THE force will be with Star Wars fans in Gwent when actress Femi Taylor pays a visit this weekend.

Femi - who played the slave dancer Oola in Return of the Jedi - is to be the guest of honour at a sci-fi and comic fair at Newport Leisure Centre.

An R2D2 robot will also be at the event - and both it and Femi will be available to have photographs taken with members of the public and to sign autographs.

The visit comes just days in advance of the new film, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, going out on general release at cinemas across the country on May 19.

Femi and R2D2 are to be at the centre between noon and 3pm on Sunday.

It was 1983 when Femi first played Jabba the Hutt's slave dancer in Return of the Jedi.

Then 15 years later she was asked to play the same part for the Return of the Jedi: Special Edition.

Femi, who says her favourite movie in the Star Wars trilogy is The Empire Strikes Back, has also been in the movie version of the popular musical Cats.

Event organiser Steve Rogers said that dealers from all over the UK will also be at the sci-fi fair, selling comics, trading cards, toys and action figures. There will also be film and TV-related memorabilia.

Mr Rogers, who lives in Newport, added: "We run the sci-fi fairs every two to three months in Newport. We always get a good crowd."

His business partner, Terry Gay, who runs the comic stall Negative Zone in Newport market, added: "We are expecting between 1,000 and 2,000 people."

The fair opens at noon, £1.50 for adults, £1 for those aged under 12 and free for under-nines.