Chortle's most-read stories of 2025
The top ten...
Here are Chortle's most-read comedy stories of 2025...
10 GB News 'to cancel Headliners'
MAY: We revealed the right-leaning TV channel was axing its daily round-up featuring predominantly ‘anti-woke’ comedians such as Leo Kearse, Dominic Frisby, Josh Howie and Lewis Schaffer. looking at the next day’s newspapers, a few weeks before it actually happened.
FEBRUARY: The most-read review of the year was from Lee’s new tour, as seen in an early date at the Oxford Playhouse.
8 Edinburgh venue: Why we cancelled Jewish comedian
JULY: The banning of two Jewish stand-ups from their Fringe slots just before the Edinburgh festival started attracted national coverage, as well as several Chortle stories – the most widely-read of which gave one venue’s point of view, which had been slammed as antisemitic.
7. James Acaster: I'm having therapy to stop being so hypercritical
APRIL: Speaking on Kemah Bob’s podcast, the comedian spoke about he wanted to be less critical of himself, as well as revealing how he became more reserved as an adult having had his childhood idiosyncrasies 'shamed out' of him
6. Lucy Beaumont and Jon Richardson reunite... on Cats Does Countdown
AUGUST: In our weekly round-up of TV highlights we revealed that divorced couple Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont would be back together on Countdown, taking on Rob Brydon and Joe Wilkinson. However, although it was a newly released episode was clearly recorded before their split was announced 16 months earlier, as Jimmy Carr announced them as a ‘real-life’ couple on the show
5: Who's on Taskmaster series 19?
JANUARY: The news that Jason Mantzoukas would be the first US-based comedian to take on Alex Horne’s ridiculous challenges, alongside Fatiha El-Ghorri, Mathew Baynton, Rosie Ramsey and Stevie Martin
4: 8 YEARS: Jail term for comic over his jokes
JUNE: As Britain’s comedians complain about being cancelled, we reported on a case from Brazil where making jokes deemed offensive has much more severe consequences than the professional diary emptying out…
3: Robin Ince forced to quit Radio 4 over pro-trans views
DECEMBER: Chortle was the first to report that the comedian felt he had to step down from hosting Infinite Monkey Cage after 16 years because bosses felt his social media posts on progressive causes were incompatible with his job – and he chose his views over his career.
2. Josh Widdicombe moves into Noel Edmonds' old house
SEPTEMBER: Speaking on the Parenting Hell podcast that he co-hosts with Rob Beckett, Widdicombe revealed he had moved back to Devon – and into a properly formerly owned by the Noel’s House Party star.
1: Peter Kay throws out hecklers
FEBRUARY: Footage showed the comedian kicking out a member of the audience at Manchester’s AO Arena – although Kay’s lawyers complained that it breached his privacy, personal data and copyright and forced it off the internet. It was sparked by a man from the audience shouting ‘garlic bread’, which Kay then repeats back sarcastically, adding: ‘Kick him in the fucking face, will you?’ before ordering a security guard to ‘go get him... drag him out by his pubes.’ He also threw out a woman, comparing her to Lisa Riley, the Coronation Street actress.
Published: 31 Dec 2025
