WELLS Festival of Literature, one of the country’s longest established and most imaginatively programmed, runs this year from Friday 18th to Saturday 26th October, with speakers ranging from scientist and broadcaster Adam Rutherford to comedian Paul Sinha, favourite cookery writer Sophie Grigson to people’s poet Pam Ayres.

Based at Cedars Hall at Wells Cathedral School, the festival is chronologically programmed so that there are no clashes and you never have to choose between two exciting talks – you can go to them all!

It opens on Friday 18th at 6pm with the hugely entertaining lexicographer Susie Dent talking about her latest book, Interesting Stories about Curious Words, followed at 7.45pm by campaigner Shami Chakrabarti on Human Rights – the Case for the Defence.

Saturday’s speakers are journalist Grace Blakeley on Vulture Capitalism, an investigation into powerful corporations and the capitalist system, at 10.30am; Des Fitzgerald on The City of Today is a Dying Thing, at 12.15pm; philosopher AC Grayling on Who Owns the Moon? at 2pm; Pam Ayres at 3.45; Adam Smyth on The Book Makers, printers, binders, paper-makers and more, at 5.30; and novelist John O’Farrell on his new satire, Family Politics, at 7.30.

Physician Dr Rachel Clarke starts Sunday’s programme talking about The Story of a Heart, based on real-life cases, at noon; debut novelist Cecile Pin talks about Wandering Souls, set in Vietnam after the American forces had left, at 2.30; stonemason and conservator Andrew Ziminski, who lives in Frome, talks about Church Going at 5.15; Louise Minchin talks about Isolation Island, a reality TV show murder story, at 6pm; and the evening ends with a literary quiz (at the Swan hotel) at 7.30pm.

Diarmaid MacCulloch, Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University, looks at the long history of Christian attitudes to sex, gender and the family in his latest book, Lower Than The Angels. He is the first speaker on Monday 21st, at 6pm. He is followed at 7.45 by Rafael Behr on Politics – A Survivor’s Guide: How to Stay Engaged Without Getting Enraged.

Tuesday’s highlight is the literary lunch, with broadcaster Petroc Trelawny talking about Trelawny’s Cornwall, with Christopher Somerville. Evening events are Vernon Bogdanor on Making the Weather, at 4.15pm, Welsh poet Gillian Clarke on The Silence (which began with Covid …) at 6pm, and Kate Next on Wilde in the Dream Factory, exploring the links between the movie industry and the great Irish playwright, at 7.45.

Jonathan Dimbleby talks about his book, Endgame 1944: How Stalin won the War, at Wednesday’s literary lunch at 2pm. He is followed by historian Helen Castor on The Eagle and The Hart, the story of Richard II and his cousin and usurper Henry IV, at 6pm; and the day ends with psychiatrist Benji Waterhouse on You Don’t Have to be Mad to Work Here, at 7.45.

Journalist Martin Sixsmith drew on a chance meeting with Dutch Resistance survivor Anna-Maria van Der Vaart to write his powerful history, My Sins Go With Me. He opens Thursday’s programme at 4.15pm, and is followed by former Labour politician Jon Cruddas on A Century of Labour at 6pm, and David Horspool, on More Than A Game, exploring the British love affair with sport, at 7.45.

The Friday programme begins with competition and poetry readings and prize-giving at 10am, followed at 2pm by a literary lunch with Geoffrey Wheatcroft author of Bloody Panico! Or Whatever Happened to the Tory Party. Alexandra Harris talks about The Rising Down: Lives in a Sussex Landscape, at 4.30pm, followed by broadcaster Adam Rutherford on Who do You REALLY Think You Ae? At 6.15. The evening ends with art historian and broadcaster Bendor Grosvenor on The Invention of British Art at 8pm.

The festival’s final day is packed with delights, starting at 10.30am with Sophie Grigson, talking about her new book, Exploding Tomatoes and Other Stories, with Caroline Waldegrave. At 12.15pm, Christopher Harding talks with Adam Rutherford about The Light of Asia, exploring the West’s relationship with Asia. Lawyer Harriet Wistrich talks about her book Sister in Low with Baroness Hale, at 2pm; novelist Jonathan Coe talks about his latest, The Proof of my Innocence, at 3.45pm; and broadcaster and music buff John Suchet is In Search of Beethoven, at 5.30pm.

The festival ends with comedian Paul Sinha talking abut his memoir, One Sinha Lifetime, looking back at his life as a traditional Bengali son, destined for a career in medicine, who was also a gay man – and funny. The event starts at 7.15pm.

For full details visit www.wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk