THE Chalke Valley History Festival will again bring history to life in Broad Chalke this summer and tickets are now on sale.

With more than 130 speakers and the very best living historians in the land, the festival is set to inspire, excite and inform all those who attend.

With a new enlarged programme for 2018, a weekend full of exciting activities for all ages, and many historians appearing for the first time, there will be something for everyone.

The new Live History Live programme – a series of some 50 events at the weekend and free for all those already attending the festival – will offer visitors the chance to see, touch and feel history first hand.

Each event will be presented by a leading historian. Using techniques and materials from the past, each event will focus on a different historical topic, Dan Jones and Charlie Higson will be explaining the purpose of specific weapons through the ages and the brutality of hand-to-hand combat and Helen Castor, Guy Walters and Eddie Butler will be investigating the How’s and Why’s of uniform development through time; and Alex Langlands will be looking at the process of timber production from the Victorian period to the mid-20th century.

There will also be an opportunity to get hands-on with Battle of Waterloo archaeology with Phil Harding and Peter Ginn, and hear about the work of the ‘Waterloo Uncovered’ charity that is rewriting the history of one of the world’s most famous battles.

The line-up of distinguished speakers for this year’s festival has been revealed. First-timers to the festival this year include ITV’s political editor Robert Peston, Professor of American Literature and Public Understanding of the Humanities at the University of London Sarah Churchwell, art restoration expert Dorothee Schneider, actor, comedian and television presenter Tony Robinson, the BBC’s Security Correspondent Gordon Corera, author, journalist and historian Shrabani Basu, and sporting commentator John Inverdale.

Flying in to talk about Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of Imagination will be acclaimed Harvard Academic Professor Annette Gordon-Reed, and delivering the first CVHF Directors’ Lecture will be Professor Ali Ansari from St Andrew’s University.

Well-known historians, and festival favourites returning include Tracy Borman, John Julius Norwich, Kate Mosse, Dan Snow, Antony Beevor, Peter Frankopan, Michael Morpurgo, Sebastian Faulks, Tom Holland and Al Murray.

Also new for 2018, the Festival will be celebrating its ‘Chalke Valley History Heroes’. The Chalke Valley has in the past been home to some notable local figures and, to shine a light on their extraordinary lives, there will be a series of inspiring talks: William Poole will be giving an expert guide on the achievements of the antiquarian and historian, John Aubrey; Hugo Vickers will explore the legacy of legendary photographer and designer Cecil Beaton; Rob Wilkins will talk about the life, work and inspiration of author Terry Pratchett; Rick Gekoski will take a look at the life of the author William Golding; Primrose Campbell will be outlining the turbulent life of her grandfather, the artist Henry Lamb; and Alex von Tunzelmann will provide a blistering account of how British Prime Minister Anthony Eden led the world to the brink of nuclear conflict.

And following on the success of Terry Pratchett: HisWorld exhibition at Salisbury Museum, the office of Sir Terry will be re-created at the festival.

The most stunning part of this installation will be the new Shed of Doom.

For tickets to the festival, which runs from June 25 to July 1, or for the full programme of events go to cvhf.org.uk or call 01722 781133.