Philip Pullman is not a name you might readily associate with the X Factor.

But the best-selling Oxford author has agreed to take part in a literary take on the reality TV show.

Mr Pullman, right, will be hosting a bookish version of the television show, showcasing the work of unsigned writers from Oxford Brookes University’s Creative Writing programme.

Leading the hunt for the next big thing in creative writing will be head judge Kate Clanchy, the writer recently appointed Oxford’s first city poet.

The event on Thursday, May 10, at 7pm, will feature in the Amazing Acts showcase, running from Tuesday, May 8, to Saturday, May 12, at the Pegasus Theatre.

It marks Brookes’ inaugural residency at the Magdalen Road, East Oxford, theatre.

Amazing Acts will also include poetry inspired by science, a film installation in a shower, and dance inspired by data taken from the way people walk. The line-up involves professional performers and university student and staff. It features free walk-in daytime events and ticketed displays in the evening.