THEATRE-LOVERS are in for a treat at this year's Winchester Festival, with leading names already attracting strong interest at the box office.

The July festival's finale with Timothy West and Prunella Scales has sold out, but tickets are still available for appearances by Julian Glover, Isla Blair and former National Theatre director Sir Richard Eyre.

Husband-and-wife team Julian Glover and Isla Blair are both well-known to television viewers and will be joined by pianist and cabaret performer Stefan Bednarczyk for The Language of Love, at the Theatre Royal on Sunday, July 11.

Another highlight of both the drama and literary programmes is an evening with Sir Richard Eyre, who writes frankly about the problems and the rewards of his 10 years as director of the National Theatre in the publication of his diaries, entitled National Service.

Sir Richard will be in conversation with John Miller in what promises to be one of the highlights of the festival.

Sir Richard will be appearing at Winchester Guildhall on Wednesday, July 14.

Tickets for this and other festival events are available from Music at Winchester on 01962 877977 or online at www.winchesterfestival.co.uk

The seventh Winchester Festival is sponsored by Swan Hellenic Discovery Cruising.