Television newsman George Alagiah has become a huge hit even before he appears at Wellington Literary Festival, with a huge waiting list of people wanting to hear him speak.

Telephone lines to Wellington Civic Centre have been jammed with people hoping to snap up a last-minute ticket, but there is none left.

Councillor Gary Davies, festival chairman, said today: “I’m making a heart-felt plea to people – please don’t phone us for tickets for George Alagiah.

“All 420 tickets are gone and we have a waiting list of more than 60 people hoping for cancellations.”

The BBC newsreader and reporter has proved to be the festival’s most popular attraction in its 12-year history.

The former Tamil immigrant boy, now a media celebrity, will launch this year’s events on October 4 at Wrekin College with a talk called A Home From Home, giving a personal view of multi-culturalism in the UK.

Students from Wrekin College will be selling signed copies of Mr Alagiah’s account of his life and views, with profits to be donated to the Malawi orphanage sponsored by the college.

A talk by Liverpool football hero Ian Rush on October 28 is also fully booked, with a waiting list.

All events at the festival are free although admission is on a ticket-only basis for the most popular events.