COMEDY is the new rock and roll, or so we hear from time to time. Today’s big comic stars are big names with their own DVDs, appearing on TV panel shows with remarkable regularity.

As part of that trend, comedy festivals have become bigger and bigger.

Edinburgh’s Fringe festival is a massive event that fills the city with hordes of people.

Other parts of the country also have their own events, and now Oxford – a city with a rich comic tradition including such stars as Ronnie Barker and Rowan Atkinson – will join them.

We have a fashion week, and events dedicated to books, science and nature.

Now we can welcome the comedy festival to the mix.