CHILDREN’S TV favourite Andy Day will bring his enthusiasm for dinosaurs to Thornbury when he stages his energy-filled show at the town’s arts festival.

Folk singer-songwriter Seth Lakeman and Dr Phil Hammond – NHS doctor, broadcaster, comedian and campaigner – have also been booked to appear during the ten-day event.

They form part of a packed programme being finalised by the 2016 festival team, to be launched by comedy performer Tim Brooke-Taylor ahead of an on-stage chat about his career with Bristol writer and broadcaster Chris Serle.

Events featuring music, drama and film are in the schedule, as well as a guided walk in Frampton-on-Severn and a talk by BBC health correspondent Dominic Hughes.

Andy Day, best known for his work on the CBeebies channel, is set to be one of the big hits of the festival and three shows, with plenty of songs and dancing promised, will give as many youngsters as possible the chance to see the popular presenter.

He will appear during the same second weekend of the festival as the West Country’s Seth Lakeman, who has successfully steered English folk into the mainstream with high-energy performances and a series of best-selling albums.

His Armstrong Hall audience will also get the chance to hear the home-grown Thornbury talent of singer-songwriter Emily Teague, who returns to her roots as support act.

Meanwhile, Phil Hammond makes a welcome return to the town after last appearing in the award-winning comedy double act Struck Off or Die in the 1990s.

Thornbury Swing Band and Bristol Male Voice Choir are among other performers, while the Bristol-based Ministry of Entertainment will stage one of its most popular theatre productions, Doodlebugs and Bogeymen, taking a light hearted look at the lives of two evacuees in the Second World War.

Artistic director, Shirley Sharp, said: “We’ve got a fantastic line-up of events already planned, with something for everyone to enjoy. We’re especially pleased that Andy Day will be here as we wanted something special for children to see.”

The festival runs from April 15-24, with full details of events and ticket information available on the arts festival website www.thornburyartsfestival.com when the full programme has been drawn up.