 This year's Birmingham Comedy festival is headlined by local hero Lenny Henry. The evergreen comedian/actor from Dudley rose to fame as a teenager when he won the New Faces talent contest in 1975. He went on to star in the manic cult 1970s children's TV show 'Tiswas'. And who can forget the infamous Trevor McDonald impression?
Lenny Henry Factfile:
* Name: Lenworth George Henry
* Born: August 29th 1958, in Dudley, West Midlands
* Attended Bluecoat Secondary Modern School, WR Tewson School and Preston College in Birmingham
* 1975 Made his big break on British TV, aged 17, on the talent show 'New Faces'
* 1975 He travelled the British comedy circuit with 'The Black and White Minstrel Show'
* 1977 He starred in anarchic kids TV programme 'TISWAS':
* 1984 Lenny is given his own BBC show - 'The Lenny Henry Show' (it ran for a decade).
* 1984 He marries fellow comedian Dawn French.
* 1985 He helped set up the Comic Relief charity to raise money for charities in the UK and around the world
* 1988 Video of his stage show, 'Lenny Henry - Live and Unleashed' becomes a huge hit
* 1991 Starred in his first feature film for Disney, 'True Identity'
* 1993 BBC comedy 'Chef' tops the TV ratings
* 1999 He starred in the critically acclaimed BBC drama 'Hope and Glory' as the headmaster of a comprehensive school
* 2000 He opted to reinvent his sketch show success of the the 80's with a new series on the BBC called 'Lenny Henry in Pieces'
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He is now one of Britain's best-loved comedians with countless TV, film and stand-up tours behind him. His big break into the mainstream, 'The Lenny Henry Show', ran for 10 years and introduced memorable characters such as love-machine soul singer Theophilus P Wildebeeste and Cockney disc jockey Delbert Wilkins. Henry then headed for Hollywood but his feature film debut 'True Identity' failed to catch the imagination of American cinema goers. A return to Britain followed and Henry enjoyed more television success as the title character in the sit-com 'Chef'. He is also one of the pioneering forces behind Comic Relief, having helped the charity since its creation in 1985. Lenny Henry's latest show, 'So Much Things To Say' - is a selection of sharp comedy routines and new characters. 'So Much Things To Say', which has already enjoyed an acclaimed run in London, tackles a variety of subjects including: Parents, Love, Sex, War ('Huh! What is it good for? Absolutely-nothin', say it again - actually, better not) and reggae music. It's a rip roaring tour de force of character comedy, and marks a return to the spontaneous comedy that marked Henry's rise to fame. Lenny will be appearing at the Alexandra Theatre from September 30 to October 2. Alexandra Theatre, Bham, £19.50-£23.50, 7.30pm. Tel: 0870 607 7544. * For the full lowdown on the past, the present and the future of one of the country's top comedy actors visit his website at www.lennyhenry.com. | 
Comedy Festival 
