TELEVISION heavyweights Michael Palin, Brian Blessed and Bill Cotton were on hand to entertain guests at Winchester's first Oldies Magazine literary lunch.

They mingled with the 230-strong audience at the city's Guildhall and signed copies of their latest books before delivering a series of after-dinner speeches.

Oldies editor Richard Ingrams has hosted the monthly events in London for four years but over the past year been taking them around the country.

Guests paid £37 for the three-course meal and to hear from the former Monty Python star Palin, TV and film actor Blessed, and Bill Cotton, the entertainment boss who discovered the Two Ronnies.

As the lunch was so well supported the magazine is hoping to bring the event back to Winchester on a more regular basis in the future.

Richard Ingrams said: "There are more people here than we get at our London lunches, the response has been incredible.

"We always have three speakers so there is always quite a variety and it provides a day out for the readers where they can combine it with doing other things."

Global traveller Michael Palin said: "I am very keen on doing things outside the big metropolises like London, Birmingham and Manchester which get a lot of authors visiting them.

"I enjoy doing these in county towns and other cities because there is a large amount of people there who all listen and appreciate it, and I love going to different places."