TELEVISION favourites Richard and Judy will be among the stars making this weekend’s Chipping Norton Literary Festival one of the best yet.

In its four-year history the festival has pulled in an ever more impressive list of authors and talents to the West Oxfordshire town, with top names such as David Baddiel and Jesse Armstrong also on the bill.

With more than 50 events including workshops, talks and classes, this year’s festival, which runs from today until Sunday, looks set be the most ambitious yet.

Festival director Clare Mackintosh said: “We offer a diverse programme of events visitors can enjoy in a beautiful Cotswolds setting.

“We’re now in the fourth year of the festival, which is going from strength to strength, and I’m delighted with this year’s line-up.

“We bring big names into intimate, local venues, which means that so audiences benefit from an up-close and personal atmosphere.”

Presenters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan will be talking about their Richard and Judy Book Club.

The club, which now has a dedicated website, has championed many authors and helped increase the popularity of popular fiction in the UK.

TV presenter David Baddiel will be presenting his first book for children, The Parent Agency.

The co-writer behind hit TV comedies, Peep Show and The Thick of It, Jesse Armstrong, will be talking about his first novel Love, Sex & Other Foreign Policy Goals.

The talks, chats and workshops take place in a series of venues in the town including Chipping Norton Theatre, The Chequers Pub and the Jaffe and Neale bookshop.

Also included in the line-up is bestselling author S.J Watson, who will discuss his new novel, Second Life and showcase a film version of his debut thriller, Before I go to Sleep, which was recently released in cinemas.

Comedienne Helen Lederer will be talking about her debut novel Losing It, which details the trials and tribulations of a middle-aged agony aunt wanting to lose weight.

John Crace, Polly Toynbee and Baroness Trumpington will help to satisfy those for an appetite for political fiction.

Tim Bentinck, actor in BBC Radio 4 series The Archers, will be joined by producer Sean O’Connor to discuss the popular long-running radio drama.

For children aged four to 11, author John Dougherty will introduce his Stinkbomb and Ketchupface series of books and author Dave Shelton will stage spooky writing workshops.

There will also be the usual sessions for aspiring authors on a range of subjects on subjects such as creating tension in stories, building characters, and tackling re-writes, but this year there will also be a full day creative writing course called Trade Secrets.

Tickets are available online, over the phone on from 01608 642350 or in person, at the Theatre, Goddards Lane, Chipping Norton.

See chiplitfest.com for more.