Some of Britain’s sharpest and funniest writers will be joining this years Cornbury Music Festival for what looks to be the summer’s most entertaining literary festival. The brains behind the popular BBC QI series have joined forces with groundbreaking publisher Unbound to create the first Festival of Words which will run alongside the Cornbury Music Festival at Great Tew Park, Oxfordshire from 5-7 July. 

The line-up includes QI stalwart, stand-up comedian and Jonathan Creek actor Alan Davies, controversial quick-witted columnist and writer Julie Burchill, Red Dwarf’s Robert Llewllyn and the fabulous comedienne Katy Brand. Television producer, John Lloyd, the comic genius behind Spitting Image, Blackadder, Not The Nine O’Clock News and QI, is hosting a special QI Music Quiz as part of the Festival. There is also the return of QI’s Ask the Elves service, a chance for festival goers to try to outwit the cerebral QI boffins with unanswerable conundrums, a big hit with last year’s audience. 

The Festival of Words is free to all Cornbury Music Festival ticket holders as is the Absolute Radio Comedy Emporium, programmed by the national radio station which this year features the current cream of stand-up, including Lee Nelson, Ed Gamble and Vikki Stone. 

‘We’re completely thrilled to announce this miniature literary hub during Cornbury Music Festival with the addition of the Festival of Words on our 10th birthday year’ says Festival Director Hugh Phillimore, ‘Oxfordshire is the spiritual home of QI, so we have our arms open wide for this home coming.’

Cornbury Festival 2013 takes place at The Great Tew Estate, New Road, Great Tew, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire,between Fri 5th to Sun 7th July 2013 Tickets on sale here