Top comedians to share trade secrets with teenagers

Young aspiring stand-ups are to get the opportunity to perform alongside some of the biggest comedy stars in Britain.

The organisers of a new comedy festival in Greenwich are offering 10 teenagers aged 15 to 19 the chance to develop their routines at workshops under the eye of stars such as Arthur Smith and Katy Brand.

They will then appear in a 1,000-seat tent in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College where comedians including Rich Hall, Jo Brand, Sean Hughes, Rob Newman and Ardal O'Hanlon will also be performing next month.

Brand, star of ITV2's Katy Brand's Big Ass Show, said: "People either have funny bones or they don't but there are useful skills of the craft you can learn in workshops."

Young people needed to know it was possible to have unconventional jobs, she added. "They don't have to go into a career that seems like a straight line. If you've got a dream, you should give it a go," she said.

The deadline for online applications is 28 August. The Greenwich Comedy Festival runs from 7 to 13 September.