COMEDY LEGEND MARK STEEL has been announced as the headline act of a weekend of Comedy that takes place in the "Ronnie Barker Theatre of Comedy" as part of Rhythm Festival 2011. The Independent columnist and writer/ performer of the Mark Steel appears on Saturday 27th August and is joined over the weekend by a host of comedy performers.

The first to be announced are Nick Revel, Gary Delaney, The Raymond & Mr Timkins Revye, Chris Lynam, Ray Bradshaw, Jeff Innocent, Brain Damage & Krysttal, and Phil Dinsdale.

More acts will be announced for the Ronnie Barker Theatre of Comedy, including two further headliners. Ronnie Barker is a famous son of Bedfordshire and this year all the stages are named after local heroes, including John Le Mesurier, Dan Albone and Charles Penrose.

They join the previously announced musical acts, including Toots & The Maytals, Imelda May, Nick Lowe, Jack Bruce, Buzzcocks, Steve Cropper & The Animals, Terry Reid, Dodgy, The Blockheads, Oysterband, Burns Unit, Mud Morganfield, Sandi Thom, 9 Below Zero and Curved Air.