TICKETS to this year’s Essex Book Festival are now on sale, and this year former Government spin doctor, Alastair Campbell, will take part.

To see him and the other big names appearing, act fast, as tickets are sure to be snapped up quickly.

Whether you’re an avid reader, or looking to try something new, the festival, in March, will also feature journalists George Alagiah and Francis Wheen, plus poets Andrew Motion and Martin Newell.

Best-selling authors include Margaret Drabble, Rose Tremain, Penelope Lively, Alexander McCall Smith, Mike Gayle, Joanne Harris, and David Nobbs.

The festival is managed by Essex Libraries, district and borough councils, and Thurrock Council.

Book online at www.

essexbookfestival.org.uk, by post using the form included in the brochure (available from libraries), by phone on 01206 573948, or at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester.