Welsh comedian/actor Rob Brydan will lead a stellar line-up at the BBC Comedy Festival as it makes its way to Cardiff next month. 

Following on from the success of the inaugural BBC Comedy Festival in Newcastle last year, Cardiff has been named the new BBC City of Comedy and will play host to the Comedy Festival from May 24 to 26. 

The Comedy Festival runs across three days and will consist 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.

Some of the names confirmed to speak at the festival in Cardiff along with Brydon include Jamie Demetriou, Holly Walsh, Katy Wix, Bisha K Ali, Jesse Armstrong and Tom Basden.

Alongside them will be Peter Baynham, Sharon Horgan, Guz Khan, Kayleigh Llewellyn, Nida Manzoor, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Diane Morgan, Mawaan Rizwan and Danielle Vitalis.

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).

The BBC said the 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, while Friday will be more geared toward those wishing to break into the industry.

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 once the schedule has been announced via Sherman Theatre.

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.”

The BBC City of Comedy will see a calendar of live events held in Cardiff over the course of the year, starting with two free stand-up comedy nights at St David’s Hall.