Jo will be bringing back some of her best loved characters including Celia Johnson from Brief Encounter, Bjork and many more.

"Quite brilliant…Hilariously expressive" - Chortle

A comedy regular on TV and radio, Isy is best known for playing Dobby in Channel 4's Peep Show. She's on the team of Tilt (BBC7) and a writer for Channel 4's Skins.

"Bittersweet and charming" - The Independent

Star of Bafta-winning comedy The Thick of It and his own sitcom Lab Rats, Addison is a two time nominated Perrier Award nominee and a top class purveyor of smartarse daftness, whimsy, lies and flapping about.

"A fantastic show. Flawless" - The Independent

Charming and offensive in equal measure, Australian born Jim Jeffries' brash confrontational style has made him one of the most sought after comics on the world stage.

"One of the most gratifyingly riotous comedians working today" - The List

Quite simply one of the sharpest and best improv troupes working today, the team behind the sell-out West-end and Edinburgh hit, The Reduced Edinburgh Fringe Impro Show, present a night of Comedy, sketches and songs all completely made up from Scratch. No script, no rehearsals and no integrity.

"A great evening's entertainment." - The Stage

Like being 'tickled by a teddy bear' David O'Doherty (Comedy Live, if.comeddie Award nominee) brings his hilarious brand of 'very low-energy musical whimsy' to the festival in his brand new show.

For one day only your town centre is going to be transformed. Enjoy an outdoor spectacular featuring some very strange creatures.

Who are they? Where are they from? Come and enjoy this FREE event of theatre, music & intrigue…

Commissioned by Berkshire Venues Consortium.

Making the stage their own patch, our Wise Crackers 2008 participants will prove their comedy mettle. They've been initiated into the world of comedy by their professional mentors, faced-off against opponents from other local venues, and now it's time to see if they have what it takes to make you laugh.

Sponsored by First Great Western, Vodafone, Berkshire Community Foundation

Fresh from his hit BBC Radio 4 series, showbiz legend and raconteur Count Arthur Strong reminds us just what we've been missing since his last television series, 'Robin Hood and his Merry Squirrels' was axed in 1960 something.

"Character Comedy at its absolute finest" - Telegraph

(I'm Still Standing - MC Tom Deakin)

One of last year's most popular gigs - our comedy pub crawl returns. Visit five of Newbury's finest hostelries and enjoy a pint and a top stand-up in each. Over 18's only.

Winner of the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Award 2006 and Chortle Best Newcomer presents his first-ever one-hour show, 'Minimum Fuss'. It's best appreciated if there's an audience. Please, please come.

"Blisteringly confident delivery…like a comic with five times his experience" - Chortle

Comedy Best Newcomer Nominee 2007 presents her hilarious routines on the many absurdities of life, with tremendous energy and a kaleidoscope of voices and faces.

"confident and razor sharp" - Observer Magazine

Tackling everything from poached salmon to lesbian handbags The Extra Ordinary World of New Art Club offers fast and funny insights on life. Following in a long line of hits from dancer comedians Tom Roden and Pete Shenton - aka New Art Club - this promises to be one the most original nights in this year's festival.

Commissioned by The Corn Exchange.

"back-achingly, stomach-creasingly funny" - The Herald

Best Breakthrough Act - North West Comedy Awards 2006.

From rotund, put-upon divorcee to all-round comedy superwoman - via moving back in with her parents, hating children and a lot of trifle - the lovely Sarah Millican tells her tale. The sweetness hides a sharp tongue.

"Her laughter rate is exceptional ****" - The Scotsman.

Follow Fat Tongue to a warped world in which Hollywood stars glass each other in Faliraki, public school backpackers travel round Middle Earth on their gap year, and designer couples adopt babies with hues to compliment their wardrobes.

"a real discovery…the best of this year's sketch shows" - The Sunday Times

Written and performed by Dan and Jeff - Directed and co-written by Richard Hurst.

After the hilarious success of Potted Potter, delightful double act Dan and Jeff return with this new compressed caper. In search of talking parrots and mysterious buried treasure, they're swapping wizards for walking the plank and trading Hogwarts for the high seas.

"Inventive, daft fun for all the family" - The Guardian

This can't be happening! Just yesterday Richard Herring was 20 years old and he had his whole life ahead of him. Then he blinked and bang - it's 2008 and he's still single and he makes a living being childish and puerile to strangers in the dark.

"One of Britain's smartest solo comedians - The Guardian

Sponsored by Thomas Eggar.

Tony Law vs Piranha II: Flying Killers Flying killer Piranha's and dumb hot girls in bikinis - could this be the best worst film ever? Join Nicko, Joe and special guest Tony Law, as they celebrate the guilty joy that is a good bad movie. Live commentary takes you through bad plot lines, terrible dialogue, awful acting and som eof the worst special effects known to man.

"try not to die laughing" - Empire

Perrier Award nominee and surreal comedian extraordinaire Simon Munnery brings his unique character creations to the festival, including Alan Parker - Urban Warrior and The League Against Tedium.

"Any serious fan of comedy should know his work" - Chortle

(New Act Competition - MC Matt Rudge)

All will be revealed in the final of our very own UK wide stand-up competition. See the 10 finalists (as voted by previous audiences) battle it out for the top prize.

Hosted by Gill Smith and Mike Facherty.

Think a bit of Fry & Laurie with a dash of Ripping Yarns and a twist of Big Train - the Dreadful's dash into Newbury with a new rip-roaring tale of murder and intrigue, venturing through the murky Victorian London underworld where the lives of a policeman, an embezzler and a children's author are irreversibly intertwined...simply brilliant comedy theatre.

"The show was so funny I was glad I wasn't wearing eyeliner when I went to see it, because by the end it would have been smeared all over my face from tears of laughter. *****" - British Theatre Guide

New Greenham Arts residents Plested & Brown (creators of 'Minor spectacular' and 'Hot Pursuit') return with their brand new show - an epic jungle romance stamped with government health warning. From big screen to small stage, the only thing missing is Danny Devito.

"Impeccable comic timing" - The Scotsman

After a four-year absence, the award-winning comedian and Jungle Celebrity survivor makes her much anticipated return to the stand-up stage. A sell-out in Edinburgh and London, this intimate show takes the audience through Rhona's darkly comical, ridiculous life.

"A performance masterclass" - Chortle

Sponsored by Newbury Building Society.

Scotland's favourite kilted treasure, and star of BBC's Live Floor Show, Craig delivers his cheeky, irreverent and wonderfully camp blend of incisive stand-up, fabulous musical characterisations and improvisation.

"Craig Hill live is a revelation - The patron saint of camp comedy" - The Scotsman

With an ever-growing stack of plaudits and top reviews Pappy's Fun Club are one of THE comedy sketch groups of the moment. A joyful house of uplifting post-sketch comedy packed full of characters, music, and revelry.

"Extraordinarily fresh and funny…glorious stuff ****" - The Times

An evening of personal anecdotes, observation and sheer unadulterated wit as Michael forgoes the gimmicks and gets on with what he does best - making people laugh.

"Makes you laugh till your face hurts" - The Scotsman

Sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland

Internationally acclaimed Canadian émigré Craig Campbell is one of those natural raconteurs with a unique ability to find humour in the mundane.

"Looking like a cross between a Victorian boxer and a friendly Mountie, Campbell regales his rowdy crowd with tales of bear and shark attacks, mooseshagging and his recent encounter with some vicious midges." - The Metro****

Fun for Kids (5-10 years)

Modern Cautionary Tales for Children is an innovative, interactive and ground-breaking poetry show. A chance for children to get dancing on-stage, completing simple fun poems, being ponies and getting seriously involved in live interactive poetry - a raucous, silly, scary, funny poignant and enlightening hour of merriment and mayhem.

"one of the greatest children's entertainers I have ever seen!" - The Scotsman *****

Created and performed by Tameka Empson ('Leah' in Beautiful Thing, 3 Non-Blondes). The Unsung Diva is a show about the self proclaimed diva who didn't quite make it. Set in a Motown cabaret style, this comic send-up of 'an audience with' explores life, fame and being in love with 'Eddie Jones'.

A unique talent, stand-up poet Murray Lachlan Young presents his particular brand of sometimes demented and always funny humour. From the light almost flippant thoughts of celebrity 'hairjacking' and fair trade sex aids, into the dark satirical underworld of fast food nightmares, Young makes hilarious comments on the world around.

"As good as it gets… masterful" The Herald ****

They say all political careers end in tears - in Gyles Brandreth's case it's tears of laughter as the writer, broadcaster, former MP and government whip takes us on an hilarious no-holds-barred roller-coaster ride around the corridors of power.

"Gyles Brandreth is brilliant…incredibly funny, wildly indiscreet" - Daily Mail

Following the phenomenal success of 'Grumpy Old Women', self appointed Grumpy team captain is back on the road. Expect lots of stuff about motherhood, the etiquette of alcohol and clothes rage.

"The sparky, irreverent mother of all female stand-up comics" - The Guardian

Sponsored by Sabai

The big, fast paced and foul mouthed late night jongleurs is back! Packed full of some of the best stand-up from the UK's leading comedy company.