WINCHESTER Discovery Centre’s latest season of events has been unveiled with a mix of talks, exhibitions and family-friendly shows.

Adventurer favourite John Pilkington visits with A Balkan Adventure (February 7, 20 and March 7). After spending five months walking and hitch-hiking in the Balkan mountains, John is ready to share his stories from remote villages and present some stunning photography from his trip.

Gardens Weekly present two talks with gardeners Toby Buckland (February 19) and Christine Walkden (March 19) – two well known TV personalities – who are keen to share their stories and advice. Not only will members of the audience be treated to an evening with two of Britain’s premier gardeners, but a free gardener’s goody-bag will be found under each seat too.

Alan Davies, star of Jonathan Creek and QI, returns to his stand-up roots with a preview of his forthcoming nationwide Little Victories tour (March 5). Davies’ virtuosic story-telling and whip-smart funny bones combine to make this a show not to be missed.

Crime fiction meets crime fact when authors Pauline Rowson and N.J. Cooper talk with Carolyn Lovell, head of operations for Hampshire CSI, and fingerprints expert Jane Aston in CSI Winchester (March 8) – part of a day of crime-inspired literature events.

BBC Radio 2 presenter Stuart Maconie will be in town to talk about The People’s Songs (March 15), an evening based around his book and radio show of the same name, highlighting the songs that have soundtracked the story of modern Britain.

There’s fun for all the family too. How to Catch a Star (February 9) tells children aged 3-7 the story of a boy who loved stars so much he planned to get his own, whilst BBC Radio 4’s Helen Keen launches her own Space Race (February 16) for discerning space fans aged 7-12 with a mix of fascinating facts and spacebased silliness.

A riotous story for ages 2+ is told with a Big Red Bath (March 16), a quirky, vibrant and humorous adaptation of the popular book based on a bath-time adventure. And ages 3-7 can sing to their favourite rhymes and laugh along to Marty MacDonald’s Farm (April 13), featuring an interactive puppet show and the voices of TV’s Justin Fletcher and Nicole Davis.

A full range of photographic workshops are being introduced this season too. From beginners’ digital photography to Adobe Photoshop workshops, there are seven different courses taking place to help aspiring photographers unlock their creativity.

The first City Space exhibition of the New Year is Kings, Saints and Servants (January 11 to February 9), where work from local ceramicist Sophie Wiltshire will depict some of the characters from Winchester’s history, such as William Walker and King Alfred, in the form of exquisite figurines. In the Gallery, photographic exhibition Red Saunders: Hidden (January 18 to March 16) will present ‘living pictures’ of overlooked events from Britain’s struggle for democracy and equality through large-scale works on the contribution of ordinary men and women.