Brighton venue launches annual comedy festival

Comedian Nish Kumar will headline on the final day of the festival

A new annual comedy festival is aiming to bring "some of the UK's most exciting talent" to the south coast of England.

This year, the Brighton Dome Comedy Festival will run for four days until Sunday, across the venue's three spaces - the Concert Hall, Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre.

The line-up will feature traditional stand-up performances, improv, storytelling, art installations and other events.

Headliners include stand-up comedians Fern Brady, Nish Kumar and Paul Foot.

The event will also be live-captioned by a team of stenographers, led by comedy specialist Claire Hill, the Dome said.

This is to "welcome comedy fans who are deaf or have hearing loss".

Taskmaster star Fern Brady will headline the festival on Thursday

For fans of Taskmaster and TikTok sketches, Live at Brighton Dome Bleeped in the Corn Exchange will feature names such as stand-up Finlay Christie and social media star Daniel Foxx.

Bleeped contains "all the jokes without the rude bits" and is suitable for ages 11 and up, the venue said.

One-off shows throughout the festival include one from Have I Got News For You panellist Maisie Adam, who will perform on Thursday amid her UK tour.

Meanwhile, Welsh comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean will also perform as part of her UK tour on Friday.

Shows for children include Scottish comedian Phil Kay’s "Gimme Your Left Shoe", where "every kid gives Phil their left shoe and does a wee skit to win it back".

Free workshops, led by a local comedian will also be available for young people to develop writing skills and learn about various comedic elements.

On the last day, participants will have the opportunity to perform in a showcase held in the Studio Theatre, hosted by award-winning comedian Michael Akadiri.