An eclectic mix of entertainers is lined up for this year’s Devizes Festival, which has a new chairman and sponsor.

Ex-teacher Margaret Bryant has taken over the reigns and is excited by the arrival of big names including actor Brian Blessed, Beirut hostage Terry Waite and comedian Arthur Smith between June 3 and 21.

She said: “I am very lucky to have a very strong committee backing me up and we are delighted that Nigel Grist’s firm of Wiltshire Waste Recycling has agreed to be our main sponsor.

“In the past, we may have been criticised for not doing enough for children, but this year there will be lots of activities and there will be free Fringe events.”

Organisers are hoping Brian Blessed, taken ill on stage in King Lear last month, will be fully recovered by June 11.

Festival vice-chairman Vivi-enne Cuckow said: “We have been assured by his management that he will be able to honour his commitment to us.”

The actor’s career spans from TV hit Z-Cars to Shakespeare and musical theatre.

Terry Waite, who was taken hostage in Beirut while he was the Archbishop of Canterbury’s special envoy and held for 1,760 days, will speak on June 20.

The author, lecturer and charity patron will be talking about his first venture into fiction; a comic novel entitled The Voyage of the Golden Handshake.

Comedian Arthur Smith, a regular on radio, will appear on June 6. Archers star Sunny Ormonde, who plays Lilian Bellamy, will appear on June 12.

Venues will include Devizes Town Hall, Corn Exchange, pubs and churches. After a gap of several years, acts will be returning to the Wharf Theatre.

Friends of the festival get priority booking.For details, see www.devizesfestival.co.uk