Pullman joins book event

PHILIP PULLMAN and John le Carre are among the best-selling authors taking part in the launch of World Book Night in London. They will be joined by host Graham Norton at the event in Trafalgar Square on Friday, March 4.

Organisers said they expected an audience of around 10,000 people at what they described as “a glittering celebration of the written word”.

Authors including playwright Alan Bennett and Nobel Prize winning poet Derek Walcott will take part in a series of readings and performances on the night.