Matthew Kneale is one of the nicest atheists I have ever met (and I’ve met a lot of Christians). A non-believer since the age of...well, it’s probably genetic to be honest, Kneale now lives in Rome (and yes, the irony isn’t lost on him either).

Talking about his latest book An Athiest’s History of Belief, the Whitbread winner faced an audience of both the converted and deeply spiritual believers and as I said to him upon exiting “You could be in for a rough ride’’.

Next up was the joining together of Oxford Brookes University and the Oxford Academy in Littlemore for their annual creative writing course.

According to this year’s Literary Festival programme, Jeremy Smith of the Oxford Mail (oily swine, and this ISN'T mentioned in the brochure) wrote: “Both the quality of their writing and the assuredness of their performances made me fear for my job.’’ Which is why I couldn’t be bothered to attend their event at Christ Church Hall.

Truth is, I’m all for competition but not when those involved are less than the age of an immature Beaujolais. However, I would have listened happily had I known that NO PARENTS would turn up.

Imagine, your child is reading their poem in the iconic - if only because of Harry Potter - Christ Church Hall, and you can’t make the effort to be there and support them? Unbelievable.

Still, on to more cheerful events, my big event yesterday was introducing Lord Melvyn Bragg at the Sheldonian.

I was a last-minute choice, obviously, but at least here was one author, one cultural giant who I could genuinely relate to.

I was 16 and not in the least precocious, and here was this Roger Moore type character, cool, suave and clearly a lady-killer, who instead of driving fast cars and killing with absolute urbanity, spoke quietly, elegantly and intelligently on the subject of cinema, theatre and would if possible, have clearly dated Joanna Lumley (then starring in The New Avengers).

And my God, in the flesh, he was Cary Grant but with better hair.

I could have joined him for lunch prior to his talk but having just bitten the inside of my cheek, agonisingly, I really didn’t really want to start off our conversation with “Ello mythster Bwagg’’ while dribbling.

Back in the Green Room I saw an extraordinary thing – Britain’s most famous and controversial art critic Brian Sewell – smiling. Indeed, at the same time, the thunder quietened, the rain evaporated and a blade of pure spring sunshine illuminated him like a character from a Spielberg movie.

I’ll admit it rather tore at the fabric of my known universe but then watching so many of these famous authors actually eat over the last eight days has also acted as something ofan education.

Top tips today: Actress Virginia McKenna who starred in Born Free talking at the Sheldonian on ‘Animals That Inspire Us’ and Nobel prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk.