Britain's best-known dinner lady serves up a treat at Borders Book Festival

Speaking at the launch of the festival's programme yesterday, its director, Alistair Moffat, said he was honoured that Victoria Wood (pictured) had chosen to give her first-ever book festival event at Melrose.

"Book festivals are about readers as well as writers and that's why we're particularly delighted that Victoria Wood is coming to Melrose to talk about the books that have influenced her," he said.

Wood, one of Britain's most popular comedians, was invited to Melrose by Rory Bremner, who is one of the festival's patrons and will also be performing there this year.

The festival, which began seven years ago with just four author events, has grown in reputation to the point where it can attract some of the biggest names in the worlds of British literature, entertainment and politics.

Taking the last first, it opens with Jim Naughtie giving a talk about the post-election political landscape.

Over the four following days, Chris Mullin, Shirley Williams and Douglas Hurd will also be discussing their own latest books.

Media stars John Simpson, Fergal Keane and Kate Adie will also be on hand to offer their own perspective on political events they have reported on.

Among writers, the line-up is no less stellar and includes award-winning writers Hilary Mantel, William Fiennes, Andrew Greig, John Aberdein and Tom Leonard.

All are coming to Melrose for the first time, as is acclaimed historical novelist Robert Harris, whose novel The Ghost, about a ghost-writer to a Blair-like prime minister, has been filmed by controversial director Roman Polanski and will be released next week.

Among those who have been to Melrose before, Scottish poet Jackie Kay will return to give one of the first readings from her eagerly anticipated memoir, Red Dust Road, and Yorkshire humorist Gervase Phinn will be back to talk about his latest book, Road to the Dales.

The QI team of John Lloyd and John Mitchinson and irreverent punstress Kathy Lette will also be making an appearance.

The festival's biggest-ever children's programme features War Horse author Michael Morpurgo, Vivian French, Eleanor Updale and John Fardell.

Last year's successful Family Day Pass discount scheme has been extended to include four events per day.

But although Mr Moffat hailed his line-up as "the most glittering yet", what makes his programme unique among Britain's hundreds of book festivals is that it will be the only one at which not one but two of the top six literary awards in Britain are presented.

As well as hosting the inaugural 25,000 Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction sponsored by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, the festival will stage the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust's book awards for the third time.

This is worth 30,000 to the overall winner.

The four category winners (see panel above) were announced at yesterday's launch; the overall winner will be unveiled on Friday, 18 June, the day before the first Walter Scott prizewinner is announced.

"What all of this means is that for one weekend at least, Melrose will be the centre of gravity for literary Britain," said Mr Moffat, who is to invite all seven shortlisted authors from both prizes to the festival.

He also paid tribute to independent investment managers Brewin Dolphin, who will be the title sponsors for the Borders Book Festival for the next three years.

"This will not only underpin the future of the festival but enables us to put on this sparkling programme," he said.

Tickets for the Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival, 17-20 June are now on sale, from either the box office on 0844 357 1060 or www.bordersbookfestival.org.

POETRY:

Outside the Narrative by Tom Leonard

"The life's opus of a poet who, in the 1970s and 1980s was essential in conveying the idea of a Scottish voice."

Prose pieces and newly collected poetry from respected poet, who retired last September as professor of creative writing at Glasgow University.

FICTION:

Strip the Willow by John Aberdein

"A brilliant political satire of an Aberdeen that's stuck somewhere between Silvio Berlusconi and the '68 Situationists," according to prize judge Pat Kane.

The Aberdeen-born writer won the inaugural Scotsman/Orange short story competition in 2004.

FIRST BOOK:

Eating Pomegranates by Sarah Gabriel

"An extraordinary memoir about cancer, genetics, memory and relationships with one's family during a medical trauma."

Gabriel was about to write a novel when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Instead, she gives us a history of the disease and shares her feelings.

NON–FICTION:

A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir by Donald Worster

"Muir is absolutely central to so many debates – whether it's environmentalism or ecology. Brilliant book focusing on Muir's political views – an exemplar in a post-carbon age".

First biography of the great conservationist to use his own correspondence.