THE North-East’s biggest book festival will begin tomorrow.

The line-up for the 22nd Durham Book Festival, which runs until Tuesday, October 30, includes crime writers PD James and Ian Rankin, former ministers Jack Straw and Chris Mullin, the BBC’s Nick Robinson and Gavin Esler, comedian Ben Miller, North- East author Pat Barker and poet Anne Stevenson.

The star event is expected to be a new adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale Rapunzel by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy. The work has been turned into a stage production by Newcastlebased Ballet Lorent and will premiere at the Gala Theatre, Durham City, on Thursday.

But the festival begins tomorrow at Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, with Judith Flanders discussing her book, The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London, at 1pm.

At 3pm, publisher Nicola Beauman will be discussing titles from Persephone Books’ collection of fiction and nonfiction by, for and about women.

A spokeswoman for New Writing North, organisers of the festival, said twice as many tickets had been sold as had been sold at this stage last year and some events had sold out, including those involving PD James, Nick Robinson, Ben Miller and Jack Straw.

“We’re really looking forward to the festival starting and we’re really looking forward to Rapunzel. We’ve been moved by how beautiful the production is. It’s a fantastic production that we’re really proud to be part of,” she said.

The festival is funded by Durham County Council and Arts Council England, with various sponsors.

Visit durhambookfestival.com