COMIC cut Griff Rhys Jones opens the Old Laundry's Fifth Autumn Festival tomorrow night (Saturday) with a special evening of comedy and poetry.

It's the first of 12 cracking events at the Bowness venue, which includes Carmen from The Watermill Theatre from September 18-23; drama from the pen of Wives and Daughters writer Elizabeth Gaskell in Mary Barton (October 6); Japanese drumming from the highly-regarded powerhouse of Mugenkyo; and one of the finest string quartets in the world, The Lindsays, on October 7 (8pm).

Rainer Hersch dismantles pre-conceived ideas about classical music with Music's a Funny Thing on October 21 (8pm); and what would the festival be without the annual outing from Alan Ayckbourn's Stephen Joseph Theatre.

This time around the great man directs his Bedroom Farce, from October 23-28 (8pm).

Full programme details on 015394-88444.