Cherie Blair will be talking about her life at Downing Street when she opens this year’s Ilkley Literature Festival.

The wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair will be showcasing her autobiography Speaking for Myself.

Described as an intimate portrait of the life of a prime minister’s wife, it made headlines on its recent release, partly due to an excerpt concerning the conception of the Blairs’ son Leo during a visit to Balmoral.

Other names attending the festival include former MP and governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten, broadcaster Kate Adie and actress turned travel writer Carol Drinkwater.

The 35th Ilkley Literature Festival features more than 130 authors along with literary-themed food and drink events, science and music workshops and children’s readings.

Biographies feature strongly, with a range of authors and subjects including the Brontes. Charlotte Bronte biographer Lyndall Gordon will talk about her life and work and journalist Justine Picardie presents her novel about Daphne Du Maurier’s obsession with the literary family.

Chris Patten, Chancellor of Oxford University, will, in his role as a political commentator, be discussing some of the world’s greatest challenges, including climate change.

Actors Corin Redgrave and Kika Markham will read the letters of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, while West Yorkshire poet Simon Armitage gigs with his band, The Scaremongers.

Louis de Bernieres, author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, presents his new novel, A Partisan’s Daughter, and broadcaster and former war correspondent Kate Adie showcases her new book Into Danger: People Who Risk Their Lives for Work, which has taken her around the world meeting daredevils from stuntmen to snakemen. Carol Drinkwater, who starred in TV drama All Creatures Great and Small, talks about her search for olive groves around the Mediterranean.

Other guests include the illustrators of the Horrid Histories and Science children’s books, Martin Brown and Tony de Soulis; Yorkshire poet Ian Macmillan; best-selling author Kate Atkinson and author Lionel Shriver, best known for We Need To Talk About Kevin, on her new book Post Birthday World.

For young bookworms, there are appearances by former children’s laureate Michael Morpurgo and Katharine Holabird, creator of Angelina Ballerina.

A focus on British Asian literature features writers Mohammed Hanif, Nadeem Aslam and Hardeep Singh Kohli, while geneticist Professor Steve Jones, presenter of TV series In the Blood, will discuss evolution and creationalism.

Festival director Rachel Feldberg said: “The 35th anniversary festival is going to continue Ilkley Literature Festival’s great tradition of showing the best in contemporary literature.”

The festival runs from October 3 to 19. Tickets go on sale from Tuesday, August 26. For more details call (01943) 816714 or visit ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk

email: emma.clayton@telegraphandargus.co.uk