THIS week sees a host of free arts and entertainment events during Bournemouth University’s Fest-ival of Learning.

Theatre productions, flash fiction competitions and writing workshops are among the activities on offer until Sunday.

These include talks exploring why Doctor Who has become such a cultural phenomenon, performances of popular theatre productions, and workshops to give those who’ve always wanted to write a novel the skills and confidence to get started.

John Foster, a BAFTA-winning writer and screenwriter-in-residence at Bournemouth University, is running free workshops with his theatre production company Doppel-ganger Dialogues as part of the Festival of Learning.

There will also be two performances of John’s play The Murder Wife, about a suburban housewife who finds out she’s married to a serial killer.

They will be at BU’s Talbot Campus and the Winchester pub in Bournemouth, and will be followed by question and answer sessions with cast and crew.

“Although we are a fringe theatre company, we produce highly-charged, dramatic theatre and wish to reach a popular audience; we are not obscurest but wish to engage and communicate with audiences,” said John.

“In last year’s Festival, we presented a play called Five Go Killing which was a sell-out and we hope to repeat the same this year.

“This is exciting, dramatic theatre which I am sure will engage people like last year.”

Festival of Learning events are open to all and take place at the university’s Talbot and Lansdowne campuses, as well as at locations across Dorset.