The Leicester Comedy Festival begins early next month, and the flagship launch event features Omid Djalli, Sharon Lockyer and Michael Pickering discussing the new book Beyond A Joke: The Limits of Humour at the Leicester Haymarket Studio Theatre on Sunday 12th February.

Sharon Lockyer and Michael Pickering have recently published the book, and seeing as De Montfort University is sponsoring the Opening Night of the Festival and hosting a Slapstick Comedy Exhibition, it seems like a marriage made in heaven.

The book itself talks about the ethics of humour, it's uses and abuses and the way in which we perceive it. It covers many well known comedians including Dawn French, Omid Djalli and Sacha Baron Cohen, not to mention TV programmes including The Office.

Geoff Rowe, the organiser of the Festival said "We're delighted to be hosting the Limits Of Humour discussion as part of Leicester Comedy Festival 2006. The festival includes a diverse range of over 230 events and it's important to us that we don't just focus on stand-up. The discussion will help develop an idea of the role of comedy and the ways in which different communities and cultures relate to comedy."