Helen Lederer, Gervase Phinn and Bill Ward star guests at Rochdale Literature Festival

Helen Lederer

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Comedian/actress Helen Lederer, author and poet Gervase Phinn and ‘Emmerdale’ star and photographer Bill Ward will feature at the Rochdale Literature & Ideas Festival.

Helen Lederer, who played dippy Catriona in the hit BBC comedy ‘Absolutely Fabulous’, has this year published her debut, critically acclaimed, comedy novel ‘Losing It’ - a tongue in cheek journey around her brush with show business, literati and reality television. She’s starred in television comedies, ranging from ‘The Young Ones’, ‘French and Saunders’, ‘Happy Families’, ‘Bottom’, ‘Miss Marple’ and ‘Hollyoaks’, to Miss Bowline-Hitch for CBeebies, ‘Old Jacks Boat’ and the film of ‘Horrid Henry’.

Dr Gervase Phinn, comedian, author, poet, broadcaster, lecturer and educational guru, is also well known for his best-selling series of Dales books for Penguin and his novels with Hodder. Affectionately dubbed ‘the James Herriot of Schools’, his warm-hearted reminiscences about life as a school inspector in the Yorkshire Dales have featured heavily on Radio 4 ‘Book of the Week’ and ‘Book at Bedtime slots’. He has written a wide range of academic books, children’s poetry and fiction.

Multiple award winning actor Bill Ward is perhaps most famous for playing bad boy builder Charlie Stubbs in ITV1s ‘Coronation Street’. He’s currently on our screens playing James Barton in ‘Emmerdale’, but he’s also a highly respected photographer, commended at the Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards in London, with his work featuring in national publications and advertising. He has permanent collections in galleries across the UK, including at Hollingworth Lake Visitor Centre.

The festival runs from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October, with organisers promising another feast of events for all ages covering drama, comedy, dance, music, theatre, films, visual arts and children’s shows. Preview events will be held across the borough earlier in October.

The festival will include guest speakers, authors and writers and is aimed at celebrating and promoting the Maskew Collection of classic literature and philosophy at Rochdale Central Library, encouraging people to engage in thought and philosophy. It will include events at venues in Rochdale town centre and boroughwide, with the full programme due to be revealed later in August.

Council Leader Richard Farnell said the festival will give people of all ages the opportunity to learn something new and expand their mind: “One thing I can promise all visitors is that you will discover something you didn't know before.

"Once again the festival brings together award-winning authors, poets and more to challenge and refresh our sense of the world.

"We have another fantastic programme. Indeed the calibre of these first three guests, who would not be out of place at the biggest literature festival in the country, give you an idea of the quality of this event.

"This festival makes an important contribution to the arts in our borough and we are looking forward to its return.”

The festival is possible due to the generosity of Annie and Frank Maskew, a Rochdale couple who shared a passion for reading and thinking, and originally met in Rochdale Library. They left a sum of money to be used on resources and events related to literature, and philosophy to ensure classic works are available for future generations.