AWARD-WINNING comedian Jenny Eclair has been named as one of the highlight acts in Otley Courthouse's Spring and Summer programme.

English folk legend Martin Carthy is also in the lineup for a schedule the venue says promises "yet another jam-packed season of high-quality entertainment".

Jenny Eclair, who in 1995 became the first female solo winner of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival's Perrier Comedy Award, will present her Guide to Being a Middle Aged Woman (Without Going Insane) at 8pm on March 30.

And there is plenty of other high-calibre hilarity lined up too.

A Courthouse spokesman said: "Fast becoming a hotspot for popular primetime comedy acts, this season the Courthouse is proud to play host to a number of big names including Jenny Eclair, Rob Beckett, Shappi Khorsandi, and Susan Calman, who will be testing out new, never-before-seen material on a Courthouse audience on May 25, with undoubtedly riotous results.

"And that's not to mention Otley’s very own Kieran Hodgson.

"A rising star in the comedy scene, including a key role in recent BBC2 drama Making Dad’s Army, Kieran will be bringing his smash-hit Edinburgh Festival show Lance – a cycling-themed exploration of growing up, betrayal by professional athletes and redemption – back to his hometown on June 18.

"It promises to be an evening of entertainment that is both hilarious and heartfelt.

"And if that wasn’t enough, Blowers and Backers arrive at the Courthouse on March 11 with their show crammed full of wonderful reminiscences and anecdotes from two extensive careers spent broadcasting around the globe. The pair are legendary bastions of BBC Radio 4’s broadcasting institution, Test Match Special."

The season will also include plenty of musical attractions, including a live performance by the 'Grandfather of English Folk' Martin Carthy.

The award-winning singer-songwriter, who in his long career has influenced the illustrious likes of Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Richard Thompson, will take the stage at 8pm on March 19.

Further into the season, on May 27, Ian Siegal and Jimbo Mathus – who can claim between them eight British Blues Awards and a Grammy nomination – will be bringing their unique blend of roots blues and folk Americana to the venue.

A variety of new and up-and-coming musical talents will also feature, including all-female four-piece Fara and and the lyrical pair Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker, winners of the Best Duo category at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

The joys of the written and spoken word, meanwhile, will be celebrated during Courthouse Words – a week-long festival, using several locations, that will involve everything from creative writing sessions to talks by authors and poets. The event runs from February 28 to March 6.

Drama fans will be catered for too, with world-renowned playwright John Godber’s new comedy, The Debt Collectors, being performed in the Courtroom on April 15.

Further literary attractions will include a reading from her latest collection by acclaimed poet Patience Agbabi, on May 6.

Visit www.otleycourthouse.org.uk, call 01943 467466, or pop into the Courthouse Street venue for tickets.