Fixing the NHS, stopping wars and the impact of AI on the democratic process headline a packed programme of events at this year's Cambridge Festival.

The annual festival, organised by the University of Cambridge, returns from March 13 to 28.

The full programme will be announced on February 12 and includes a series of more than 360 mostly free events.

Bookings will open that same day at www.festival.cam.ac.uk.

Events will explore the university's work on three of the world's greatest challenges - climate, cancer and AI - and will include talks, debates, tours, book launches, exhibitions, workshops, music, comedy, theatre, walks, films, demonstrations and more.

The festival's events fall under four broad themes - health, society, environment and discovery.

Events under the health category include the panel discussion 'How can we fix the NHS and social care?' on March 21 at Cambridge Union Society.

The society category includes 'How will AI affect the democratic process?' - a panel discussion taking place on March 20 at Cambridge Union Society.

For environment, professor of energy and sustainability in the university's chemistry department Erwin Reisner presents 'Capturing sunlight for a sustainable future' on March 16 at Wolfson College.

Under the discovery theme, 'The nomadic storyteller from the north' - author and toymaker Richard O'Neill - will weave spellbinding Romani tales at the Babbage Lecture Theatre on March 24.

Highlights this year also include talks about several new books.

Verity Harding will launch her book Aesthetics and Counter-Aesthetics of International Justice; AI Needs You on March 19 at the Alison Richard building.

Historian Professor Richard Evans, author of Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich, will join a panel discussion on 'How do wars end?' on Monday, March 25 at the Cambridge Union Society.

Meanwhile the BBC's disinformation correspondent Marianna Spring - author of Among the Trolls: My Journey Through Conspiracyland - will be part of a discussion 'Misinformation, statistics and lies' at Cambridge Union Society on March 26.

Cambridge Festival manager David Cain said: "I would encourage everyone to dive into the programme and fill their diaries to the brim!"