A host of stars will be appearing at this year’s Winter Words Festival in Highland Perthshire, including Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir and historian and broadcaster Neil Oliver.
The line-up for the popular event, which will take place at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from Februay 2 to 17, will also feature forensic anthropologist Professor Sue Black and Liz Lochhead, former National Poet of Scotland.
In addition, actress Nadia Sawalha and broadcaster Kaye Adams, will be hosting a discussion about food recipes.
One of the highlights of the festival, which will see 30 events take place, is sure to be the appearance of Doddie Weir. The former Scottish international rugby player, who was capped 61 times for his country, has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease but will provide what promises to be a humorous, moving and fascinating exposé of his life and career, with writer Stewart Weir.
Neil Oliver who is best known for the TV series Coast, will provide his personal Story Of The British Isles In 100 Places, told through locations which have borne witness to the unfolding of history.
Liz Lochhead will team-up with Steve Kettley, composer and musician, to create Something Old, Something New – a fusion of bittersweet and comical monologues, accompanied by blues music.
Professor Sue Black will be joined by Dr Richard Shepherd , who has performedmore than 23,000 post-mortems, to discuss The Truth About Life And Death and how they manage to separate life and work.
A literary lunch will take place on each day of the festival, and will see a selection of speakers, including local writer and photographer Polly Pullar and Chris Townsend, hillwalking ambassador for the British Mountaineering Council, give a talk during a two-course lunch.
The festival, now in its 15th year, will also include book fairs, book signings and music events.
For more information visit www.pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com or phone 01796 484626.
