New comics join line-up

Channel 4 has renewed its YouTube channel A Comedy Thing for a second year.

It features an ensemble of comedians taking part in a different format each week, with Vittorio Angelone, Finlay Christie, Olga Koch, Gbemi Oladipo, Micky Overman, Mike Rice and Dan Tiernan all returning. 

New faces Eric Rushton, Li Jin Hao and Kyla Cobbler will also feature in the run.

The first run of A Comedy Thing drew 6.5 million views and 165,000 hours of watch time on the platform and was popular with younger viewers. The broadcaster says 86 per cent  of viewers in year one were under 35.

New formats include Pun Battle, a quick-fire game in which comedians compete to land the driest puns. The show will also continue with The Lying Game, which found an audience on both YouTube and Spotify in its first year.

Charlie Hyland, Channel 4's digital commissioning editor for comedy, said: 'We wanted to build a proper home for new comedy — somewhere brilliant young stand-ups can try things, sharpen their voice and find an audience.

‘What’s been exciting is seeing that grow into a real community around them. The UK and Ireland have always been at the heart of this kind of comedy, and this is about creating the space to keep doing that.'

Thom Gulseven, executive producer for Strong Watch Studios added: ‘We love A Comedy Thing and the community we’ve been building around it, and we’re delighted to go again in 2026. 

‘It’s an exceptionally exciting time if you - like us - are fans of stand-ups in the UK and Ireland. It’s a dream, and just really funny on a daily basis, to work with the best of the best as we showcase what comedy entertainment can look like for a YouTube audience.’ 

Published: 15 Apr 2026