Best-seller Joanna Trollope and Alan Johnson to star at Books by the Beach

They are in the line-up for the fourth Books by the Beach festival which will run from Wednesday April 26 to Monday May 1 – later than previous years.

Event co-director Heather French said: “ We’re constantly looking for ways to broaden our programme and widen our audience and I’m hoping our 2017 events will do that.”

Ann Cleeves, creator of two high profile TV series, Vera and Shetland, is headlining a pre-festival event at Scarborough Library Concert Hall on Friday February 10 at 6pm.

She will be talking about her latest book Cold Earth. Tickets from the StephenJoseph Theatre now.

After the book signing Ann will be whisked away to Eat Me Cafe to share a Slice of Shetland with 32 diners. Tickets for this one off event are £40 to include a three-course dinner are available from Eat Me in Hanover Road.

Adventure and ‘girl power’ feature in the 2017 line-up when the festival welcomes Four Mums in a Boat. It’s the incredible story of four working mums from Yorkshire who made history by crossing the Atlantic in 67 days and picking up a record along the way as the oldest women to row any ocean.

The champion team comprises of Janette Benaddi, 51, mum and a clinical researcher, Helen Butters, 45, mum and a communications expert in the NHS, Niki Doeg, 45, mum and business owner, Frances Davies, 47, mum and solicitor. The four rowers will be at Scarborough Spa Theatre on Friday April 28 at 7.30pm. Tickets are on sale at the Spa and the Stephen Joseph Theatre.

Joanna Trollope will be opening the festival at 10am on Wednesday April 26 when she speaks about her new novel City of Friends.

Labour politician Alan Johnson makes a welcome return on Sunday April 30 with his third memoir The Long and Winding Road.

Gift vouchers redeemable against 2017 Festival tickets and are available now from the Stephen Joseph Theatre and the Scarborough Spa box office