Jools Holland and Paul Merton lined up to star at revamped Ludlow Arts Festival
Big names from the world of comedy and music have been lined up for this summer's new-look Ludlow Arts Festival.
Comedians Paul Merton and Reginald D Hunter and stars of music including Jools Holland, 10CC, The Hollies and The Searchers are coming to the town for the festival, which will run from June 21 to 30.
Classical music fans can also look forward to a recreation of The Last Night of the Proms spectacular, presented by Gyles Brandreth and featuring the English National Philharmonic Orchestra and a fireworks spectacular.
The revamped extravaganza has been put together after the 50-year-old Ludlow Festival crashed last year with heavy losses.
This resurrected festival will feature the usual outdoor concerts in the outer bailey of Ludlow Castle, along with 10 events in an all-new big top theatre.
The theatre, which will host Reginald D Hunter and Paul Merton's Impro Chums, will also be the venue to see, from the West End in London, The Reduced Shakespeare Company perform their Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).
Cabaret stars Fascinating Aida will also be taking to the stage and there will be a lunchtime recital from the world-renowned pianist Young-Choon Park. Pete Long's All Star Goodmen Orchestra will also recreate Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert while, for younger audiences and also fresh from a West End run, there will be four performances of The Gruffalo's Child.
The former Ludlow Arts Festival was scrapped after running into financial difficulties.
That led to the creation of a new event, which was initially inspired by people in the town who wanted to preserve Ludlow's cultural heritage.
Festival directors Chris Davis and Chris Moreno then stepped in to strike a deal with Powis Estates, which runs Ludlow Castle and a new programme was unveiled.
