Swindon Festival of Literature always throws up some surprises, and on only the first night there one was.
Broadcaster Clare Balding, who earlier in the day had been presenting the Badminton Horse Trials for the BBC and witnessing one of the closest finishes in its history, found herself rounding up three one day old ducklings on the presenters table on the stage at the Wyvern Theatre.
A surprised Clare was handed the ducks by festival Director Matt Holland after her talk to nearly 500 people.
See how she coped in a gallery below:
