TWO guests due to appear at the Swindon Festival of Literature have pulled out.

John Berger and Anne Michaels were to appear together on Saturday, May 14 at the Community Crossroads, Faringdon Road.

Festival organiser Matt Holland said: "They both send their apologies and would like to come to Swindon next year.

"John Berger, who is 78 and lives in France, is exhausted from recent travel and commitments in London and Spain. Anne Michaels, who lives in Canada, has a young child and is now unable to come to England in May." In place of the pair Mr Holland has managed to get hold of an hour-long film of a recent rare interview with Mr Berger.

Mr Holland said: "The film is a great coup. It would have been wonderful to have him here but the film has hardly been seen and it will be really good.

"It's a live interview from three weeks ago at the South Bank Centre. I'm very excited about it. It's almost as good as having him live. For people interested in John this will be a real insight into his work and I'm very pleased that this is the substitute."

John Berger's books include the Booker Prize winning novel G.

His most recent work of fiction is Here Is Where We Meet.

Anne Michaels is a poet, novelist and composer. The two were set to explore themes of exile, migration and history.

Anyone who does not wish to see the replacement film can get a full refund from where they bought their tickets.