Al Murray and his pub landlord alter-ego will be headlining a side-splitting Sessions night on July 9 as comedy returns to the Eden Project.

Greg Davies, star of Channel 4’s The Inbetweeners and a panel-show favourite, will also be appearing, as will Canadian comic Craig Campbell and one of the UK’s most exciting musical stand-ups Rob Deering. Radio One regular Tom Deacon will be compering the show.

This is the second time the Eden Sessions have featured a comedy show, the first being Bill Bailey’s acclaimed appearance in 2008.

Buckinghamshire-born Al Murray’s comedy career began while he was studying history at Oxford. His early act, largely based on impressions and sounds, won him the coveted Perrier Award for young talent in 1999 after he had been nominated a record four consecutive times.

Murray developed the character of the pub landlord, a stereotypical loudmouth with no time for anything he sees as “un-British”, while on tour with Harry Hill in 1994. He has since gone on to make several TV shows including Fact Hunt and Al Murray’s Happy Hour which won him a British Comedy Award in 2007.

Greg Davies, one third of the comedy trio We Are Klang, can be currently seen in the Channel 4 and E4 comedy show The Inbetweeners as the intimidating head of sixth form Mr. Gilbert.

Before becoming a comedian, he worked as a teacher and this is an experience he often draws on in his stand-up act. Davies, an unmistakable figure at 6 foot 8 inches tall, has also made appearances on Mock the Week, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

Craig Campbell, host of shows on Canadian TV and one third of the comedy trio The Dinks, stumbled upon his comic storytelling style as a teenager working as a guide in the Rocky Mountains.

Now living in Devon, his inventive approach and witty content has seen him perform repeatedly at Edinburgh Fringe and bag a support slot on Frankie Boyle’s current UK tour.

Rob Deering’s clownish behaviour, quick wit and guitar-playing have seen him reach the finals of several prestigious awards including the BBC New Comedy Awards and win the Amused Moose New Talent Award. Deering was also the host and writer of three series of Out to Lunch on BBC Radio 2 and the host of Five’s 99 Things to Do Before You Die.

Compere Tom Deacon will be familiar to Radio One listeners. Since winning the Chortle Student Award in 2007, Deacon has found success on the comedy circuit, leading him to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2009.

Jane Montague, Eden’s Head of Large Scale Events and the creator of the comedy Sessions, said: “I wanted to bring a comedy club feel to this Session and bring a variety of top acts to the Cornish audience. Al’s pub landlord is one of the best established comedy acts around and Greg, Craig and Rob are some of the funniest stand-ups in the country.

“Al isn’t going to be in the south west much this year and Eden is an amazing venue so this show will be a unique opportunity to see this top comic in a spectacular outdoor setting. We know the pub landlord is famous for being a lager-drinker but we’re hoping to tempt him with our fantastic range of Eden ales!”

This comedy Session joins a stellar music line-up for this summer. Confirmed so far are Vampire Weekend and Broken Bells (June 24), Jack Johnson and Mojave 3 (June 26 – sold out), Mika (June 27), Doves and Mumford & Sons (July 2 – sold out), Calvin Harris, Annie Mac and Audio Bullys (July 3) and Paolo Nutini and Martha Wainwright (July 13 – sold out).

The 2010 Sessions will be the ninth season of summer gigs at the Eden Project. Performers in previous years include Oasis, Kasabian, Florence and the Machine, Paul Weller, Hot Chip, Muse, Editors, Snow Patrol, Basement Jaxx, Amy Winehouse, Moby, PJ Harvey and The Verve.

Tickets for the Al Murray-headlined comedy Session go on sale to members of the Inside Track programme at 9am tomorrow (Wednesday April 28) and on general release at 6pm on Tuesday May 4. They are priced at