Best Of European Comedy is a 50 minute variety show from Comedians of Europe. The group has appeared on Netflix and the BBC, and toured comedy festivals around the world. Now they’re back in town for our 2025 season of Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
The show features a rotating lineup hosted by George Zacharopoulos, an award-winning Greek comedian who lives in the UK. On the night I attended, the show also featured Gill Cordiner (Scotland) and Léo Filipetti (France).
George kicked off the night with sharp observations about travel, culture and Melbourne. He’s a natural storyteller and addressed the audience with such ease, you can see why he won ‘Performer of the Year’ at the 2024 European Comedy Awards.
As a host, he did a great job hyping up the audience and introducing his comedian peers. George’s relaxed crowd work and quick wit set the tone perfectly, especially when he clocked early on (after one c-word joke) that this was a slightly shy weeknight audience. All in good humour, George warned the audience that the next comedian would feature a lot more NSFW humour.
And this was spot on.
Gill Cordiner (Scotland) opened the second set aknowledging herself as a 58 year old dressed like a slut. And did a call out for other sluts in the audience. She hilariously connected with another middle-aged mother in the front row… who was there with her young-adult sons. None were spared from Gill’s cheeky heckling.
Gill’s comedy balances more salacious topics of sexuality, dating apps, and aging bodies with her sweet, Scottish, affectionate manner. She refers to you as ‘darling’ or ‘love’ and then roasts you mercilessly. The set was a sampler for her solo show Abs Flab, without giving anything away. She said she’d get to the jokes in a minute – but never did. It was all crowd work. Despite the teasing, her most biting jokes were lovingly self-directed.
And the final set was Leo Filipetti from France. Leo is a younger 30ish year-old comedian whose comedy style is quietly charismatic. Despite the (intentionally) awkward delivery, he spoke honestly about jealousy in open relationships, moving to Melbourne, wearing glasses, progressive porn categories and more life observations. His humorous comparisons and slow-burn delivery got some good laughs.
Overall, I felt there was a good sense of camaraderie between the comedians as they referred to one another throughout the night. Even though each performer had a totally different comedic style, it didn’t feel like a random mish-mash of comedians who happened to be available.
My plus one (my partner) and I had an awesome time! My partner, whose first language isn’t English but who has lived in Europe for a long time, understood most of the jokes. I’d recommend this show for anyone who likes variety but especially for people who might speak English as an additional language or who are new to Melbourne as a lot of the humour is universal and not as Australian-focused.
Best Of European Comedy is a great night out. It feels like laughing your head off at a bar in a European old town with hilarious characters you just met on a walking tour!
Rating: 5/5 stars ★★★★★
– Maria
Maria Konidaris is a freelance writer and casual tour guide living between Melbourne and Greece. When she’s not getting emotional during comedy shows and arts events, she can be found gallivanting around Melbourne libraries or dodging winter on a Greek island beach.
Best of Europe: European Comedy runs from 26 March-20 April 2025 at the Oxford Scholar. Book tickets now.
The venue is accessible
