All Hail The Book of a Thousand Dreams

So the time has finally arrived, comedy fans - the brochure for next year's festival is on the loose! 75,000 copies are now floating around the city and county for you to take home and salivate over, then throw away the sodden mess, pick up another one and try not to ruin it with your sputum.

Obviously I'm particularly pleased to be appearing on page 101 of the brochure (right at the end of the main listings), but obviously the main excitement comes from the 500 or so shows that will be taking place across the city and beyond, in 17 days of comedic bliss - I can't wait to immerse myself in the mayhem! You can book your tickets through the venues themselves, or book multiple shows across venues at the festival website http://www.comedy-festival.co.uk/, so start booking now!

Like a vulture with a biro, I've been hungrily circling shows that I'm particularly looking forward to, and I'll be doing plenty of preview posts between now and February, giving you the lowdown on which shows I'll be seeing. I'll also try and break down the gelatinous comedy mass into bitesize chunks, with posts on which shows will suit which tastes, the best free shows for the financially pathetic (of which I am one), and there will even be a few FREE TICKETS to be won right here (as soon as I've devised a silly enough competition), so watch this space!

In conclusion: