A FARMER whose livestock was slaughtered because of foot-and-mouth disease is turning to stand-up comedy for light relief.

David Gibson, who farms at Lanchester, County Durham, has reached the semi-finals of the So You Think You're Funny competition for comedy newcomers.

The 35-year-old will travel to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival next Wednesday to try to secure a place in the final of the Channel 4-sponsored competition.

He said: "The competition's going to be stiff so I'm just going to go up there and enjoy it."

Mr Gibson, a former professional pianist, stumbled into comedy by accident last September when he was invited to accompany a group of singers at a friend's wedding.

He said: "I decided to liven up by inventing a character and telling a few gags.

"It went down really well and everyone said I should do it properly."

Two weeks after his first performance, foot-and-mouth was confirmed on the farm and the livestock was slaughtered.

Mr Gibson said: "I got into comedy because I enjoyed it and it was a bit of fun.

"I didn't do it because of foot-and-mouth and I don't do any farming jokes."

During his routine Mr Gibson transforms himself into a character called Bobby Dresser, a Northern nightclub entertainer who has hit hard times and turned to comedy.

He said: "He's pretty similar to the character at the wedding. It's something a bit different from ordinary stand-up because I have a character and it's very musically-orientated."

Read more about foot-and-mouth here.