ZANY comedian Freddie Starr kicked off four days of live music and real ale by drinking the first pint at an annual festival.

The comic got the festival under way ahead of a sell-out show at Darlington Civic Theatre, last night.

Starr, one of the biggest box office draws in the business, accepted the honour of sampling the first ale of the town's annual Rhythm 'n' Brews festival, now in its 23rd year.

Darlington Arts Centre's R'n'B Club and the Darlington branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) organise the event, which attracts visitors from all over the UK, Europe and even the US.

There are 46 traditional real ales to choose from, drawn from the cask and produced by the smallest independent breweries in Britain.

There are also farmhouse ciders and imported bottled beers from Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic.

The R'n'B club has arranged a varied line-up of music throughout the four days. The festival, which reaches a climax on Sunday, includes music in Darlington Market Place and town centre pubs.

For more information and tickets for Arts Centre events, call the box office on (01325) 486555.