The Beatles fans meet John Byrne

Whether it's his writing on hit 1980s show Tutti Frutti or the illustrations in his latest book Donald & Benoit, based on bedtime stories for his own children, John Byrne is loved for many reasons. As a result, the 71-year-old's book festival appearance this week attracted an audience of all ages. On closer inspection, I started to notice a few round-framed spectacles, lots of long hair and then the giveaway - someone with an original 12" LP of The Beatles Ballads . Paul Dickson, 36, from Ormiston in East Lothian, was among those who queued to meet him. He tells us why in the Audioboo below. We asked Byrne to share a book festival memory with us. Here's his response: "I remember being asked by the BBC to pick up a film crew and stick them in the back of my old Landrover and drive around Edinburgh city centre whilst interviewing Garrison Keillor who sat relaxed but tight-lipped in the passenger seat. "I have never seen the end result. That was at the 1985 Book Festival." See today's Guardian Review for a celebration of Byrne's painting and the story behind his signature name, Patrick.