A FEAST of well known stars from stage and screen are heading for Bewdley for the picturesque riverside town's 17th festival.

The nine-day festival, which takes place from Friday, October 8, to Saturday, October 16, is jam-packed with entertainment for everyone.

Kicking off the festival at the Ramada Hotel on Friday, October 8, is jazz legend John Dankworth, who has traversed the continents performing with his jazz ensemble and big band.

A fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, John has received an OBE, and has been named Great Britain's Variety Club's Show Business Personality of the Year.

On Saturday, October 9, there will be fun for all the family with live music, charity stalls and street entertainment in and around Bewdley Museum.

At 2.30pm, artist Tony Chance will be at Bewdley Baptist Church exploring the role of professional artists in the film industry.

He will be using storyboards from the many Hollywood feature films he has worked on including Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, American Beauty and the soon-to-be -released Bridget Jones II.

In the evening, comedian Jenny Eclair, the only female comedian to have won the Perrier Award at Edinburgh, will perform her new play, The Andy Warhol Syndrome.

Fans of classical music are in for a treat at 2.30pm on Sunday, October 10, when pianist Vincent Billington performs some of the finest and most popular music of Frederick Chopin. As a finale, Vincent will demonstrate his gift of improvisation by composing an instant rhapsody based on requests from the audience.

At 6.30pm, the BBC will host a celebration of traditional and contemporary songs in Songs of Praise at Bewdley Baptist Church.

At 8pm, fans of Last of the Summer Wine can see Juliette Kaplin in Just Pearl.

The audience can share an intimate view of Pearl's extraordinary life, never seen on TV - her dreams, her disappointments, and how she copes with the wandering Howard and "the trollop" Marina.

On Monday, October 11, Bewdley's own musician and entertainer Tony Goodwin brings yesteryear to life as he recounts tales of growing up in a Bewdley that was very different.

At 8pm, Alastair Fothergill, executive producer of the BBC's Natural History Unit, gives the full story behind the landmark series, The Blue Planet - the most ambitious and comprehensive set of films made about the world's oceans.

Sir Richard Parsons, senior Foreign Office diplomat and ambassador to three European countries, will share his observations and anecdotes on the policies and personalities which shaped the modern world on Tuesday, October 12, at 2.30pm.

Royal Ballet

At 8pm, audiences can hear why principal dancers with the Royal Ballet, Stephen Wicks and Mark Welford, hung up their ballet shoes to become florists. Their Covent Garden shop is considered to be at the cutting edge of floral design.

On Wednesday, October 13, BBC Hereford and Worcester's Mike George will host Gardener's Question Time at Bewdley Baptist Church.

On Friday, October 15, Elkie Brooks will be raising the roof at the Ramada Hotel at 8pm with pop, rock, ballads, blues and jazz, which have made her the biggest-selling female album artist in the history of the British pop charts.

For more information on venues, performance times and ticket prices visit www.bewdleyfestival.org.uk

Tickets for all events, except Jenny Eclair, are available from Bewdley Tourist Information Centre on 01299 404740 or from 01299 403355.

Tickets for Jenny Eclair are available on 01299 403355.

The final day of the festival will see Art in the Park taking place at West Midlands Safari Park. The unusual hands-on fun event for all the family will combine animal observation and art with wacky professional artist Filbert Splosh, who makes creating animal art 'masterpieces' seem easy.

Ending the festival in style will be The Magnets whose stylish and energetic music is made with voices only.

Genius vocal percussionist Andy Frost provides the groove and produces entire drum tracks vocally. Colin adds the bass, while James, Michael, Nic and Steve provide the layers of harmony and lead vocals on top.

endsOn Thursday, October 14, Sue Riches, who was part of a world record breaking relay expedition to the North Pole, will describe to audiences how the first ever all-women team hauled sledges without dogs or motorised support.

Antiques expert Eric Knowles will be taking the wraps of the trade he has been immersed in for 30 years, at 8pm at the Ramada Hotel

At 8pm, the Reduced Shakespeare Company will perform all 37 Shakespeare plays and 154 sonnets in 97 minutes.

Musicals madness at The Swan

MUSICAL lovers should prepare to be razzled and dazzled at the Swan Theatre on Saturday, October 2, when Mad About the Musicals takes to the stage.

Favourite songs from musicals such as Chicago, Jekyll and Hyde, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Cabaret and Sunset Boulevard are guaranteed to be performed with enthusiasm and razzmatazz in a two-hour show packed full of music, comedy, dazzling costumes and dancing.

Tickets cost £12 (£11 concessions) and are available from the box office on 01905 611427.

Champagne days of decadence

FRANZ Lehar's passionate romance The Merry Widow is set to transport Malvern Theatre audiences to the heady champagne days of 1912 Paris, from Monday, September 27.

Featuring a fresh, new translation by Jeremy Sams, the Carl Rosa Company's production will star Jan Hartley as Hanna and Victor Spinetti as Baron Zeta.

In the decadent halls of Maxims and the Moulin Rouge, wealth and elegance meet sensuality and pleasure - setting the stage for Hanna, a rich and glamorous widow, to play her dangerous dating game.

But with the unexpected arrival of her first love - the handsome young Danilo - buried passions are re-ignited, firing a tempestuous test of love and past betrayal.

The Merry Widow was so controversial when it first appeared, that Franz Lehar was offered five thousand crowns to burn it - he refused and the play has now been enjoying stage success since 1905.

This production, with a vivacious young company of singers and dynamic choreography, is set to breathe new life into the classic.

The show runs until Saturday, October 2.

Tickets cost from £16 to £22 and are available from the box office on 01684 892277 or www.malvern-theatres.co.uk

Chamber choir's dbut

HELLENS, the beautiful historic house in Much Marcle, Ledbury, has formed a new chamber choir - the De Hellion Chorale.

The choir, which includes many semi-professional and professional singers, is conducted by Adrian Partington, chorus master of the BBC National Chorus of Wales.

The choir's inaugural concert will take place in the Great Barn at Hellens on Friday, October 1. Tickets cost £10 and are available from the custodian on 01531 660504 or from the choir secretary on 01531 636302.

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