SIR Terry Wogan, Winston Churchill’s daughter and former Chancellor Alistair Darling and are among the big names heading for the Woodstock Literary Festival.

Thousands of book lovers will descend on the town for one of the UK’s fastest growing festivals, which runs from Wednesday, September 14, to Sunday, September 18.

Many of the events, including the festival’s dinner featuring Terry Wogan, will take place in Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of the great wartime Prime Minister.

Now in her 89th year, Lady Soames, the only surviving child of Winston and Clementine Churchill, will speak on the last afternoon of the festival about her life and new book A Daughter’s Tale. She will be in discussion with her own daughter Emma.

The festival will also hear from Heather White-Smith, who as a 17-year-old girl was given the job as assistant private secretary to Lady Churchill. Her new book My Years with the Churchills: A Young Girl’s Memories describes her three years working for the family.

Meanwhile the Oxfordshire Museum will host a talk by Mary S Lovell on the history of the Churchills, from the first Duke of Marlborough.

Col Tim Collins, who attracted worldwide attention for his eve of battle speech to troops before the invasion of Iraq, will look at the future of that country and the challenges still facing the government.

Aid worker Lucy Morgan Edwards will be discussing the future of Afghanistan with Martin Bell.

Oxford University Professor of Government Vernon Bogdanor will chair a discussion on who runs Britain with former Foreign Secretary and ex-Witney MP Douglas Hurd.

One of the most eagerly awaited talks will see Alistair Darling talking to Simon Kelner about his new book Back from the Brink 1,000 Days at No 11, in the palace’s Orangery on Friday at 12.30 pm. Mr Kelner will also be taking part in the Independent Live event on Phone Hacking, Criminality and Free Speech.

The Oxford Mail’s sister paper, The Oxford Times will again be among the festival’s sponsors.

This year the newspaper will be sponsoring a talk on The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True by Richard Dawkins.

For sports fans the King’s Arms will be hosting an early Friday morning discussion on Football Men: On the Pitch and in the Headlines featuring Martin Keown ex-Arsenal and England player now turned BBC pundit.

Other speakers at the Independent Woodstock Literary Festival include Richard Ingrams, on 50 years of Private Eye, Livia Firth (the wife of the actor Colin) on fashion, Mark Tully on India, and Justine Picardie on Coco Chanel.

For tickets and more information, see woodstock literaryfestival.com or call 01865 305305.