COMEDIAN and presenter Griff Rhys Jones and actress and TV personality Abi Titmuss have been announced as the latest performers at a top Suffolk festival.

The duo join a list of other stars on the bill for the HighTide Festival, in Halesworth.

In all 75 of the country’s top actors and actresses will be travelling to the town next week for the event’s sixth incarnation.

Renowned broadcaster, actor, writer and comedian Griff Rhys Jones will be giving a talk on Saturday, May 12, entitled Griff Rhys Jones In Conversation.

This will be one of four HighMind Talks that also include Art, Truth and Journalism hosted by Will Gompertz, Juliet Stevenson In Conversation, and On Class Warfare with writers Owen Jones, Alan Bissett and Ella Hickson.

Abi Titmuss has been announced as part of the cast of Bethany, a play by Laura Marks.

Other familiar names include Downton Abbey stars Brendan Coyle and Lesley Nicol, Susan Brown, of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, Louise Brealey, from Sherlock, Steven Miller, from Casualty, Alison Newman, from Footballers’ Wives, Russell Floyd, who was in Eastenders and The Bill, and Matilda Ziegler, from Lark Rise to Candleford.

Festival artistic director, Steven Atkinson, said: “The quality and range of this acting company is testament to the writing on offer at HighTide this year, and we are very fortunate that we’re living in an epoch of great new playwrights and that they’re choosing to write for us.”

HighTide Festival 2012 takes place at The Cut, The Rifle Hall and The Printworks from May 3 until May 13.

For more details visit www.hightide.org.uk and call 020 7566 9767.