Comedy stars Charlie Brooker (Black Mirror) and Romesh Ranganathan (Cinderella) are confirmed to be among the celebrities appearing at BBC’s first comedy festival, which is scheduled to take place in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, this May. Charlie Brooker is largely known for his work in writing 13 episodes of the hit thriller Black Mirror from 2011-2019. Romesh Ranganathan has starred in Cinderella (2021) and the BBC TV series King Gary as Stuart Williams.
According to Variety, the BBC’s first comedy festival is meant to celebrate comedy in all its forms and will be open to “anyone looking to advance their career or break into TV and comedy”, with BBC Comedy executives reportedly in attendance. Newcastle upon Tyne is a fitting destination, then, as it was named BBC’s first “City of Comedy” in 2021 in an effort to highlight the impact comedy has had on British culture. With the inauguration of the comedy festival, the city is about to be pushed even further into the spotlight.
Who’s-who of comedy to attend the festival
Along with Charlie Brooker and Romesh Ranganathan, the celebrity cast for the festival is said to include Jamie Demetriou (Cruella), Megan Ganz (Mythic Quest), Gbemisola Ikumelo (Famalam), Tom Renkow (Bobby & Harriet Get Married), Kat Sadler (The Mash Report), Adjani Salmon (Doctor Who), and Holly Walsh (Motherland) according to Yahoo News. The cast of BBC’s Ghosts, a comedy sitcom starring Rose McIver (iZombie), will also be in attendance, along with writers of The Office, Ted Lasso, and Gavin and Stacy.
Aside from boasting a celebrity cast, the festival is also said to include panels and talks led by comedy entertainment experts, TV & film screenings, and the premiere of season 2 of BBC’s The Outlaws (Rhianne Barreto, Darren Boyd).
The comedy festival is confirmed to be taking place between May 11-13, 2022 in Newford upon Tyne, England.
