A sold-out talk by esteemed war reporter, Jeremy Bowen, due to take place today, at the Isle of Wight Literary Festival, has been cancelled due to Covid-19.

The BBC’s international editor was due to deliver a session on The Making of the Modern Middle East, at St Mary's Church in Cowes, at 2pm. 

Scroll down for details on talks by Lynda La Plante and Emma Soames...

The broadcaster has reported from more than 70 countries and covered wars in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Chechnya, Somalia, the Middle East, Rwanda and former Yugoslavia.

Today (Thursday) is day one of the Isle of Wight Literary Festival.

Organisers have emailed ticket-holders to advise them of the cancellation, after the Six Days, War Stories and The Arab Uprisings author contracted Covid-19.

There are a host of events taking place today (Thursday), meanwhile, on day one of the festival, which is based at Northwood House in Cowes, and surouding venues.

Still taking place today, however, is an illustrated lecture by Barnaby Rogerson, on Dervla Murphy, Sir Winston Churchill, Norman Lewis, Gavin Maxwell and Martha Gelhorn, in a bid to understand what makes a travel writer and an enduring classic.

There will an audience with Winston Churchill's granddaugter, Emma Soames, about her mother's unique portrait of war, from the private diaries of the former Primer Minister.

At 6pm, award-winning crime writer Lynda La Plante will discuss her career as an actor, screenwriter and novelist, in Northwood House's ballroom.