TV stars turned authors Richard and Judy are heading to Cumbria – with Mr Madeley making a return to the county where he carved out his broadcasting career.

The couple will be appearing in Carlisle and Keswick as part of a tour to promote Richard’s latest paperback, The Night Book.

His novel is set in the Lake District in the heatwave summer of 1976.

Richard and his wife Judy Finnegan will be at the Crown & Mitre Hotel in the centre of Carlisle on July 4 before appearing at the Queen’s Hall, Keswick, 24 hours later.

They will take part in talks and Q&A sessions before signing books.

Richard and Judy, who also writes novels, are the latest literary names to make their way to Cumbria thanks to the efforts of the independent retailer Bookends.

Confirmation of their visit to the county comes as the Matthews family, which runs Books Cumbria, prepares to make changes to its operations in Carlisle.

On Wednesday, Bookends in Carlisle, which sells new titles, closed its doors after more than 20 years on the same site.

It is relocating and on Monday it will reopen further along Castle Street in the city’s historic quarter.

It is joining the rest of the family’s enterprises under the same roof.

Bookends is taking over part of the Castle Street building that is already home to the family’s second hand and antiquarian store Bookcase and its latest venture, the Cakes and Ale cafe.

Bookcase has been a stalwart of Castle Street for more than 30 years.

Fifteen people help the Matthews family – Steve and Gwenda and their daughter Lucy – run their Carlisle operations.

Partner Lucy said: “We closed Bookends on Wednesday afternoon and now it’s a case of packing everything up and moving down the street.

“We’ve had a really nice response from people who said it’ll be nice to have everything under one roof.”

She added: “We’ve also just heard that we’ve got Richard and Judy coming for two days in July.

“For Richard he’s going to be coming back to where he once lived and worked. And he particularly wanted to do something here in Cumbria because his latest book is set in Keswick.”

Books Cumbria also has a branch of Bookends in Keswick.

Richard Madeley has worked in media since he was 16. He was a deputy editor of a local paper before he moved to BBC Radio Carlisle, where he was a reporter and producer.

From radio he moved to television, which led him to meet his future wife Judy. They also co-created the hugely popular Richard and Judy Book Club.

One of Britain’s best-loved poets is also heading to Carlisle this summer.

Carol-Ann Duffy, appointed Poet Laureate in 2009, will be at Carlisle Cathedral on June 28.

Her visit, alongside other poets, is in association with Bookends of Carlisle and will coincide with and support the 10th anniversary of Independent Bookshop Week.

Tickets for the Richard and Judy events are on sale priced £12. Carol-Ann Duffy’s event at the cathedral are available, priced £15.