Huge financial and social benefits, but money is tight and it's not taken seriously, Commons committee told

Comedians and industry figures have called on the government to put comedy on a level playing field with other art forms when it comes to access to public funds.

At a select committee meeting in Parliament today, MPs heard of the financial challenges facing the sector – and especially comedians – which was exacerbated by the sector being considered ‘less than’ other forms of art or entertainment.

That comes despite the benefits for health and social cohesion and night of live comedy can foster, let alone all the other charity work the industry is involved in.

However not all the focus was on government help. Funny Women founder Lynne Parker called out management companies for what she thought was profiteering from big names without investing in the grassroots.

She told the Culture Media and Sport committee: ‘I don’t know how much they invest back into the grassroots side. They take what they want from it because they are making money [from their big acts].’

However the overwhelming message from the two-hour session was to highlight the benefits a thriving comedy scene can bring, both societal and economic – as well as the difficulties it faces.

Comedian Matt Forde said he once though comedy was ‘disposable’ entertainment but realised he had ‘underestimated the profound impact of immersive entertainment when you switch off’ - adding that comedy is ‘such a special art form’ for the positive impact it has on people’s wellbeing.

Leicester comedy festival founder Geoff Rowe, now a leading light in the Live Comedy Association, said: ‘The social and health and wellbeing factor [of comedy] is enormous’ but explained that comedy is not seen as ‘valid and important’ – which is an obstacle trying to get funding.

The panel also discussed how those holding the purse strings can be scared of comedians being inappropriate or using bad language if employed on publicly funded projects – although the insiders explained that the industry is mature enough to match the right comedian to the right idea.

Financially, Rowe talked about the ‘Waitrose effect’ - that if an area has a thriving comedy club it will have a wider economic impact, and especially important factor as local authorities look to revive their town centres. 

Toomey said the Arts Council got its ’greatest return ever’ on the Covid funding it gave the sector, citing Liverpool’s £7million Hot Water club, Glee’s new Leeds venue and the expansion of the Glasgow Glee into a bigger venue as examples of how keeping the clubs alive through the pandemic has led to bigger things.

But she said that venues are about to go through their 'toughest phase' as wages – including National Insurance contributions – and other costs rise. She said her club’s electricity bill rose from £1,600 to £2,800 a month and that she couldn’t pass extra costs on to audiences as  her £26.50  Saturday tickets are already the most expensive in the UK. ’I’m going to see a reduction in profit this year for sure,’ she said.

Toomey mentioned the voluntary arena levy in music, where £1 from each ticket sold for huge gigs goes to the grassroots scene – but in comedy no such trickle-down levy is in place. Labour MP James Frith suggested the industry should be able to instigate that itself rather than requiring Parliamentary intervention.

Rowe said comedy is increasing seen as an annual treat rather than a regular night out, benefitting big arena gigs, but to the detriment of smaller clubs. However Dr Sharon Lockyer, director of the Centre for Comedy Studies Research at Brunel University London, said studies showed audiences actually preferred more intimate venues.

Rowe explained how most of comedy is a cottage industry run by individuals with a passion, whether performers, promoters or others.  ‘A awful lot of people do it part-time,’ he said. ‘They’d have day jobs. They are enthusiasts of live comedy.’

But there is little government help, he said: ‘When you are applying for funding streams, live comedy is not recognised. The Arts Council has funding for live music now, comedy should be the same. It’s about recognition. It’s about putting it on the same platform as other performing arts.’

However, it is the comedians who often bear the brunt of financial pressures in the industry. 

Toomey from Manchester’s Frog and Bucket comedy club has spoken about the grassroots of the circuit, estimating it takes seven years to become a professional: ‘To become a pro comic takes longer than to become a doctor or a pilot’,.

Forde told how it’s very difficult to make a living from comedy, with the years of unpaid work, the emotional and financial difficulties of gigging around the UK, and the fact wages for comedian have largely gone backwards over the years. And added that coupling comedy with theatre in policy matters is ‘disproportionately affecting working-class people'

Explaining the fortune it costs to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe, mostly  the ‘extortionate’ costs of renting accommodation, he explained how all these outlays  makes the industry more elitist as it can only be afforded by the privileged. 

Forde said the Edinburgh model was that the comedians took all the risks so you have to be prepared to swallow that loss because you have faith in yourself. He said most comedians are entrepreneurial but the costs now are too scary for many people.

Fellow stand-up Kate Cheka said she didn’t know how the Edinburgh accommodation issue could be solved in a market-led economy, so suggested hand-outs would help comedians as they would then be able to invest fully into their career.

She spoke about how the government’s in France and Germany - where she started her comedy career –guarantee a living wage for those in the arts as long as they can show they are gigging – an idea also embraced by Forde as he said it would ensure the sector does not become elitist.

Asked if inequality was ingrained in comedy, Cheka said simply ‘yes’ before adding that going to the US - may be the only way to have a good career as a black female comedian, as Gina Yashere and  London Hughes have done done before her as there is an ‘inherent misogyny and racism embedded in the industry in this country’. 

But that she added really didn’t want to head to the States in the current political climate,

Meanwhile Parker said there was ‘a big resurgence in misogyny’ in the industry, which she said reflected wider society but was nonetheless ‘distressing’. But she added that comedy was becoming more open to cultural diversity with a ‘big effort in the industry to reflect that’.

Those giving evidence also acknowledged there was a more direct problem with sexual harassment on the circuit – although Rowe said the sector was paying ‘much more attention’ to the issue than before.

Toomey also acknowledged the issue, pointing out that in a sector dominated by freelancers there’s no HR department wit the industry, relying on the underfunded, voluntary Get Off Live Comedy to address issues. She said the harassment mainly occurred at the entry level of comedy or the top, where there were ‘power plays’ at work.

The MPs also asked about the threat of AI.

Forde was outspoken about the dangers of an ‘industry that is specifically designed to harvest your creative output and say anyone can actually have this’. 

He said: ’It threatens us as an industry. It is a major threat to the UK economy if there are no guardrails to stop the wholesale theft of intellectual property.’

And he said even if it was no substitute for the live experience, audiences might end up hearing a comedian’s work on AI apps before a gig, robbing it of its impact – and leading to false suggestions the comic had stolen then gag they had actually generated.

When asked if AI was able to be funny ‘on purpose, Cheka said ‘not yet’ but that it was worrying as the tech was getting better at poetry and scripts – but that the experience of watching a human comedian in real life could not be replicated.

In other topics, Forde complained that broadcasters have ‘become too timid at commissioning satirical comedy that has a bit of bite’ – despite believing there is a real appetite for it

And said that what shows there are often sound the same as they rely on the same small pool of writers – and hoped the forthcoming UK version of Saturday Night Live might open that out.

The comedians also spoke about building an audience with podcasts, social channels and so on.

Forde said that as a comedian you’re working in an ‘unstable environment’ and you have to put as many irons in the fire as you can – and how such outlets help empower a comedian.

He told the MPs how live and social are different medium, but some people can make the transition.

Toomey said comedians have become rock and roll stars as fans ‘buy into that person as a brand’ and cited podcasts that can net tens of thousands of pounds a month from subscriptions.

Cheka told how social media has allowed a lot of arts to be seen for free and young people ‘don’t need to go out as the algorithm feeds them what they want to see’. But that there’s no substitute for the live experience.

This was our live blog from the hearing:

Published: 29 Apr 2025