Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2013

Tracy Morgan

It’s pretty much impossible to separate the character of Tracy Morgan (actor and comedian best known for his work on 30 Rock) and Tracy Jordan (actor and comedian best known for his work at 30 Rock). And in a show renowned for its great lines, the man gets a disproportionate amount of them.

David O'Doherty

The Irish chap with the tiny keyboard has been a regular fixture on the festival circuit and a firm Time Out favourite – we relate far too easily to his magnificent song ‘Sent a Text (To the Person the Text Was About)’. But the man knows his way around a stand-up routine even without the power of music.

Arj Barker

He’s become a superstar worldwide thanks to his performance as Dave in both series of Flight of the Conchords, but we knew this US comic was something special from the get go. And he felt the same about us.

Roz Hammond

You should totally go see Roz Hammond's MICF show Gym & Tonic because she was Cheryl in Muriel’s Wedding, one of the key cast in The Micallef P(r)ogram(me), a regular in Mad as Hell, Thank God You’re Here and SkitHouse, Miss Nolan in The Dish and Christine Grimwood in The Librarians.

Rich Hall

The taciturn US comic genius has called the UK home for the last quarter century, becoming a regular panelist on QI and a commentator whenever a show needs a dry American perspective. He’s made documentaries, written books, been a SNL regular and created a country singing alter-ego, Otis Lee Crenshaw.

Judith Lucy & Denis Scott

Both are old pals, both wrote their memoirs, both are old hands at this comedy thing, and both are doing The Spiral together, airing their most ill-advised personal yarns.

Danny Bhoy

He’s a regular visitor to our shores, but Bhoy’s finally starting to get the sort of US recognition he deserves. This might be the last we see of him for a while, but fortunately we have his new DVD Live at the Festival Theatre, filmed in Edinburgh, to keep us company after this visit.

Adam Hills

He may not be on our screens as often since Spicks and Specks wrapped up, but Hills remains one of Australia’s best-loved comics. It’s been a while since we last saw him in our neck of the woods, and since he’s semi-based in the UK these days who knows when we’ll see him again?

First Dog on the Moon

He’s the mysterious cartoonist that makes Crikey a must-read every day, and now he’s giving us an honest-to-god show. It’s called Cartoobs & other Typos, and it befits an artist that is a… maybe we should let the Dog describe himself... (pictured right).

Zoe Coombs-Marr

Her surreal, theatrical performances are somewhere between comedy, performance art and ‘what the hell?’, but Coombs-Marr is breaking out from the arts intelligentsia and getting the public recognition her weird muse deserves.

Stephen K Amos

The out’n’proud UK comic has hosted TV, done documentaries, voiced animated characters, written an autobiography, toured like a madman and come up with a freakload of sweet lines... “We had one book: the phone book. I’ve read it, it wasn’t a great read: lots of characters, and on the end loads of Polish people turn up.”

Randy

We’re not experts in puppet physiology, but should a creature made principally of felt even be drinking in the first place? Regardless, Randy has stepped away from his double act with flesh-and-blood comedian Sammy J for Randy is Sober, a solo show all about his new sobriety.

Matt Okine

As the winner of Best Newcomer at the 2012 Comedy Festival, Matt Okine is has earned his place as one of the most exciting new performers to emerge from the Australian comedy scene. In his forth solo stand-up show, Matt takes the audience on a journey to Diamond House in a tale bristling with intelligence and wit.

Deanne Smith

We’re comfortable going on the record with the claim that Smith is easily the planet’s most hilarious Montreal-based lesbian comic with glasses and a ukulele. And also that we’ve loved her since the very first time she came to Australia.

Greg Fleet

Greg Fleet is returning to Melbourne Comedy Festival with a brand-new routine, which delves deeper into his drug-addicted past. Greg somehow manages to balance moments of hard-hitting honesty with genuine humour.

Ross Noble

Ross Noble has enjoyed an illustrious career on the comedy circuit since the staggeringly young age of 15. Since marrying his Australian-born wife, much of his time is nowadays spent touring between his homeland of the UK and his honorary residence of Australia.

Wil Anderson

When John Cleese is among your fans, you’re probably doing something right. Well-known as the host of The Gruen Transfer, Wil Anderson returns to what he does best in his latest stand up, Goodwil. As a three-time Bulmers People’s Choice Award winner, Anderson’s stand-up performance is an engaging and insightful slab of comedy.

Catherine Deveny

Melbourne’s own queen of controversy returns for a night of smackdowns, character assassinations and parenting advice in her latest stand-up routine, Curvy Crumpet. Catherine leaves no stone unturned as she discusses everything from immigration to pornography in a performance to remember.

Lawrence Leung

We have a very soft spot for Mr Leung, as a comic, a skeptic, a TV writer, a man who can do a Rubik’s Cube in 49 seconds while jumping from a plane – dammit, we just like him as a human being. But aren’t comedians meant to be the new rock stars?

Bulmer's Best of the Edinburgh Fest

Three comics are hand-picked from last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe show off their laffspersonship.