FORMER hostage Terry Waite got the Wantage Betjeman Literary Festival  under way, with more than 100 people turning up to hear about his new book at the Beacon hall in Portway on Saturday. 

Most famous for negotiating the release of hostages around the world before being captured himself for five years in 1987, Mr Waite delighted his audience with humourous snippets from his first novel, The Voyage of the Golden Handshake.

Mr Waite said: “People are surprised I have written a comedy novel but when I was in captivity, I had five years in total isolation – no books or newspapers. What I had to do in that situation was keep my active imagination alive.

“I wrote my first book entirely in my head and I’ve been writing ever since. It’s important to allow yourself to have a sense of humour.”

An audience member said: “It looked very interesting.”

The Betjeman festival runs until November 1, with talks from authors, poets, historians and more.

Visit wantagebetjeman.com