Comedy Studies

Fantastic to see our Chair Jessica Toomey representing the Live Comedy Association last night at The Comedy Store for a panel hosted by Ticketmaster UK. More: linkedin.com/posts/live-com…

Last week, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport hosted a rare and important roundtable with the Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Arts, Ian Murray - bringing live comedy directly into the policy conversation. 👉 chortle.co.uk/correspondents…

'This was a significant moment for comedy' | Geoff Rowe on an industry roundtable with the creative industries Minister ift.tt/oQYuyj7

Everybody’s coming to Brazil… and honestly, the timeline already knows it. From pop icons to internet legends, Brazil is everywhere right now. So why not bring your research too? The submission deadline for ISHS 2026 is March 27. And that’s the final boss. No extra extensions.

We are delighted to introduce a new book - "Playing with Food: Language, Humor, and Disgust" by Delia Chiaro and Debra Aarons! It explores the interplay of food, humor, and disgust in multimodal media. See more information at routledge.com/Playing-with-F…

It is the conference season! The Lighthearted Philosophers’ Society invites you to join their 20th anniversary meeting on October 9-10, 2026 at Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library. Email your inquiries to lighthearted.philosophers@gmail.com

Don't miss the Annual Conference of the Association for Applied & Therapeutic Humor! It will take place on May 14-17, 2026 in San Diego, CA. More information is available here: aath.org/humor-conferen…

Submit your papers for the Humor and Artificial Intelligence Panel of the ISHS 2026 conference! Send the panel organizers (ishs-ai@groups.io) the following info: 1. Title 2. 250-word abstract 3. 3 keywords 4. Name, short bio, and conference registration code for each author

Today representatives from the Live Comedy Association and others met with Arts Minister Ian Murray as part of a wider comedy industry roundtable. Constructive discussions. More on next steps soon.

Huge congratulations 🎉 Really looking forward to reading this😊

The Live Comedy Association is continuing to keep momentum up on these issues, representing the UK’s live comedy sector and supporting grassroots venues, promoters and performers. livecomedyassociation.co.uk

Yesterday the chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage, wrote to Arts Minister Ian Murray requesting an update on the Government’s commitments to support live comedy ahead of Live Comedy Day on 1 April.

We've written a letter to the Government calling for an update on the progress it is making on its commitments to support the live comedy sector ⬇️ committees.parliament.uk/committee/378/…

Kenneth Williams was born 100 years ago today. Actor and writer Henry Dawe pays tribute to the incomparable star in this poem, and releases an exciting announcement on the final screen. youtube.com/watch?v=W3kvFS…

Minister to meet comedy industry reps | Another step on the path for official recognition ift.tt/9mYqWzr

We’re pleased to confirm that Live Comedy Association will meet with Minister for Creative Industries Ian Murray MP in early March to discuss recognition and support for the UK’s live comedy sector.

The UK Live Comedy Sector Survey Report 2025 at a glance: 45% of organisations have been going for 16+ years, 44% of comics have been performing for 10+ years, 49% of venues have under 10 staff working each night. 👉 Read the full report at comedysurvey.co.uk

Across the UK live comedy sector, the number of shows promoted annually ranges from under 12 to 500 and over, with 21% promoting 50-99 shows and 14% promoting 500+. The average comedian performs 2.54 shows per week, down from 3.2 in 2024. 👉 comedysurvey.co.uk

One respondent: “Coming from a successful comedy writing career in London, I have been amazed at how the industry is so London centred.” Another: “I felt like I had to move out of Yorkshire in order to get my comedy career off the ground.” comedysurvey.co.uk 🧵2/2

The London-centric structure of the industry was more prominent in the comments made in the Live Comedy Survey this year. 19% of comedians perform in London, 11% in the South East. 🧵1/2