FRINGE Festival Patron and much loved multi-talented actor Christopher Biggins, or ‘Biggins’ as he’s affectionately known, is to officially open the 2015 event at 7.30pm on Friday, October 2 at The Chapel Nightclub. The opening will take place at the Fringe’s ‘Launch Pad’ event – an evening of comedy and live music.

“We are thrilled and greatly indebted to our wonderful Patron, ‘Biggins’, for giving up time in an extremely busy schedule to be with us to open the 2015 Fringe festival,” said Salisbury Fringe Chairman Julian Demetriadi. “We have got a great line-up of plays, monologues, workshops and live music in this, the biggest ever Salisbury Fringe Festival which will run from October 2 to 11. Indeed, throughout the Festival, there will be live music every evening at venues throughout the city.”

The Fringe’s ‘Launch Pad’ event at The Chapel Nightclub will feature the much acclaimed ‘Shakespeare Rattle and Roll’ – a band that resets the Bard’s songs in the more familiar styles of the likes of Elvis, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and The Beatles; and Lump – a highly entertaining band that performs tales, in spoken word and songs, about people, places and events in the Salisbury area.

The centre-piece of the evening will be a new sit-com by local writers Dan Page and Pete Talman. Called ‘Amateur Dramatics’, the sitcom follows the exploits of Ann, a big city director stuck looking after her alcoholic mother and the region's third best theatre group in the sleepy village of Morton-Throckwell.

Conceived around six months ago, ‘Amateur Dramatics’ has so far come runner-up at the Manchester heats of the Sitcom Trials – a national annual competition designed to find the 'next big thing', which in past years has included the likes of Miranda Hart.

Details of all events at the years Salisbury Fringe Festival can be found on salisburyfringe.co.uk