If you're looking for the 2004 York Comedy Festival lineup, click here

There is a great lineup of comedians booked up and being held in tiny cages, occasionally poked with sticks, at an undisclosed, damp and smelly, location in York. They are ready to be released on to the stages of various venues, to make you laugh continuosly from the 23rd to the 29th of June.

There are a number of extremely good reasons why you should be there, and they are listed below for your perusal!  For further information, dates, times and how to book tickets, see the official York Comedy Festival website at www.yorkcomedy.com.  For Funny.co.uk's Interview with festival organiser Dan Atkinson, click here!

Tommy Tiernan

Tommy Teirnan is undoubtedly one of Ireland's most popular comedians ­ on his latest record breaking tour he has played to 25,000 people in Dublin alone. And it is this tour, "Tell Me A Story...From Inside Your Head', with which he now headlines the York Comedy Festival.

Hailing from Galway and Navan, Tommy has quickly become an international star since winning the Perrier Award and British Comedy Awards Best Stand Up in 1998. New York loves him and his two sell out runs have been met with enormous critical acclaim, as have sell out tours of Australia and New Zealand.

This overwhelmingly talented comedian and actor puts on a must see show. His easy-going charm and warm wit belie an outstanding originality with offbeat twists, hysterical stories and brilliant one-liners mixed with striking observations.

In love with the English language, Tommy's set contains a certain lyrical beauty as he ponders such mind-boggling questions as "can anything else boggle, do you see dogs boggling?'

With previous shows covering such diverse subject matter as Irish tinkers, fatherhood, the death of close friends and 400 year-old potato women, you know this headline gig will take you on an uplifting and whimsical ride.

As one enraptured reviewer at the Daily Telegraph put it "Not only has this young Irishman made me laugh more than any other comedian, he's also taking stand-up to a higher plane".

And for Father Ted fans out there, yes, he was the crying manic-depressive, Father Kevin.

Tim Vine

When you see Tim Vine perform, you certainly get value for money. With sell-out Edinburgh festival shows, winner of The Perrier Best Newcomer Award and packed audiences at the Montreal Comedy Festival under his belt, the 28-year-old rattles out one joke after another in quick succession. At full pelt Tim sprays out 10 jokes a minute. Keep the laughs short he's got a lot to get through.

"An inspired medley of out to lunch one-liners" - The Guardian

"King of the surreal one-liner" - Ross King

Launch Show

Those in showbusiness say that a good, strong start is of paramount importance. And starts don't get much stronger, or gooder, than this.

Launching the first ever York Comedy Festival is an exclusive line up that already has comedy fans around the country grinning with delight. For one night only Omid Djalili, Boothby Graffoe and Lee Mack are taking over The Grand Opera House with performances combining surrealism, visual gags, social comment and bursts of song.

A brilliantly barnstorming act, Omid Djalili is the worlds funniest Iranian and cheerfully subverts stereotypes in an act he describes as 'a laugh, a song, a fundamentalist diatribe against Western imperialism.'

A talented actor you'll no doubt recognise him from films such as Notting Hill, The Mummy, Gladiator and The World Is Not Enough ­ but it's his scorching comedy set which has guaranteed him his international appeal.

A gifted comedy natural, Lee Mack 's silly puns and visual gags are reminiscent of Eric Morecambe's entertaining playfulness ­ with lot more sophistication than at first is obvious.

A regular on the Edinburgh Fringe with a Time Out Award for Best Live Comedy and a Perrier Award Nomination, Lee has also received a BAFTA nomination for his groundbreaking Sketch Show.

Boothby Graffoe , a very tall chap from Hull combines devastatingly funny jokes, odd characters and hilariously surreal songs. With the kind of lines that will still have you laughing on the way home, Boothby inspires a loyal following, and after this show you'll understand why.

With the whole evening compered by Mirth Control's Geoff Whiting this is a launch event quite unlike any other.

As they say, a good, strong start.

Hattie Hayridge + Rhod Gilbert

Award-winning Hattie Hayridge has received international recognition for her part as HOLLY in the hugely successful BBC comedy, Red Dwarf. As a stand-up comedienne she performs live all over the world, including at both the prestigious Montreal and Sydney Comedy Festivals. Leicester Mercury's 2003 Comedian of the Year Rhod Gilbert is one of the UK's best up and coming performers. His ridiculous shaggy dog stories conjure up surreal images of family life to hilarious effect.

Hattie Hayridge "Well-thought out, witty lines like hers are a rarity."  Ben Elton Sunday Times

Ian Cognito and Dominic Frisby

In a wonderful double-headline Ian Cognito and Dominic Frisby showcase two very different styles of comedy. Dominic is regarded as one of the most original new comedians on the circuit, a masterful comic actor his cast of creations are both silly and painfully funny. In contrast Ian Cognito's inspired madness turns rage and indignation into a powerful, honest and awesome act.

"Viciously funny inventive irreverence, a near-rapturous response. Frisby is a comic catch", The Guardian.

"After half an hour all other comedians begin to seem like people in public relations", The Evening Standard