Melbourne Comedy Festival

Kings of Comedy

May 2025 •English

Kings of Comedy was a reality television series broadcast made by Endemol for Channel 4. The show was presented by Russell Brand and narrated by Matthew Rudge. The premise was that eight comics lived in a Big Brother-style house to try to determine whether old-school comics or the newer generation are best. The winner got the chance to make his own pilot show.

Def Comedy Jam

May 2025 •English

Def Comedy Jam is a HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons. The series had its original run from July 1, 1992 to January 1, 1997. The show returned on HBO's fall lineup in 2006. Def Comedy Jam helped to launch the careers of several African-American stand-up comedians.

Live at the Apollo

May 2025 •English

A British stand-up comedy programme performed from the Hammersmith Apollo Theatre in west London.

Fist of Fun

May 2025 •English

Fist of Fun was a British comedy television and radio programme, written by and starring Lee and Herring. A lot of the show's comic material was adapted from Lee and Herring's radio programme Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World. Each episode of Fist of Fun featured several disparate sketches and situations. Fist of Fun began as a BBC Radio 1 series in 1993, before becoming commissioned as a television series on BBC Two in early 1995. It was broadcast at 9pm on Tuesday nights, and was successful, but not a major ratings-winner. The second series was aired on Friday nights, and although its ratings were relatively good, the show suffered from a lack of preparation and poor promotion. The show was not given a third series, and Lee and Herring went on to write This Morning with Richard Not Judy, for BBC Two. Many other comedians who appeared in the series went on to fame themselves, including Kevin Eldon, Peter Baynham, Ronni Ancona, Alistair McGowan, Al Murray, John Thomson, Rebecca Front, Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins, Ben Moor and Sally Phillips.

This Is Not Happening

May 2025 •English

Outrageous stories from stand-up comedians, musicians and more show why real life experiences always make the best material.

ZULU Open Mic

May 2025 •Danish

Jo Brand Through the Cakehole

May 2025 •English

Jo Brand Through the Cakehole is a British stand-up comedy television series produced by Channel X, and starring Jo Brand as the show's host. It debuted on 30 December 1993 in the United Kingdom and was broadcast on Channel 4 for three years, from 1993 to 1996.

Dybvaaaaad!

May 2025 •Danish

Punch

May 2025 •Hebrew

Coming to the Stage

May 2025 •English

Amateur comedians strut their stand-up stuff before celebrity judges in this competition.

Comic Relief

May 2025 •English

Debut event, 29 March. Featured Mary Gross as Dr. Ruth Westheimer; Jon Lovitz as Tommy Flanagan, The Pathological Liar; Sid Caesar as Ludwig von Knowitall; Robin Williams as William F. Buckley Jr., commenting on the effects of "trickle-down economics" on the homeless; George Carlin describing a house as "a place for your stuff".; Garry Shandling, Jerry Lewis.

Le Grand Rire de...

May 2025 •French

Russell Simmons Presents: The Ruckus

May 2025 •English

Russell Simmons' name is in the title -- he's an executive producer -- but it's JB Smoove who is front and center as host of this stand-up showcase, which features a roster of rising comics and veteran stars doing their thing. Smoove gets into the act as well with new material, and JB also gives viewers an added bonus by performing in pre-taped sketches woven into each episode.

The Mary Whitehouse Experience

May 2025 •English

A topical comedy show, mixing stand-up with sketches and impressions, starring David Baddiel, Robert Newman, Hugh Dennis and Steve Punt.

Last Comic Standing

May 2025 •English

A nationwide talent search accepting the best professional and non-professional stand-up comedians. Once the selection process is narrowed to 10, the show covers the contestants as they live together and compete for an exclusive contract with NBC, and to be called the Last Comic Standing.

Hacks

May 2025 •English

Explore a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old.

Gintberg på kanten

May 2025 •Danish

The Larry Sanders Show

May 2025 •English

Comic Garry Shandling draws upon his own talk show experiences to create the character of Larry Sanders, a paranoid, insecure host of a late night talk show. Larry, along with his obsequious TV sidekick Hank Kingsley and his fiercely protective producer Artie, allows Garry Shandling and his talented writers to look behind the scenes and to show us a convincing slice of behind the camera life.

Michelle Wolf: It's Great to Be Here

May 2025 •English

Comedian Michelle Wolf wryly riffs on nude beaches, the gross things men like and the serial killer gender gap in this three-part stand-up special.

Rire sans tabous

May 2025 •French

Jean-François Mercier humorously busts the boundaries of society. Over a period of three days, he gets to learn more about people who are too often rejected and victims of prejudice. Thanks to their stories, the comedian creates a performance about their differences, and hopes to touch the general public and destroy taboos once and for all.