Nic Wright

Bill Bailey and Sean Lock to headline Altitude Festival

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Bill Bailey and Sean Lock are to headline this year’s Altitude Comedy Festival.

Taking place once again in Mayrhofen, Austria, on 23 – 27 March, Altitude gathers top comedians and new acts for a series of intimate gigs in venues throughout the Tyrolean ski resort.

Also returning to the slopes will be Altitude founders, Marcus Brigstocke, who missed out on last year’s festival after shattering his knee on Channel 4 Ski Show The Jump, and Andrew Maxwell.

The Boy with Tape on his Face, who has recently appeared on the Royal Variety Performance and BBC Three’s Comedy at the Fringe Live, German comedy hero Michael Mittermeier, and improv-rap troops Abandoman are also back.

Making their Altitude debut, Gina Yashere, and Simon Evans will be hitting the slopes for the first time.

Filling out the line-up for Altitude’s ski holiday/comedy festival is Funny Woman Awards winner and Mock the Week panellist Zoe Lyons, Scottish ingénue Daniel Sloss, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here NOW’s Rob Beckett, Canadian favourite Craig Campbell, and parody perfectionist Andy Askins.

Impractical Joker Joel Dommett is booked to appear too, as is Chortle’s 2014 Student Comedy Award Winner Jamali Maddix, Time Out One to Watch and Chortle Awards 2014 Best Newcomer Sofie Hagen, and Edinburgh Fringe regular Dan Nightingale.

Finally, they’ve nabbed Great Canadian Laugh Off winner Paul Myrehaug, laconic Aussie Wayne Deakin and happy-go-lucky Geordie Kai Humphries; with more to be announced in the coming weeks.

As well as the festival’s main shows, there’ll also be early evening apres ski gigs, featuring off the cuff action from The International Impro Allstars (starring Stephen Frost, Andy Smart, Ian Coppinger and a special guest every show), comedy showcase Stars of the Future, and a special Abandoman show. The Late Late Show and Miss Behave’s Game Show will take the laughs well into the night.

Altitude Curator Andrew Maxwell said:

“Every year when we start putting our line-up together, I pull out my trusty little black book of clowns and maniacs and go straight to B for Bailey, and finally, after all these years, he’s said yes! Bill Bailey at Altitude. COME ON!

“Add to that the genius of Sean Lock and you’re already well on the way to a legendary year. I couldn’t be more excited.

“But we’ve got loads more, like The Boy with Tape on his Face, Simon Evans, Miss Behave’s Gameshow, plus after missing last year, Abandoman are definitely back this year, and of course our favourite German Michael Mittermeier. Not forgetting Gina Yashere, who, rumour has it, is one of the greatest boarders to ever have lived… I’ll see you on the slopes.”

Altitude Festival, Mayherhofen, Austria, 23 – 27 March 2015. Tickets available online.