WINCHESTER Cathedral has launched a series of high-profile interviews to raise funds for a major appeal.

Former foreign secretary Douglas Hurd and current Culture Secretary and Basingstoke MP Maria Miller are two of four big names taking part in the first four Winchester Dialogues this autumn.

They are a series of 12 talks about the relationship between church and state in the 21st Century, featuring leading figures from the religious and secular worlds.

Guests will be interviewed by John Miller, former artistic director of the Winchester Festival, who came up with the programme as a way to support the cathedral’s £19m appeal to repair the building and improve exhibitions.

The Very Rev James Atwell, Dean of the cathedral, said: “John suggested we need to do something to join up our appeal and the cathedral ministry. If we are not careful we will have one track that deals with raising money for the appeal and another trying to keep up with cathedral activities but the two should be joined up and this is a tangible way to do it.

“This great concept is something new for us and will be interesting and enjoyable.”

Mr Miller added: “I hope the sum of these dialogues will be greater than the parts. People who might be interested in one may find all four are just as interesting.”

MP Frank Field and the Rt Rev Tim Dakin, Bishop of Winchester, also appear this year, with Lord Hurd kicking things off on September 13.

Interviews are divided into three groups of four and take place at Winchester Guildhall in autumn 2013, spring 2014 and autumn 2014. Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and author P.D. James will appear next spring.

The appeal is for several projects, including repairing the roof and medieval windows, improving the education centre and revamping the sound system and lighting.

It also funds new exhibitions including relocating the Winchester Bible to the ground floor; ‘Decoding the Stones’, an architectural history of the building; and ‘The Birth of a Nation’, researching the cathedral’s six mortuary chests containing the remains of Saxon kings.

Tickets cost £10 per talk, or all four for £30 if booked before September 13.

For more details visit winchester-cathedral.org.uk.