Five of our favourite funny women

As Melissa McCarthy once again stars in a laugh out-loud comedy, Identity Thief, we thought we would look at some other women who are funny as f*ck.

Will Ferrell and the lads are getting the Anchorman crew back together, Alan Partridge is also about to hit the screens but these days, women are leading the way when it comes to making us laugh on screen. Here are five of our favourites.

Kristen Wiig

The writer and star of the brilliant Bridesmaids, Wiig made her name on Saturday Night Live, the breeding ground for virtually all of America's comedy stars for the last three decades. And if you are looking for another reason to like her she is partly Irish, on her dad’s side, and she has appeared in the wonderful Flight of the Conchords. What more could you want.

Eleanor Tiernan

Of the many superb elements to Irish Pictorial Weekly, Eleanor Tiernan’s turn as an RTE court reporter was the funniest.

A quality stand up too, try and catch a gig and just for doing this to dear old Daithi O’Se, she deserves her place here.

Amy Poehler

If you don’t already watch Parks and Recreation it is just starting on BBC4 from the start so make sure you series link it. Poehler plays Deputy Director of the Parks Department Leslie Knope and it is an Office style show that is just class.

Poehler, another graduate of the Saturday Night Live school, has written and directed a few episodes and her hosting of the Golden Globes with Tina Fey this year was the funniest awards show we’ve seen in a very long time.

Tina Fey

Speak of the devil. Tina Fey is a comedy genius. Mean Girls, which she wrote and starred in, is one of the best comedies made in the last decade.

Yet another SNL pupil, Fey is probably now best known for creating and starring in the dazzlingly good 30 Rock, which just finished this year after seven series. Some of Liz Lemon's best bits are above. We’ll see her in the next Muppets movie too, which should be class.

Melissa McCarthy

The undoubted star of Bridesmaids, see below, McCarthy is the co-star of Identity Thief with Jason Bateman. A brilliant comedy actress, McCarthy also has Irish heritage (no surprise with that name) and you may also have spotted her in the recent This Is 40.

Rumoured to be popping up in The Hangover 3, we expect to see a lot more of McCarthy in the coming years, which is good news if you like a laugh.

Identity Thief hits cinemas March 22