ORGANISERS of this year’s Swindon Festival of Literature are hoping a few lightbulbs will come on among those attending talks.

The full programme of events was revealed at Swindon Central Library yesterday with some well-known names attending, meaning the 19th festival is set to be the most hotly-anticipated yet.

But festival director Matt Holland says this event is one that will get people thinking as opposed to star spotting.

BBC world affairs correspondent John Simpson will be giving a talk on his book Unreliable Sources and Channel 4’s news editor Lindsey Hilsum will be speaking about action in Africa, Libya and the Arab Spring.

Only Fools and Horses’ ‘Boycie’, aka John Challis, a talk by the Occupy London movement and award-winning comics Alex Horne and Nat Luurtsema are also part of a diverse line-up.

But Matt said: “It’s our 19th year, we are established and people know us now so it’s going to be fantastic.If you glanced at the line-up looking for celebrities then you will see it’s celebrity light and ideas heavy.

“We’ve got the BBC’s and Channel 4’s top news guys and the Occupy movement.

“I like to give a platform to anyone who wants to talk peacefully and intelligently about their ideas. It’s not about left-wing, right-wing – it’s about a democratic platform.

“We also have a host of local groups too and we don’t want the people in Swindon to be beaten to the punch by people from Basingstoke.”

The festival, which will run from May 7-19, will take place at a host of venues across town, including the Wyvern Theatre, Arts Centre and Lydiard Park.

It begins on the Bank Holiday Monday with a Dawn Chorus in Lawn Woods, followed by walking, storytelling, running, and book events in Lydiard Park. As well as the talks there are also more than 50 other events that include the 16th Swindon Slam, the first reading of the Toothill Long Poem and a celebration of local writers Richard Jefferies and Alfred Williams.

For more information, call 01793 771080 or 01793 466454, email swindonlitfest@lowershawfarm.co.uk or log on to www.swindonfestivalofliterature.co.uk.