New names announced, including the Brit(ish) showcase line-up

Eddie Izzard, Alan Davies, Mae Martin, Joanne McNally and sketch trio Foil, Arms and Hog are among the acts joining Montreal’s prestigious Just For Laughs festival this July.

Izzard will be hosting one of the high-profile galas, it has been announced today, as will Mae Martin, thanks to her heightened profile from the Netflix and Channel 4 sitcom Feel Good. They – as well as US comic Leslie Jones – join the previously announced Jack Whitehall and Russell Peters as gala hosts.

Meanwhile, Davies will headline the annual Brit(ish) line-up of predominantly UK acts, which will be hosted by Jen Brister. Also on the bill are Josie Long, Gina Yashere, Jamali Maddix and the not-at-all British Reuben Kaye, the Australian comedy and cabaret powerhouse.

Yashere will be performing her own one-woman show, The Woman King of Comedy, in the fringier Off-JFL strand alongside the likes of BriTANicK (Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher), Kyle Kinane,  Aussies Tom Ballard and Nath Valvo and Kiwis Urzila Carlson and Melanie Bracewell

Irish trio Foil Arms & Hog – aka Sean Finegan (Foil), Conor McKenna (Arms) and Sean Flanagan (Hog) – have been invited to perform their show Hogwash as one of the more high profile ‘concert shows’ part of the festival; while their compatriot McNally will be performing her hugely successful tour show The Prosecco Express.

Other new additions to that strand include Ronny Chieng, Neal Brennan, Brad Williams and Ramy Youssef.

Just For Laughs Montreal – now in its 41st edition–will run from July 14 to July 29, with the English language shows in the second week. The festival has a reputation for helping comics crack the North American market as it is a magnet for the New York and Los Angeles industry.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10am local time (3pm UK time) on Friday. Full details at the Just For Laughs website.

Published: 24 May 2023