THE programme for the 10th Boswell Book Festival will be announced on March 18, but the Cumnock Chronicle can reveal that film lovers will be flocking to hear one guest’s talk.

Oscar and BAFTA-winning special effects guru John Richardson, has been involved in over 100 movies in a career spanning over half a century.

For those who have wondered about how Harry Potter can fly whilst playing Quidditch, then Richardson will tell you as he worked on every one of the Harry Potter films.

The premiere of the latest James Bond film may have been postponed, but from the original Casino Royale in 1967 to Die Another Day in 2002, John Richardson has worked on nine instalments of the world famous franchise.

He will also be spilling the beans on how he has made the impossible look possible for 007, armed with ingenious devices supplied by Q. Other films include Aliens, A Bridge Too Far and The Omen.

His book, Making Movie Magic,e reveals how the wizardry that flows through films is created – as life is breathed into creatures that amaze and haunt, people lose their heads or huge explosions fill our screens.

John has come to hold a unique place in cinema history, and Making Movie Magic lifts the lid on an exciting and fascinating career in a supremely readable account from one of the legends of UK Special Effects.

Festival Director Caroline Knox is excited at the prospect of such a special guest appearing.

She said: “This is really going to be an event for all the family – we all love the escapism of films and John Richardson’s work over the years has been at the heart of so many of our favourites”.

With more than five decades of adventures under his belt, and a vast photographic collection of unseen pictures, this illustrated talk will lift the lid on his exciting and fascinating career of making movie magic. John Richardson will be appearing at noon on Saturday, May 9.

For more details log on to www.boswellbookfestival.co.uk,

The Boswell Book Festival is a great example of an event that mixes Scottish history and tradition, with contemporary culture and an iconic setting to create something really special for visitors.

Named after the Ayrshire writer James Boswell, the inventor of modern biography, the festival is staged by The Boswell Trust, a Scottish registered charity whose Trustees include the senior direct descendant Margaret Boswell Eliott.

The festival in the past has attracted stars such as John Sessions, Bill Paterson, John Byrne, Dame Judie Dench, Sally Magnusson, Kirsty Wark, James Naughtie, Kate Adie and Tam Dalyell and is one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the calendar.