Josh Widdicombe IS going to host Strictly
BBC confirms comedian will be paired with Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe
It’s official – Josh Widdicombe has been announced as one of the new…
Five new names join North East comedy hall of fame
Five more performers will be inducted into a new North…
Fin Taylor writes a tongue-in-cheek history book
Fin Taylor has written a book inspired by his…
Comic plans 12 gigs and three marathons in a day
An amateur comedian is to run three marathons on Saturday –…
Armstrong and Miller to reunite... on Pointless
Alexander Armstrong will be reuniting with his double-act…
After Life named best modern comedy
After Life has been named the best modern comedy in…
New Joke Of The Fringe contest launched
A new Joke of the Fringe contest is being launched…
Reece Shearsmith writes a memoir of the macabre
Reece Shearsmith has written a memoir about his fascination with macabre…
A Very Peculiar Practice returns to TV
Our pick of the comedy on TV, radio and streaming this week. Now ROBIN WILLIAMS…
Come and marvel as a man describes a room!
The best of the week's live comedy, picked from the thousands of events Chortle…
Distribution deal for star-studded UK comedy
A cast of British comedy stars will feature in a ‘warm, uplifting and genuinely…
Tim Minchin to write new Chitty Chitty Bang Bang songs
Tim Minchin is writing the songs for a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang remake. The Australian…
Josie Long's axed Short Cuts to return
The BBC is bringing back Josie Long’s Radio 4 series Short Cuts – less…
Tour news
Features
What was the name of the company in Silicon Valley?
Test your comedy knowledge with our weekly multiple-choice trivia quiz, compiled –…
All hail Saturday Night Live UK!
Two words about Saturday Night Live UK as its first season draws to a close: nailed…
Eric Morecambe at 100
For many people over the age of 50, the first few bars of an old 1960s song will…
'I often feel Philomena Cunk is the real me'
Diane Morgan goes ghost-hunting in some of the grand homes where she films her…
Reviews
Smok'd Crack New Comedian of the Year 2026
Now in its third year, the Crack Comedy Club in South…
If I Didn't Laugh I'd Cry: The Frank Carson Story
There aren’t many dead comedians without a fringe…
Live comedy picks
Gig of the day
MC Hammersmith: Hippity Hoppity Get Off My Property
Newcastle Stand
from 19:00
Book Now
Tom Stade: Naughty By Nature
Kendal Brewery Arts Centre
Thursday 21st May from 20:00Book now
Coming Soon
Colin Manford: Off The Record
Chorley Theatre
Saturday 23rd May from 19:30
Book Now
Christopher Macarthur-Boyd: Howling at the Moon
Birmingham Glee Club
Friday 29th May from 20:00Book now
Gig of the day
John Kearns: Tilting at Windmills
York The Crescent
from 19:30
Book Now
James Acaster 2026 tour
Bristol Hippodrome
Saturday 30th May from 19:30Book now
Other news
Reuben Kaye and Frankie McNair share Sydney honours
The Sydney Comedy Festival has announced the winners…
More comedians join Judd Apatow's The Comeback King.
A host of fellow comedians have joined Li Jin…
CNN renews the US Have I Got News For You
The American version of Have I Got News For You has been recommissioned by CNN for…
Ania Magliano to host the Rose d'Or awards
Ania Magliano from Sky's Saturday Night Live UK, has been announced as host of…
BBC Radio Wales show for Gareth Gwynn and Esyllt Sears
Gareth Gwynn and Esyllt Sears of the I’m So Not Over It podcast are launching…
New bid to win MPs' support for grassroots comedy
The Live Comedy Association is to hold an event at the Houses of Parliament…
Eugene Mirman releases his first special in a decade
Eugene Mirman has released his first stand-up special in a decade for free on YouTube. Here…
First look at Diane Morgan as a robot
The BBC has released the first photographs from Ann Droid, a new six-part comedy…
Punching Up
When Gavin and Stacey wasn't so unforgettable...
It became the biggest comedy on British TV, but Gavin and Stacey had a modest start on BBC Three – and certainly didn’t have the brand recognition…
When A League of Their Own aired its final episode…
Jude Law 'wants to play Ian Moore's alter-ego'
It’s a dinner-party fantasy conversation many…
As Ireland boycotts Eurovision, it screens Father Ted instead
Irish TV viewers will be shown the Eurovision-themed…
Videos
Comedian Benjamin Alborough appeared on 5 News yesterday to highlight the fiasco of the Leicester Comedy Festival owing thousands of pounds to comedians.
Chortle first broke the story last month, but the acts remain unpaid.
The BBC picked up the debacle this week, and interviewed a number of acts, including Alborough – who is owed around £2,000 from ticket sales.
And he was back on 5 News to argue the comedians' case again:
Organisers The Big Difference Company has said it is committed to paying comedians, but blamed 'cashflow problems' – despite having received the money directly from audiences in February.
Benjamin Alborough on 5 News about the Leicester Comedy Festival fiasco
Comedians still unpaid
Trailer for G'wed series three
With Brookside's Jennifer Ellison
by Saturday Night Live UK
Sam Campbell recreates Noah's Ark
On Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont Spelling Bee