New Year’s Eve comedy in London

A beloved London comedy club has made a bizarre attack on people who’ve had Botox injections, claiming that there are so many of them in its audiences that the vibe has been compromised at its two London venues. As a result, the well-regarded Top Secret Comedy Club – so called because of its frequent secret big-name guests – is apparently formally banning anyone who has had Botox. In a bizarre press release that seems to be in earnest, the club has said that ‘the drastic move to inject more emotion back into the club comes after stand up acts shared their concerns that Botoxed-up Brits’ frozen faces aren’t reacting to their jokes’. There’s a lot to unpack there, and it of course remains entirely possible that this is a wind-up. It is a comedy club, after all, and the allegations made are pretty outlandish.   But it would seem pretty weird to launch an ad hominem attack on random group of people if you didn’t earnestly have a problem with them. Assuming it’s in earnest… well, presumably folk who’ve had Botox aren’t a protected minority and can be banned at will, but it does seem like a fairly obnoxious policy. People have their own reasons for getting Botox! If such a large proportion of your audience is Botoxed that it’s noticeably affecting the vibe of your club then maybe banning them all isn’t a great idea! And it has to be said that putting out a press release saying ‘people aren’t laughing enough at our venues’ does not exactly sell them.  Still, they’ve succeeded in...

London has the biggest and best comedy scene in the world, so if you love a good laugh (or a good heckle) you're in the right place. From tiny basements and rooms above pubs to boats to huge venues, there’s comedy in the capital for comedians (and audiences) of all shapes and sizes. But not all spaces are created equal. Avoid getting sucked into a rip-off joint with a vibe that's deader than Monty Python's notorious parrot with our list of London’s liveliest and best comedy nights and clubs. Whether you're up for try-out nights at pocket money prices or massive gigs from names off the telly, here's where to look for your next comedy night out. RECOMMENDED: Here are the very best cinemas in London.

From a quintet of affordable benefit shows hosted by the enigmatic Daniel Kitson to the latest outing from telly fave Katherine Ryan, it’s another month of diverse comedy thrills on the London stage. There are far, far too many one-off, multi-performer comedy nights in London for us to compile a single coherent page with our favouites on, which is entirely to London’s credit. So do check individual bills of comedy clubs online for that sort of thing. But if you’re looking for an individual comedian with a full headline show then this page is here to compile the Time Out editorial team’s top choices, often with our reviews from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The best comedy clubs in London.The best new theatre shows to book for in London.

Britain’s favourite ascerbic adopted Canadian returns with a show of two halves. The first part of Battleaxe is classic Ryan standup in which she – by all accounts – goes full heels in on the disgraced etc Russell Brand. The second sees her turning comedy agony aunt (of sorts) by addressing various dilemmas texted in by the audience during the interval. 

Lo-fi comedy genius Daniel Kitson emerges from his bunker in March to host five juicy bills of affordable Monday night comedy as a fundraiser for beloved London community radio station Resonance FM.  The bills are as follows:  Mar 3 -  Lloyd Griffith, Roisin Conaty, Rose Matafeo, Sean Mcloughlin Mar 10 – Rosie Jones, Ivor Dembina, Ania Magliano, Spencer Jones Mar 17 – Rob Auton, Lucy Pearman, Bridget Christie. Mar 24 – Ceyla AB, Andy Zaltzman, Sam Campbell Mar 31 – Alice Snedden, John Kearns Kitson will act as host at all shows.

As the unofficial comedy capital of the world, London's comedy circuit doesn't take a break. There are stand-up shows seven days a week, from early evening through to the small hours. To help you plan your week of witticisms, here's a nifty calendar of regular comedy shows in London.

Fresh of the back of last year’s essay-based memoir Hello, Friends! – Stories of Dating, Destiny, and Day Jobs, long term Daily Show correspondant Sloan calls in at Soho Theatre  with her first ever UK headline dates, with a trademark set of bombastic stand-up that’ll cover ‘family, fertility and freezing her eggs’.

Munya Chawawa doesn’t waste time waiting on London buses. Showing me his phone as proof, he has completed more than 1,100 Lime e-bike journeys, covering more than 3,500 kilometres. You could say he’s a mega-fan. ‘When I’m on a Lime bike, I feel like I’m in a Fast and Furious film,’ he says. ‘Not because I’m driving fast, but because I have a certain style of riding that just feels cool.’ Aside from being obviously funny and startlingly smart, Munya is, undoubtedly, a cool guy. The coolness is clear even before he dons a shiny pink shirt for his Time Out cover shoot, clambering on set, his signature eyebrows wiggling as he smoulders jokingly at the camera. But he’s not all about jokes: as well as sharing his signature reactive comedy sketches to his three million-plus followers (his most recent include satire on Elon Musk and a sketch about losing a 425-day-strong Duolingo streak), he has continued to branch out, and now his CV spans stand-up, TV, acting, documentaries and more. Photograph: Jess Hand for Time Out So what could possibly be next? For him, the next chapter is about making something that will reach beyond the frantic whir of the algo – something that will stand the test of time and work its way into the everyday vernacular.  Here, he speaks to Time Out about sticky toffee pudding, his sincere love for theatre and his upcoming Roundhouse Three Sixty mega show.  You last did a Time Out interview in 2022, right?  Yeah. I remember I was trying to start the year...

Whether you’ve been a fan since the days of That Peter Kay Thing or you’ve recently discovered his sketches on TikTok, the chances are you’re familiar with Peter Kay, one of the UK’s most beloved comedians. And that’s shown by the sheer number of gigs he’s playing this year – in fact, Kay is the first ever artist to perform a monthly residency at Greenwich’s massive O2 Arena. A heck of a lot of Londoners are going to get to see Peter Kay live over the next 12 months, and those gigs continue this weekend. This Saturday (January 6), Kay takes to the O2 as part of his first tour in 12 years. Here’s everything you need to know about the show – and all the ones after that. RECOMMENDED: How to get tickets for Peter Kay’s 2023 tour  When is Peter Kay at London’s O2 Arena? Peter Kay’s next show at the O2 is on Saturday, January 6 2024. After that, he’ll play loads more dates. Here are those in full: February 24, 2024 March 23, 2024 April 20, 2024 May 4, 2024 June 2, 2024 July 13, 2024 August 10, 2024 September 7, 2024 October 8, 2024 November 16, 2024 December 5. 2024 January 25, 2025 February 22, 2025 March 20, 2025 April 4, 2025 What time will he come on stage? Kay is set to take to the stage at 8pm. What time do doors open at the London O2? Doors will open at 6:30pm and it should end by the O2’s curfew, which is 11pm.  Are there any tickets left? According to ticketing platform AXS, there are still some tickets left for the January 6 show. How much are tickets?  You can...

A great pub in Angel that has a charming beer garden out front and an events space upstairs, where Angel Comedy calls home (as well as The Bill Murray down the road). There are excellent comedy line-ups here every night and they're always free.