Plans for this year's Dorchester Literary Festival to be a live event are going ahead, with a number of speakers already confirmed.

The week-long festival will take place from October 9 to 16 and will include guests such as Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path, Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine and television presenter Kate Humble.

Festival directors, Janet Gleeson and Paul Atterbury, said: "Having moved on from the disappointments of last year, we are busily planning this year's festival, which will run between Saturday, 9 and Saturday, October 16.

"We believe there's nothing better than a live festival and are optimistic we shall be able to mount the kind of festival you have supported and, we hope, enjoyed in the past. We shall of course observe whatever regulations prevail at the time.

"For this year's festival we will be inviting a similar excitingly diverse array of writers."

A number of top headline speakers have already been confirmed, including:

• Kate Humble
• Max Hastings
• Raynor Winn
• Sathnam Sanghera
• Candice Brathwaite
• Jeremy Vine
• Matthew D'Ancona
• Nicci French
• Alexandra Shulman
• Vic Marks
• Alex Heminsley
• Angela Gallop
• Patrick Marnham

They added: "We are still in discussions with many other writers and publishers and we will keep the website updated as names are confirmed, so do please keep checking.

"Thank you for all your support over the last years and we are very much looking forward to seeing you in October."

The full printed programme will be available in August and priority booking for Friends of the Festival will start during the last week of August, with general ticket sales commencing two weeks later.

For more information, visit dorchesterliteraryfestival.com

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