The BBC Comedy Festival is returning for a second year and this time Cardiff has been named the new BBC City of Comedy. The capital will be playing host to the festival in May, a year after it took place in Newcastle.
Ahead of the event, which takes place between Wednesday, May 24 and Friday, May 26, the BBC has announced the line-up, and it's full of major stars. Those in the stellar line-up include the creators of both Sucession, Jesse Armstrong, and Motherland, Sharon Horgan, as well as Gavin & Stacey's Rob Brydon and Stath Lets Flats' Jamie Demetriou.
The Comedy Festival is an opportunity to gather the component parts of the comedy industry together and remind the outside world that British comedy is one of our greatest cultural triumphs Across three days there will be a series of talent-led talks, panels, screenings, a short film night, live comedy shows, BBC Sounds recordings and an exclusive screening and Q&A for BBC Three comedy Man Like Mobeen.
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Director of Comedy, Jon Petrie, said: "Following on from the success of the BBC Comedy Festival last year, we are looking forward to bringing the UK’s finest comedy minds to Cardiff, in May, to inspire, celebrate and talk seriously about comedy – a crucial part of British culture." Here's what you need to know.
When is the BBC Comedy Festival and can you get tickets?
Following on from the success of the inaugural BBC Comedy Festival in Newcastle in May 2022, Cardiff has been named the new BBC City of Comedy and will be playing host to the Comedy Festival from Wednesday, May 24 to Friday, May 26.
A selection of the festival’s panels and events will be opened up for the public to attend, and the free tickets will be made available in due course once the schedule has been announced via Sherman Theatre.
The BBC City of Comedy will see a calendar of live events over the course of the year, starting with two free stand-up comedy nights at St David’s Hall in Cardiff. Tickets are available here.
Who is in the BBC Comedy Festival line-up?
Some of the names confirmed to speak at the festival are Bisha K Ali, Jesse Armstrong, Tom Basden, Peter Baynham, Rob Brydon, Jamie Demetriou, Sharon Horgan, Guz Khan, Kayleigh Llewellyn, Nida Manzoor, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Diane Morgan, Mawaan Rizwan, Danielle Vitalis, Holly Walsh and Katy Wix.
There will also be a host of established comedy producers taking part in the sessions such as Kenton Allen (Big Talk), Ash Atalla (RoughcutTV), Phil Clarke (Various Artists Ltd) and Nerys Evans (Expectation).
What is the BBC Comedy Festival?
The BBC Comedy Festival is a chance for producers, both established and new, and those taking their first steps in the TV industry, to come and reflect, celebrate, and explore comedy in the UK. On Thursday the sessions will be largely industry focused, and Friday will be more geared towards those wishing to break into the industry. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
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