Charlie Brooker, Greg Davies and Romesh Ranganathan are among the stars supporting and attending the BBC’s inaugural Comedy Festival which will take place in Newcastle.
Newcastle will be dubbed the BBC’s first City of Comedy and the festival is designed for indie producers, anyone with a new career in TV and comedy, and people looking to break into or advance their career in the industry.
It will consist of a series of events, taking place across three days in May, as an opportunity to explore, reflect on and celebrate comedy in the UK. Black Mirror writer Charlie Brooker and co-writer of The Office, Stephen Merchant, will be among those attending.
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The billing also includes Jamie Demetriou, Megan Ganz, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Tim Renkow, Kat Sadler, Adjani Salmon, and Holly Walsh, plus the casts of BBC hits Ghosts and The Outlaws. The festival will see talent-led talks, panels, screenings, a short film night, live comedy, and the premiere of The Outlaws series two.
The BBC’s director of comedy John Petrie said: “We are excited to be coming to Newcastle, the BBC’s first City of Comedy, to celebrate comedy in all its forms and to outline BBC Comedy’s vision for the genre in 2022 and beyond.
“We are committed to nurturing, developing and collaborating with comedy enthusiasts across the UK, to ensure comedy remains a staple part of our British culture.”
The festival will commence on May 11, with Petrie outlining his vision for BBC comedy and highlighting commissioning opportunities to the comedy production sector. A number of industry figures from behind the camera will also be in attendance, including Ash Atalla (The Office), Gill Isles (Car Share), Tom Marshall (Ted Lasso), Christine Gernon (Gavin and Stacey), plus representatives from American broadcasters.
A selection of the festival’s panels and events will be opened up for the public to attend, and free tickets will be made available in due course. The BBC Comedy Festival will run from May 11 to May 13 in Newcastle upon Tyne.
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