TELEVISION writer Tony Grounds will be the guest speaker at a summer literary luncheon.

Mr Grounds won the Verity Bargate Award for his first play, Made in Spain, subsequently shown on ITV.

He went on to write for EastEnders and The Bill before being commissioned to write his own series, Gone to the Dogs, and a sequel, Gone To Seed, which was nominated for the Royal Television Society Award.

Our Boy, an award- winning film for the BBC, and Births, Marriages and Deaths followed. Mr Grounds then made his directorial debut with The Martins, starring Lee Evans and Kathy Burke.

He is currently working on a new series for BBC1, a modern adaptation of Canterbury Tales and a feature film for the Ealing Film Studio.

The literary lunch is being held by Malvern Writers' Circle on Wednesday, June 4.

It will take place at the Harcourt Room, Mount Pleasant Hotel, Belle Vue Terrace, and tickets are £18.50. They are available by sending a cheque to circle chairman Gwen Farrer at 51 Old Wyche Road, Malvern, WR14 4EP.

For further details, ring 01684 575731.