LITERARY stars delighted their audiences during the third day of the annual Oxford Literary Festival.

More than 20 events featuring awardwinning authors, journalists and politicians were lined up for yesterday’s programme.

Best-selling crime writer MC Beaton talked to a crowd at the Weston Lecture Theatre about her detective creations Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin.

Award-winning Indian writer Amitav Ghosh talked to historian Chris Clark at Broad Street’s Sheldonian Theatre yesterday about history and fiction.

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Jonathan Powell, former diplomat and Downing Street chief of staff during Tony Blair’s time, spoke to a sold-out crowd about terrorism at Corpus Christi College.

And English designer Nicky Haslam, who has designed for rock star Sir Mick Jagger and actor Rupert Everett, revealed the secrets behind his success at the Oxford Martin School, in Broad Street.

Today Oxford author Philip Pullman is on the programme, along with writer Marion Coutts, actress Celia Imrie, and English language expert David Crystal.

Tickets can be booked online up to one hour before the start of an event or at Blackwell’s bookshop, in Broad Street, between 10am and 4.30pm.

See oxfordliteraryfestival.org for further information.