A HOST of top names have been lined up for the revived Newcastle Comedy Festival, which will take place from October 1-10. Local lad made good, Ross Noble, heads an array of household names gearing up to tickle funny bones in Newcastle's Exhibition Park.

Hell's Kitchen's Al Murray will kick off the festival with his one-man show on Friday, October 1. It will be followed later that night by a star-studded opening gala starring Danny Bhoy and Boothby Graffoe.

TV favourites such as Jeff Green, Ed Byrne, Jimmy Carr, Dylan Moran and Richard Whiteley have agreed to appear throughout the festival, which is making a comeback after a four-year absence.

Exhibition Park will be turned into a huge open air village, with comedians performing in theatre-style marquees, including a 500-seater Spiegel tent, which will also serve food and drink and play host to cabaret-style shows. There will also be numerous other food and drink outlets.

The festival is a Hotbed 2004 event supported by Newcastle City Council, culture10 and Northern Rock Foundation

Festival director, Lorraine Brown, says: "This year's line-up is our most ambitious to date with a view towards broadening our audience by programming shows as diverse as Comedy For Kids, the Reduced Shakespeare Company, An Audience With... , and the very best in stand-up. We've tried to put together a festival for everyone and this year we've really achieved that goal."