IT’S being billed as a cross between a literary luncheon and a TV reality show in which Gwent personalities are taking a leading part.

Poet Patrick Jones, of Blackwood, will be one of the contestants in the Cardiff round of the Literary Death Match - a quickfire game based on an American format.

Chairing the panel of judges will be ITV personality and former Argus writer Nicholas Whitehead.

“The writers will go at it hammer and tongues,” Mr Whitehead said.

“Each one gets seven minutes to coming up with something fresh and witty which the others will then rip into with, we hope, much merriment.

“The idea is to combine their intellectual aspects of a literary salon with the watchability of celebrity reality show.

“The judges will take literary merit into account but we will also be looking for the intangible factor which will engage the audience and keep their smart phones in their pockets.”

Patrick Jones is a professional poet and self-described ‘ranter’ who has turned his pen and voice to several local causes including the ill-fated attempt to save ancient woodland at Oakdale fromdevelopment as an industrial estate.

Mr Whitehead was the Argus crime writer before moving to ITV as part of the Ferret team.

Literary Death Matches have already been fought in New Orleans, Paris, Dublin, Chicago, Edinburgh and New York.

Other judges at the LDM at Cardiff Arts Centre on May 10 at 8.15pm sharp will be American comedienne Taylor Glenn and Mr Huw Ellis, grandson of Dylan Thomas.

Visit www.literarydeath match.com for more information.