Britain's "ugliest man" is to appear as restaurateur-from-hell Basil Fawlty in a new stage show.

Aspiring actor Hilary Reeves, 47, a star of the Uglies Modelling Agency, has been described as having a face that "makes children cry" and being the spitting image of Gollum from Lord of The Rings.

Hilary - known as H - hit the headlines when he and partner Amanda Solomon, both from Southwick, appeared on the Trisha Goddard chat show last Thursday to compete for the title of "Britain's most extraordinary couple".

Despite finishing as runner up, he has described the experience and subsequent media reaction as overwhelming.

He told The Argus: "We're a bit taken aback by it all really, it has been mad.

"The whole thing has just blown up, we've had phone calls from newspapers in Sweden and Thailand telling us we're in the press over there".

H will tread the boards in three episodes of Fawlty Towers with Adur Theatre Company as part of the Adur Festival.

Like Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese in the hit comedy television series Fawlty Towers, H often finds the public reaction to him less than positive.

He said: "generally children run away and hide behind their mother's coat".

The shows at the Shoreham Centre in Pond Road are among hundreds of events at this year's 17 day festival from June 1.

The festival started life with a few street artists performing in Southwick Square in 1987.

After 20 years it has grown into a major festival attracting more than £200,000 in Arts Council funding.

More than 200 shows, exhibitions and displays will be held at venues across the Adur district.

The event now has three other annual extravaganzas running alongside it.

The Southwick Beer Festival, the traditional curtainraiser to the main event, takes place at Southwick Community Centre, Southwick Street, from May 25 to 27.

There is more beer, music and poetry as part of Glastonwick 2007 at Church Farm, Coombes, near Lancing College from June 15 to 17.

It includes performances by Shoreham Beach-based international guitar maestro Richard Durrant, as well as Atilla the Stockbroker and John Otway.

The spectacular Beach Dreams festival with its colourful parades and Mardigras carnival atmosphere takes place at Shoreham Beach on June 16 and 17.

This year will see the long-awaited opening of The Ropetackle Centre, part of the £25million Ropetackle development in Shoreham.

Art exhibitions, films, and mulit-media shows by local young perfomers from Company Paradiso directed by Jon Potter will help launch the centre.

Antiques Road Show presenter Eric Knowles will talk about 25 "treasures" brought in by members of the audience at the Parish Hall, South Street, Lancing, on June 9.

Blues singing legend Maggie Bell and the British Blues Quintet, featuring Zoot Money will evoke the foot-stomping days of the 60s in the festival marquee at Beach Green, Shoreham, also on June 9.

By then the marquee will only just have recovered from a visit by rock band The Blockheads the night before.

The band, which backed the late Ian Dury, will be at the marquee as part of its 30th anniversary tour.

Big names apart, organisers say Adur Festival is really all about local community groups.

The Wick Theatre Company from Southwick will stage The Happiest Days of Your Life at The Barn Theatre, Southwick Street.

The company first performed the same play exactly 50 years ago when Ray Hopper made his acting debut.

Ray is still an active member of the group and will direct the anniversary production at The Barn from June 6 to June 9.

The programme also includes dozens of workshops, exhibitons, and walks - including one taking in Sinister Shoreham - and a Schools Prom featuring young musicians from Adur schools at Beach Green on June 10.

On the same day Shoreham Food and Drink Festival features an Italian Market with 30 stall being set up in East Street.

The festival guide was unveiled at a reception at Church Farm, Coombes, yesterday. (mon) The cover was designed by Brighton artist Kathryn Matthews and features Shoreham's historic houseboats.

Ian Lowrie, Adur District Council chief executive, said: "There is a huge collective effort to set up the festival by all the community groups featured in the programme.

"It reaches out and involves the who community and for me that is the most important thing to recognise.

"This year we have the addition of the new venue at The Ropetackle Centre and it is delighfult to see it open.

"We have got Arts Council funding for some of the events at this year's festival.

"That shows that the festival is moving up a gear but without losing its connections with the local community."

Pam Driscol, Adur's arts development officer, said: "The festival first started 20 years ago.

"I was involved in a minor way and did not work for the council then.

"It started with things like a pavement artist in Southwick Square, a clown somewhere else and a few exhibitions and musicians.

"It was on a very small scale and over the years it has built up into what it is today.

"Until two years ago the council took it on and ran the marquee and some of the other things like the events at the airport.

"We have now taken a step away from that and handed it over to local ommunity groups and encouraged them to run it.

"The response has been really good and this year we have had to increase the size of the programme to include all the events."

The festival runs from June 1 until June 17 and programmes will be delivered free to every home in Adur.

They are also available at libraries in Adur, Brighton and Worthing.

For further information phone 01273 263311 or visit www.adurfestival.com