AMONG the many strands running through this year's Hay Festival is one celebrating the very particular art of the screenwriter.

The creators of some of the most popular and memorable shows on screens big and small will be in conversation, talking about their work.

On Saturday, Carrie Fisher, possibly best-known as Princess Leia in Star Wars but acclaimed today as one of the most admired and sought-after screenwriters in Hollywood will be talking to William Sieghart about her novels and her film career. On the same day Hans Rosenfeldt will be taking time out from writing the third series of the now iconic Danish -Swedish television thriller Bron/Broen/The Bridge to discuss Saga, Marin and the long-form drama.

Monday sees the co-creator, with Mark Gatiss, of Sherlock, Steven Moffat in conversation with Alan Yentob. He will also be discussing his work as lead writer on Doctor Who, where he was also executive producer during the David Tennant and Matt Smith incarnations of the doctor.

Lynda La Plante, the queen of crime writing, creator of television’s Prime Suspect and author of the new thriller Twisted, will discuss the nature of evil, heroism and detective work with Sarah Crompton, William Nicholson will talk to Peter Florence about his most recent screenplays, for Les Miserables and Mandela, and his new novel, Reckless.

The creators of Rev, Tom Hollander, James Woods and Jon Canter, will offer a glimpse inside the Rev Diaries - "I went into the newsagent’s for a packet of fags and I saw the exercise book, and I thought, yes, that’s got your name on it. Or it soon will. Buy it and fill it with your thoughts, which are many and beautiful and frequently in service to the Lord. Make a diary of your time at St Saviour’s. Maybe, in two hundred years’ time, you’ll be celebrated as the Samuel Pepys of the Church of England. Or a sort of Reverend Bridget Jones. Is that too much to hope for, Lord?"

Tom Hollander will also be on stage with Andrew Davies as the screenwriter and actor discuss and show clips from their film about the last days of Dylan Thomas in New York.

The writer and producer of Call the Midwife will be joined by one of the stars of the show, Jenny Agutter, share the pleasures of working on the stories, and, also on Sunday, June 1, Steve Coogan and Stephen Frears will talk to Alan Yentob about making Martin Sixsmith's book Philomena into a multi-award winning film.

Hay Festival runs from today, Thursday, until Sunday, June 1. Find full programme details at hayfestival.org