A STELLAR line-up is coming to Ludlow for the three weeks of next year's Festival.

The wide ranging list of attractions includes the Opera Babes in concert, jazz star Georgie Fame and a candle lit concert in 18th century dress in St. Laurence Church. Among literary events, there will be appearances by Esther Rantzen, Beryl Bainbridge and Lady Antonia Fraser.

The centrepiece of the Festival will be a mixture of the familiar and the lesser known in the two Shakespeare plays, which Michael Bogdanov will put on at Ludlow Castle. The familiar play is Twelfth Night, making its fourth appearance at the Festival. It will run in tandem with Cymbeline, which will feature for the first time.

Bogdanov is keen to extend his educational role and hopes his actors can visit schools in the area to encourage youngsters to take an interest in the theatre.

Puccini's ever-popular Tosca is next year's opera. The pop group Showaddywaddy will be the main attraction at the traditional Firework finale.

Festival chairman Adrian Weatherall confirmed that sponsorship is being sought to use the South Shropshire Leisure Centre as a venue. This will provide an auditorium for up to 860. Some events are already being pencilled in but will not be announced until early in the New Year.

For the first time, the Festival will also move into the streets, with outdoor events on the four Saturdays from June 19 to July 11. Ludlow Assembly Rooms, which this summer successfully celebrated its 10th anniversary in similar style, will collaborate with music and entertainment all around the town.