ONE OF the most eclectic line-ups of top British comedy ever assembled will be appearing at this year's Camp Bestival, the new sister show to the already sold-out Bestival Festival.

A special tent, The Laughter Library, will be packed with comedians - plus a smattering of top poets and literary heavyweights for good measure.

And while the "Jestival" line-up is guaranteed to prompt general hilarity, the festival's Cuban Brothers will be creating comic bedlam around the site with the Camp Bestival Bluecoats, aka the Lost and Found Troops.

The weekend of fun kicks off on Friday, July 18, with a selection of the freshest new UK comedy talent in The Jestival New Faces, supported by leading comedy website chortle.co.uk.

The award-winning line-up includes Carl Donnelly, Matt Reed, Tieran Douieb, Trevor Lock, Saxondale star Andrew O'Neill and many more in a show compered by Silky and Craig Campbell.

The pace then picks up on Saturday with The Pros From Dover, Phil Nichol and Andrew Maxwell, who was nominated for the IF Comedy Award and is also Channel 4's King of Comedy.

In keeping with the retro feel of Camp Bestival, organisers have also announced that the "King of Deadpan", Roy Walker, will be performing a live version of his internationally renowned TV Show Catchphrase on Sunday night.

Other top comics joining the Sunday bill include Adam Bloom, Jeff Innocent, Jason John Whitehead and Phil Nichol while Andrew Maxwell and his cult late night show Full Mooners starts at midnight on that night.

Meanwhile, amid the comic madness, hip-hop maestro Mr Scroobius Pip - a musical highlight of last year's summer festival season - will present razor sharp lyrics set to the coolest Casio beats.

Now signed to Rob da Bank's own Sunday Best record label, Scroobius Pip has scoured his extensive contacts book to bring an impressive selection of "spoken word" talent to Camp Bestival, including Polar Bear, Gideon Conn, Peggy Sue and The Pirates.

Meanwhile, there will be exclusive readings and talks by a diverse set of authors including Howard Marks, Richard Milward, Joe Stretch, Neil Boorman, Gautam Malkani and Gavin Pretor-Pinney.

n CAMP BESTIVAL is at Lulworth Castle in Dorset on July 18-20. Contact 0844 888 4410 (24 hr) / www.campbestival.net n Adult Weekend Tickets (Standard Price) - £120 n Age 13 to 15 Child Weekend Tickets (Standard Price) - £60 n Age 12 & Under Child Weekend Tickets - FREE (ticket required) n Campervan Tickets - £50 (per vehicle)