THE list seems endless when it comes to the speakers who will be appearing at this month's The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival.

Throughout the event's 10-day programme more than 400 speakers will provide a plethora of famous names and voices, ideas and debates, mixed across a spectrum of subjects from fun to fact.

Dame Judi Dench, Stephen Fry, Alan Bennett, Eric Sykes, Rik Mayall, and Salman Rushdie are just a few of the names who will be there. So too will top impressionist Rory Bremner. At least he will be able to stand in for anyone who is absent!

This year's series of events asks the question - 'What does it mean to be free?' - and the festival organisers expect this to provoke some sharp and controversial debates.

Over the years Cheltenham has seen its reputation for hosting some of the biggest authors around grow and once again the list is impressive.

Among special events at the festival will be a theatrical staging of Ted Hughes' poems for children, while ten leading writers will premiere a brand new fiction on which they have all collaborated.

Around 300 events are on offer from this Friday through to October 16, including a large number of informal ones in the festival tent, while there will be street performances and poetry every day.