Comedy actor Jack Black likes a laugh – and he might need a good sense of humour at the Festival this weekend. Failing that, he might need to adopt any martial arts skills he picked up during the making of the animated blockbuster Kung Fu Panda.

The schedulers certainly appear to have had a mischievous glint in their eye when they slotted Tenacious D, Black’s alter-ego band, between Slipknot and headliners Metallica on Sunday night.

“I think I will bring my helmet,” said Black, who might also require a butcher’s broom as he follows Slipknot on to the stage.

Bottle-throwing crowds are rare at Reading these days, though you don’t have to go back too far to recall the shambolic scenes last time Slipknot played – or indeed the infamous and ill-fated Daphne and Celeste set in 2000!

“I hope the crowd switch to throwing plastic bottles this year,” adds Black, who is probably well aware that the Daphne and Celeste bottles did not contain Panda Pop.