Fifth year for industry event open to the public

The BBC has announced that its Comedy Festival will be  back for a fifth time – heading to Liverpool in May next year.

The BBC Comedy Festival – previously held in Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff and Newcastle - is described as an opportunity for those working in the TV industry to get together, celebrate and discuss comedy. 

Guests in previous years have included Jesse Armstrong,  Sharon Horgan and Guz Khan.

Jon Petrie, the director of comedy at the BBC, pictured above at this year's event, said: ‘Liverpool has funny bones and a rich culture of producing top tier comedy creatives, so we’re delighted to be bringing the BBC Comedy Festival 2026 to the city. 

‘Comedy forms a unique corner of the television industry and in British culture. It’s important that we provide a forum that brings together some of the best comedy minds to celebrate and discuss the success of the sector now and in the future.’

This year’s BBC Comedy Festival 2025 was held in Belfast and featured 16 panels and masterclasses over two days with more than  70 comedy names on stage including Steve Coogan, Lisa McGee, Ash Atalla and Michelle de Swarte. 

During the festival, BBC Comedy and BBC Northern Ireland announced a new initiative to ringfence £500,000 of funding for comedy production in Northern Ireland. 

The 2026 festival in Liverpool will similarly mark the beginning of development and production opportunities in the North West region.  

It takes place from Wednesday May 13  to Friday May 15, with talks, panels, screenings, a short film night and live comedy shows all open to the public. 

Published: 26 Nov 2025