How the small market town of Machynlleth became home to one of the world's best comedy festivals

The bustling market town of Machynlleth in Powys is famed for its cultural heritage and picture postcard scenery.

It has a population of around 2,100 but each spring, thousands more descend upon the town for its annual comedy festival.

So what brings people from all over the world to this Mid Wales town?

Festival director Henry Widdicombe said he saw it as the perfect location.

"I always like going to festivals where you knew it was happening, like a music festival where you've ring-fenced the site.

"Comedy festivals were usually quite different, you could go to a big city where there's lots of choice anyway and you don't necessarily know a comedy festival is going on. So we looked at other small festivals in other art forms and thought, why hasn't comedy got one of those?"

Henry knew about Machynlleth because he used to work in the environment sector, which led him to visit the town's Centre for Alternative Technology.

"I knew how special it was, how independent it was. There's so many great businesses here. And so much energy in town."

In terms of what the festival brings to Machynlleth, Henry said their tickets show almost one third of their visitors come from outside Wales.

"It's worth over a million pounds of visitor spend to the Welsh economy.

"We've spoken to businesses who've said it's such a great event to start their holiday season. That's something we're very proud of.

"We know that this town hosts us so we've got to get that balance of making sure that we're bringing that positivity to the town. I think by and large it really loves the fact that we're here. We always get such a warm reception."

Local resident Gemma Cook said she has been attending the festival since it started more than 10 years ago.

"It brings the life to the town, it's really really important. Everybody's here, they use all the local services, the local shops are full and the cafes. It's brilliant and really good for the town."

Another resident Stephen Roberts said he enjoys watching comedy at the festival but would like to see it do more for the town overall.

"It's nice to see the vibe and the atmosphere here and it's a nice thing for it to have. It has an impact but it's whether it could be doing more for the local businesses and stuff as well because obviously we have the festival vibe and the traders so I don't know how much it actually impacts on the locals."

More from Backstage, ITV Wales arts programme:

Henry believes part of the reason why the festival is such a hit is because of the focus on the artists. He came up with the plan of creating an artist-focused event, as when he was a stand up comedian he felt that the festivals he performed at did not take the artists into account enough.

"We wanted to build something from the stage out that really focused on what the artists would want what in every decision that was made. That wasn't to disregard the audience but if you have a happy artist, that that breeds this contentment and sets the tone for the festival."

The festival has been getting bigger and bigger every year, with bands performing as well as comedians.

"In the first year we had 30 shows with 300 people and now we've got probably over 8,000 people with nearly 300 shows," Henry said.

Despite this, he wants to maintain his vision of creative expression and allow artists to keep trying new material.

Aberystwyth comedian Mel Owen performed in the New Welsh Voices showcase this year and had her own sold-out show. 

"To have everyone surrounding you in the audience, it was insane. It makes me reminds me why I love doing comedy in Wales.

"It's so important to have people come to Mid Wales. You know, we've got so much to show off here. It's amazing...

"A lot of my material is autobiographical. I talk about being a mixed-race girl who grew up on a farm in Mid Wales, which is quite a unique experience. I talk about my family and just my life and how crazy it can be sometimes. And I love that because I think some people can relate to that."

Machynlleth Comedy Festival is made up of hundreds of shows that take place on first weekend in May.

Some of the biggest names that featured this year include James Acaster, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Nish Kumar.

• Find out more about the festival on Backstage, Friday 12 May at 7pm on ITV1 Wales and later online.