Montreal line-up revealed

Dame Edna Everage, SpongeBob SquarePants and Eddie Izzard are among the acts heading for the Montreal Just For Laughs festival in July.

For the first time, one of the event’s huge, televised gala showcases will be dedicated to the visiting British comics.

Hosted by Lenny Henry, the show will feature stand-ups Lee Mack, Noel Fielding, Adam Bloom,  Danny Bhoy, Alan Carr and Rhod Gilbert, plus sword swallower Miss Behave and sketch troupe The Hollow Men, whose Comedy Central series recently aired in the US.

Festival chief Bruce Hills said: “Comics from the UK and Ireland have always had a very important role in the Just For Laughs Festival, this year their profile will be higher than ever.”

Irish comic Tommy Tiernan, who was one of the biggest hits of last year’s gala events, is one of only two comics to be given their own nightly solo show at the festival this year. The other is American Judy Gold, although Eddie Izzard is also  performing a one-off show – his first appearance at the festival in a decade.

Other gala shows will be hosted by Dame Edna, Jim Belushi and Whose Line Is It Anyway regular Colin Mochrie.

Special events focus on TV shows Everybody Loves Raymond,  SpongeBob SquarePants and The Daily Show.

And in the club nights, Dylan Moran, Jason Byrne and Bernard O’Shea comprise the Irish O’Comic show; London-based Aussie Jim Jeffries appears in The Nasty Show alongside Doug Stanhope; and Steve Hughes, Rhys Darby and So YouThink You’re Funny? winner Nick Sun take part in a Down Under show.

Published: 26 May 2005