THE actress Michelle Collins, known for her role in soaps such as EastEnders, is to appear at the Glasgow book festival, Aye Write!

She will be at the city's Mitchell Library to discuss her new book, This Is Me, on April 6.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2014 programme, where there will be appearances by a host of writers, journalists, historians and commentators, including William McIlvanney, James Robertson, Liz Lochhead, Kirsty Wark, Tom Leonard, Iain Macwhirter, AL Kennedy, Margaret Drabble and Val McDermid.

The sometimes controversial comedian Frankie Boyle will talk about the works that influenced him most in a strand of events called The Books Who Made Me.

The festival, of which The Herald & Times is media partner, runs from April 4 to 12 and an event called Remembering Iain Banks will be held on the first day.

It also features a celebration of Nelson Mandela.