner.

Music lovers have not been left out of the loop, though, as a programme of classical concerts and some folk and jazz events have been lined up.

Sunday, October 12 will offer four events - a concert at St Anne's Church by youngsters from Bewdley schools, a performance from the Maggiore Piano Trio, the joining of congregations in song at Bewdley Baptist Church and an evening in the company of the 18th century Concert Orchestra.

Folk singer Maddy Prior will be at Bewdley High School the following evening while jazz singer Stacey Kent will present tunes from "the giants of the American songbook" on Thursday, October 16, at the Ramada Hotel.

Meanwhile, drama makes a comeback to the festival, now in its 16th year, with No Fear! where Linda Marlowe takes the stage at Bewdley High School as a 100-year-old trapeze artist looking back on her life as "professional free spirit".

And the less culturally minded can check out events which include a family fun day at Bewdley Museum, a trek around the Wyre Forest, a talk about the National Gardens Scheme and a question-and-answer session with Riverside Vets in Bewdley.

Then it's all over on Saturday, October 18 with a choice between sing-a-long Pirates of Penzance, at Baxter College in Kidderminster, and the popular last-night party at Bewdley High School with rock band Tom the Frop.

Festival director Jenny Paddock said: "It is a stunning programme. How we managed to get it better than last year I don't know. I am glad we have got drama back into the festival and are giving people a choice on the last night. This is promising to be our best festival ever."

For details visit www.bewdleyfestival.org.uk