Latitude 17th - 20th July 2008

The Pimm's Comedy Arena

Now with a larger tent and screens outside to accommodate it’s heaving audience, the ever popular Comedy Arena returns with another staggering line up that reads like a who’s who of the current touring comedy circuit. A programme of the biggest names in comedy and the newest rising talent will ensure continuous laughter throughout the weekend.

Yet again another line-up of comedians at Latitude so funny you will have to take a break occasionally to get your breath back

Bill Bailey

Comedian, musician, actor and all-round funny-man Bill Bailey, returns to the Latitude limelight for another side-splitting performance. Well known for his work on television in programmes such as ‘Never Mind The Buzzcocks’, ‘QI’, ‘Black Books’ and more recently ‘Skins’, and his live shows ‘Bewilderness’ and ‘Part Troll’, Bailey has established himself as one of the leading British comedians.

Ross Noble

Ross Noble will bring his hilarious live show that prompted Timeout magazine to name him, “The supreme master of spontaneous stand-up and the most exciting comic in the country!” . After appearances on ‘Have I Got News for You’ and recent new live show ‘Nobleism’, Ross is at the top of his game and his appearance at this year’s festival will be a definite highlight.

Rich Hall

The grouchy, deadpan, comic genius Rich Hall performance at Latitude will be eagerly anticipated. Hall quit his job as a hurricane namer for the United States Meteorological Service eighteen years ago and has never looked back. He has won many awards including an Emmy for writing on ‘The David Letterman Show’, the Perrier Award for his character Otis Lee Crenshaw and the Edinburgh Critics Award, twice! Rich is a master of absurdist irony while eschewing the human condition. He will be performing his own stand up and will make a further appearance on the bill as his wild and deranged character Otis Lee Crenshaw – a troubled and convicted country music singer.

Simon Amstell

Simon Amstell’s quirky, sarcastic and leftfield approach will leave you in stitches. Known for his controversial and bizarre interviews with some of pop’s biggest names on ‘Popworld’, Simon was the perfect replacement for friend of Latitude Mark Lamarr on ‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks’ and was presented with a Royal Television Society award for his efforts on the show.

Russell Howard

Comedy’s fastest rising star Russell Howard brings his keen observational comedy show to Latitude. Russell has been busy cementing his place as one of the hottest properties in comedy with his BBC6 Music show every Sunday, loads of Mock The Week and Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Would I Lie To You?, Live At The, Law of the Playground and just about any other funny current TV program. “You'll find more laughs here than many comedians manage in an entire career” The Metro

Tim Minchin

Tim Minchin is the Australian one man entertainment machine. Boasting talents as a writer, comedian, musician and actor, Tim’s live show is sure to excite with the Sydney Daily Telegraph rating his live performance as “One of the funniest and most amazing shows you will ever see.”

Phill Jupitus

Phill Jupitus will be hosting another improv extravaganza with fellow comics. After the success of his show in the sunshine last year, Phill and friends just had to come back. The principle is simple: a gang of comedians get up on stage and try and make jokes about recent events, as suggested by the audience. Improv comedy roulette at its best, toe curling or hilarious, let the audience decide.

Lucy Porter

The slightly naughty but ever charming Lucy Porter, dilutes the testosterone with her chatty banter while cutting through any nonsense with her sharp, articulate and sometimes twisted, wit. Familiar face of TV shows including ‘The Mrs Merton Show’, ‘Have I Got News For You’ and ‘Nevermind The Buzzcocks’ and with her critically applauded stand-up show ‘The Good Life’ under her belt, she is one comic not to be missed.

Andrew Lawrence

Andrew Lawrence joins the bill at Latitude after a fantastic 2007 that saw him nominated for an If Comedy main award for his cult classic Edinburgh Fringe show, ‘Social Leprosy for Beginners and Improvers’. A regular on popular comedy TV show ‘The Comedy Store’, make sure you catch Dave Fulton an innately funny guy from Seattle who quashes the stereotype that Americans have no sense of irony. Ben Norris is the cousin of ‘The Office’ star Martin Freeman - dry wit clearly runs in the family. Ben is a regular on the UK headline comedy circuit and also regularly writes and performs for TV programmes such as ‘The Stand up Show’ and ‘8 out of 10 Cats’.

Omid Djalili

Latitude is delighted to announce award-winning British-Iranian comedian Omid Djalili is performing in this year’s Comedy Arena. Djalili has won many awards for his comedy including the EMMA Award, Time Out Award, and LWT Comedy Award for Best Stand-up Comedian, Spirit of the Fringe Award as well as the One World Media Award for his Channel 4 documentary, ‘Bloody Foreigners’. As well as being nominated the Perrier Award for Best Comedian, the South Bank Award for Best Comedy of 2003, and the Royal Television Society Award for Best Stand-up. His hyperactive and energetic manner of imitating accents, undercutting political humour with absurd bellydances and singing has earned him a significant worldwide following. Since breaking through at Edinburgh’s Fringe festival way back in 1995, Omid has mixed his very successful and popular stand up routine with a career in TV and Film including presenting Have I Got News For You and appearing in Hollywood blockbusters such as ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End’. Omid now has his own BBC Television show The Omid Djalili Show – a fantastic mix of hilarious sketches and stand-up routines.

Frankie Boyle

After appearing in every episode of BBC2’s ‘Mock The Week’ and regular appearances on ‘8 Out of 10 Cats’, Frankie Boyle has finely honed his cynical critique of society, celebrities and Politicians. With observations such as, if John Prescott were to wear a belt and tie at the same time he would “turn into sausages”; there is little that escapes Boyles’s keen scrutiny. After breaking through in 1996 when he won the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award, Boyle has gone from strength to strength and is notorious for his witty tongue-in-cheek comments and his glass half-empty views on modern day society and culture.

Robin Ince

Time Out winner, Robin Ince, will be continuing the laughter in the Comedy Arena. The hyperkinetic curmudgeon who questions everything or thereabouts, with a stage style that tends to lean towards erudite ramblings, often at break-neck speed Ince is also an adept impressionist. Often seen supporting Ricky Gervais on his live dates, Ince has a long list of television appearances including appearing in ‘The Office’ and ‘Mock The Week’ and was named best compere at the 2007 Chortle Awards.

Lee Mack

Best known for his work on BAFTA winning ‘The Sketch Show’ and RTS award winning BBC sitcom ‘Not Going Out’, the “always cheeky, never blue” Lee Mack joins the line up. With his constant determination to have fun, with high energy, and at a fast pace, Mack jumps quickly and confidently from one hilarious subject to another, leaving the audience on the edge of their seat if not on the floor. Mack has had a stint presenting ‘They Think It’s All Over’ and is now a regular on BBC panel show ‘Would I Lie to You’ with his constant determination to have fun that often leaves his audience overwhelmed by laughter.

Stewart Lee

One of the most respected figures of British comedy Stewart Lee, who modestly prides himself as being the “41st Best Stand-up Ever”, has written for radio, television, newspapers, magazines in addition to penning his novel, ‘The Perfect Fool’. He has taken his comedy stylings all over the world and co-wrote and directed the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed London theatre production ‘Jerry Springer-The Opera’. In addition, Stewart directed The Mighty Boosh's breakthrough Edinburgh Festival show, Arctic Boosh, in 1999. Lee has been likened to “an angry young man trapped in the body of a mature and hugely intelligent one”, a hilariously lethal combo that will disarm the audience and have them laughing uncontrollably.

Russell Kane

Once described as “a twisted human cartoon”, Russell Kane will stalk, flap, jerk and contort his way across the stage of the Comedy Arena at this year’s Latitude. Having burst onto the scene in 2003, it wasn’t long before Kane was earning accolades up and down the country for his turbo-charged routine and TV appearances including a stint hosting ‘Big Brother’s Big Mouth’ in 2007. With a boundless energy and an ability to tease, prod and affectionately bounce off the audience, Kane will have the Comedy Arena wrapped around his little finger.

Arnab Chanda

The super slick, finely executed delivery of Arnab Chanda’s stand-up routine owes much of its smooth polish to Chanda’s four years of hard graft in the comedy clubs of New York. Born in England, brought up in an international school in Saudi Arabia, Chanda muses over such topics as the dangers of getting the chick-pea dip Humous, and a certain group of Palestinian freedom fighters mixed up. Hotly tipped, Chanda is one to keep your eye on.

Rufus Hound

The quick witted and almost debonair, Rufus Hound and his beard, will be joining the fantastic Comedy Arena line-up. You may recognise him from various TV appearances including presenting Top of The Pops and Glastonbury coverage in 2005. Hound was a finalist at Channel 4’s Edinburgh Festival Award ‘So You Think You’re Funny’ with his sharp, sarcastic and relaxed approach to comedy earning him plenty of fans.

Also added to the bill

Also added to the bill is Jon Richardson who has gone from strength to strength by supporting Alan Carr on his 60 date tour and has already picked up the Chortle award for Best Breakthrough act 2008; the good humoured and witty Dan Atkinson will appear with his fresh and unpredictable take on stand up; Jason Wood, a well known contestant on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ but whose talents go further than that with his genius fusion of comedy and singing; Carey Marx with his trademark snappy one liners and material that is not for the faint-hearted is sure to delight and disgust in equal measure. Stephen Grant who has already won a Chortle award for best compere this year and has established himself as one to watch on the current circuit; Hal Cruttenden with his award winning and world renowned ‘Hal’ routine and finally (for now) kids may know him as Archie the Inventor in Balamory but Miles Jupp is also an award winning funnyman with countless live performances and appearances on Paramount Comedy TV’s ‘The World Stands Up’.

At night in The Comedy Arena!

At night, the Comedy Arena gives away to the ultimate in feel good fun, the internationally famous Guilty Pleasures. Cheerleaders, mascots and G.A.Y-esque dance troupes in silver and purple lycra jump along to such killer tunes as Chicago's ‘If You Leave Me Now’, and ELO'S ‘Sweet Talkin' Woman’. It’s addictive, irresistible fun, fun, fun and somehow at 1am you really don’t feel so guilty as you throw yourself into an epic guitar solo on your knees. It’s Classic Guilty Pleasures on Friday night and Saturday night is Bugsy Malone night, so don’t forget your gangster and moll and get twirling those pearls.

Something like a phenomenon, but a lot more like an excuse to get smashed and rip clothes off strangers, Swap-A-Rama makes it’s debut at this year’s Saturday night at Latitude Festival. The rules are easy – arrive in a splendid overabundance of the latest fashion and dance your socks off. Every time the DJs ring the klaxon you must swap an item of clothing with someone next to you. You re advised to arrive in clothes you don’t mind not ever seeing again! God knows what you’ll end up going home in!