Just For Laughs LONDON announces initial line up for The Graham Norton Variety Show

 TODAY, THE FESTIVAL ALSO REVEALS THE SECOND SLATE OF 2023 PROGRAMMING WITH APPEARANCES BY:

BIANCA DEL RIO - JAYDE ADAMS - DANNY BEARD - AISLING BEA -  BASIL BRUSH - KERRY GODLIMAN  - SUZI RUFFELL - FELICITY WARD - SHAME IS DELICIOUS - ED GAMBLE - ROSIE JONES - OLGA KOCH - MATTHEW CROSBY - NABIL ABDULRASHID

PROMISING TO BRING UNFORGETTABLE LAUGHS WITH THIS YEAR’S

LINEUP, MANY MORE NAMES WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN

THE COMING WEEKS

Global leader in comedy, Just For Laughs, in collaboration with leading live entertainment company, AEG Presents, and The O2, the world’s most popular music, leisure and entertainment venue, are thrilled to announce the second slate of 2023 programming for the Just For Laughs LONDON festival which is taking place from 2nd - 5th March 2023 at The O2. Tickets go on general sale Wednesday 14th December at 10:00am (GMT) and are available from  www.jfllondon.com.

As part of the festival, the nation’s most loved TV and radio host is set to become the UK’s favourite live variety show host – with the Graham Norton Variety Show taking place on The O2 arena’s illustrious stage. Sure to be a highlight of the star-studded four-day comedy event, Graham will be inviting some of the biggest stars of stand-up comedy, music and drag to join him for a night of entertainment, laughter and surprises. Today the festival is excited to announce that American drag queen, comedian, actor, costume designer and winner of the sixth series of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Bianca Del Rio will be setting The O2 arena stage alight. She will be joined by comedian and star of this year's Strictly Come Dancing (BBC One) Jayde Adams  as well as winner of the fourth series of Drag Race UK, Danny Beard!  More stars will be added to the Graham Norton Variety show line up in the coming weeks. Graham Norton said: "I can't wait to be a part of this amazing comedy event. I can guarantee people a night of big names and even bigger laughs. London in 2023 just got a whole lot funnier!!" 

The iconic and much loved family favourite, Basil Brush, will be taking over the Fortuna Spiegeltent as he celebrates 60 years in showbizness. The wonderfully suited and booted stand-up comedian, Suzi Ruffel joins the lineup for Aisling Bea and Friends at indigo at The O2, together with Star of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent comedian, Nabil Abudulrashid. Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, Felicity Ward will delight audiences at All Bar One at The O2 which will also be home to the hit podcast, Shame is Delicious, hosted by comedians Eshaan Akbar and Darren Harriott. is also set to thrill audiences and last but by no means least the charmingly straight-talking, quick-witted and star of Netflix’s After Life Kerry Godliman is preparing to join Katherine Ryan and Friends at indigo at The O2.

Just for Laughs LONDON also today announces the preliminary lineup for The Wrestling. It’s punchlines versus clotheslines, as the grandest spectacle in the comedy universe comes to London for the very first time. Calling the action at ringside will be Aisling Bea! Making his wrestling debut is Ed ‘The Gambler’ Gamble! And, whilst the lineup of matches is yet to be announced, it has been confirmed that MAX & IVAN will be appearing in tag team action, and Rosie Daddy Jones will be defending her championship belt! Meanwhile, hot scoops and reportage will come from the fearless Olga Koch and the fearful Matthew ‘The Pacifist’ Crosby.

With more competitors to be announced, competition for Rosie Jones’ championship promises to be fierce – but Rosie Jones is unfazed. "In Edinburgh I pushed Nish Kumar through a table to win The Wrestling championship, and on March 5th you're going to see why I'm the champ!” says Rosie Jones. “Daddy's coming to JFL London, and she's going to defend her big shiny gold belt! Bring it on, baby!"

In the coming weeks more stars of music, comedy and drag will be announced - this is a stellar line up and one not to be missed. Full festival slate below.

Just For Laughs LONDON is taking place in various venues covering the full campus of The O2 - from club shows at indigo at The O2 to London’s largest cinema, Cineworld to the installation of Fortuna, an intimate wood and mirror Spiegeltent as an additional performance space, as well as the world-famous arena - and featuring a mix of notable headliners, multi-comic shows, live podcast recordings, ‘In Conversations’, cast panels and more, Just for Laughs LONDON promises to deliver larger-than-life laughs as it unites today’s funniest UK and international comedy stars.

Just For Laughs LONDON is also joining forces with major charity Comic Relief to raise money to help Comic Relief support people through the toughest times of their lives in the UK and around the world.

American Express® Cardmembers’ can get access to presale tickets from Tuesday 13th December at 10:00am GMT this is purely for those purchasing tickets for Graham Norton’s Variety show. O2 and Virgin Media customers can access presale tickets via the Priority app for events taking place in The O2 arena, indigo at The O2 and Superscreen, Cineworld at The O2 from Monday 12th December at 10:00am GMT. Tickets for the additional shows go on general sale Wednesday 14th December 2022 at 10:00am GMT and are available from www.jfllondon.com. Tickets for Katherine Ryan and Friends and Aisling Bea and Friends are on sale and available to buy now.

 

More details on the first slate of programming for Just For Laughs LONDON, a four-day festival being held between March 2-5 2023 inclusive at The O2 can be found below.  Many shows are on sale now with tickets available from www.jfllondon.com. Further additions to the festival will be announced in due course.

JUST ANNOUNCED / UPDATED SLATE PROGRAMMING

The Graham Norton Variety Show I Friday 3rd March I  The O2 arena I 8:30 PM - NEW, UPDATED LINE UP

Just For Laughs LONDON is thrilled to announce that for the first time in many years, Graham Norton will be taking the stage to host a special curated variety show. American drag queen, comedian, actor, costume designer and winner of the sixth series of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Bianca Del Rio will be setting The O2 arena stage alight. She will be joined by comedian and star of this year's Strictly Come Dancing (BBC One) Jayde Adams as well as winner of the fourth series of Drag Race UK, Danny Beard! More names will be added to the line up in the coming weeks.

Katherine Ryan and Friends I Thursday, March 2, 2023 I indigo at The O2 I 9:30 PM NEW, UPDATED LINEUP

Join the Creator, Writer, Star and EP of Netflix Original hit series, The Duchess (along with two global Netflix comedy specials: In Trouble and Glitter Room) comedian Katherine Ryan as she hosts a very special line-up of brilliant comedians. As seen on Live At The Apollo, Would I lie To You (BBC), 8 Out Of 10 Cats (Channel 4), and hosting Backstage with Katherine Ryan (Amazon Prime).  

Joining Katherine will be the Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and star of Mock The Week and Live At The Apollo (both BBC) Darren Harriott as well as the charmingly straight-talking, quick-witted Kerry Godliman is one of the country’s best performers and has just been added to the line up. An incredibly talented comedian and actor, Kerry is best known for her appearances on Mock The Week,Live at the Apollo, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, Taskmaster,Hypothetical, Ultimate Worrier, TheJonathan Ross Show, The Royal Variety Performance and 8 Out of 10 Cats. She has appeared on Frankie Boyle’s New World Order as well as Sky Max’s A League Of Their Own, There’s Something About Movies. She has also starred in series 1 and 2 of Netflix’s After Life alongside Ricky Gervais and Richard Osman’s House of Games.

Aisling Bea and Friends I Saturday, March 4, 2023 I indigo at The O2 I 8:00 PM - NEW, UPDATED LINE UP

Join the Bafta award winning creator and star of Channel 4’s This Way Up, comedian Aisling Bea, as she hosts a starry line-up of fantastic comedians. As seen regularly on QI (BBC), 8 Out Of 10 Cats (Channel 4), and featured on Netflix’s Comedy Line-up. Aisling also can be seen playing one of the leads in the Netflix series, Living With Yourself, starring opposite Paul Rudd.

Joining Aisling will be two-time Edinburgh Comedy Award Nominee and Host of The Mash Report (BBC) Nish Kumar as well as suited and booted stand-up comedian Suzi Ruffell has had five sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, racking up critical acclaim from reviewers and audiences alike. Nominated for Best Stand Up Show in the National Comedy Awards 2021, she’s now touring the UK with her brand-new show Snappy and is joining the line up with Aisling Bea and Nish Kumar.  Joining them is also Nabil Abdulrashid who is an award-winning comedian, writer, presenter and actor. Nabil competed in the 2020 series of Britain’s Got Talent, enjoying a triumphant run to the competition’s final, drawing praise from the show’s judges for his hilarious and uncompromising brand of stand-up comedy.

Max and Ivan’s ‘The Wrestling’ I Sunday, March 5, 2023 I indigo at The O2 I 8:00 PM - NEW, UPDATED LINE UP

The Wrestling is a death-defying, Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning, sell-out mega-show - the grandest, most outrageous spectacle in the comedy universe. Stemming from Max’s misspent youth as the UK’s youngest professional wrestler (Max Voltage, the Human Dynamo), it’s a world of spectacular high-flying action featuring your favourite comedians as you’ve never seen them before. Since The Wrestling began, Aisling Bea has been hurled over the top rope, Sara Pascoe has been carried in on the back of an entire semi-nude team of acrobats, and Max & Ivan has done battle atop a ladder - all in front of a feral live crowd. Good versus evil. Clotheslines versus punchlines.

Taking part in this year's wrestling are comedians Ed Gamble, Rosie Jones, Olga Koch and Matthew Crosby - more names to be announced in due course. Aisling Bea will be acting as commentator of the evening's events.

Basil Brush's Family Fun Show I Sundy, March 5, 2023 I Fortuna Spiegeltent I 2:00 PM - NEW ADDITION

Britain's most loveable fox takes you on a journey of laughs, storytelling and song in a show for all the family, specially written for the live stage and packed with fun and excitement. Come join in the mayhem!

Shame is Delicious I Saturday, March 4,, 2023 I All Bar One at The O2 I 4:00 PM - JUST ANNOUNCED

Comedians Darren Harriott and Eshaan Akbar revel in shame – yours, and theirs in this hit podcast.. Taking a close look at the shameful, the shameless, and those who embody both, every week.