Melbourne Comedy Festival dates

Comedy

Local performer at the Melbourne International Comedy 2014: Joel Creasey.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is taking a punt on new faces for its 2014 program - just as some of the world's biggest comedy stars are set to grace the city's stages independently.

The line-up was announced on Thursday with a flurry of Valentine's Day enthusiasm that included speed dating-style interviews between comics and reporters.

Comedian David O'Dohertyn will return to Melbourne. Photo: Luis Enrique Ascui

While some of the biggest names in the business, such as John Cleese, US comedian Dave Chappelle and Britain's Alan Davies are touring Australia at the same time, they are not part of the festival.

The festival is betting on some less familiar names, director Susan Provan said. ''There are more newcomers than returns and that always makes you a bit nervous because you're introducing people to new audiences but that's what makes it exciting, '' she said at the launch.

Some of the newcomers in the 450-show program include British comics James Acaster, Nish Kumar, Sara Pascoe, Milton Jones and US YouTube star Anjelah Johnson. International headliners David O'Doherty, Shappi Khorsandi, Stephen K. Amos and Jason Byrne, while not household names, are among the more recognisable faces at the festival.

The program also features local performers including Joel Creasey, Matt Okine, Cal Wilson, Dave Hughes and Celia Pacquola.