Birmingham set for comedy fest

Peter Kay, Ed Byrne and the cast of the Fast Show are to appear at the second Birmingham Comedy Festival.

The line-up for October's event has just been unveiled, with a full programme of stand-up, theatre, film and comedy workshops.

Venues such as the Alexandra Theatre, UCG Theatre, Jongleurs and The Glee club all taking part.

Festival founder Dave Freak, said: "Last year's inaugural festival was a resounding success and this year's line-up is looking even better.

"The West Midlands has a rich comedy heritage - from Sid Field and Tony Hancock right up to Frank Skinner - and this festival also highlights the next generation of local talent."

Other names appearing at the festival include Daniel Kitson, Garth Marenghi creator Matt Holness and Janice Connolly, wo performs as Mrs Barbara Nice.

Connolly said the success of Ozzy Osbourne's fly-on-the-wall docu-comedy in America should strengthen Birmingham's position on the map.

The city is hoping the comedy festival will help its bid to become a future European city of culture. Liverpool has similar hopes for its comedy festival, which takes place in July.

For more details on the Birmingham festival, visit the official website.

Published: 16 Jun 2002