Roundhouse Comedy Festival returns to Camden this August, opening on Saturday 1st August with a flagship edition of Live at the Roundhouse, headlined by Frank Skinner, and featuring Phil Wang, Rosie Jones and Celya AB, hosted by Saturday Night Live UK star Paddy Young.
The opening night sets the tone for an ambitious, genre-spanning programme featuring some of comedy’s biggest names, as the legendary Camden venue celebrates 20 years since reopening as an independent multi-arts space and youth charity. The festival is once again co-programmed by acclaimed comedy production company Berk’s Nest. Members’ presale opens Thursday 23 April, followed by general sale on Friday 24 April, with tickets available at www.roundhouse.org.uk.
Continuing their commitment to accessibility, the Roundhouse and Berk’s Nest will once again offer 30 £5 tickets for every show to audiences aged 30 and under.
The 2026 line-up is packed with major headliners including Joe Lycett, Katherine Ryan, Sam Campbell, Ed Gamble, Sara Pascoe and Vittorio Angelone, alongside solo shows from Kristen Schaal (star of Bob’s Burgers) and Jack Rooke, creator of Big Boys. This year’s festival promises more shows, more comedians, and a frankly irresponsible amount of laughter.
Live podcast recordings from Adam Buxton and Alexei Sayle sit alongside a new wave of emerging talent, including Saturday Night Live UK breakout Ayoade Bamgboye and last year’s Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Sam Nicoresti, offering a vibrant snapshot of the comedy scene right now.
For 2026, the festival also welcomes US comedy streaming service Dropout who will present live editions of its hit shows Dirty Laundry, Um, Actually and Crowd Control outside of the United States for the very first time. Born out of the hugely successful comedy website College Humor, Dropout produces a wide variety of shows as a completely independent streaming service. The hosts of three of their most popular shows will be part of the festival’s programme, welcoming special guests into their formats that mix razor-sharp comedy, improvisation, and gameplay. Tickets for Dropout will be available via a Superfans presale from Tuesday 5 May, followed by access for Roundhouse Advanced members on Wednesday 6 May and Roundhouse members on Thursday 7 May, before general sale opens on Friday 8 May.
Across the opening weekend, the Roundhouse Comedy Festival kicks off in style by welcoming The Alexei Sayle Podcast to the stage for a rare live recording with special guest Diane Morgan, promising an unfiltered and unpredictable conversation shaped by the audience. Later that evening, Katherine Ryan headlines a major showcase alongside Judi Love, Michelle de Swarte, Lou Sanders and Jack Skipper - a multi-generational line-up spanning established favourites and fast-rising acts.
The Adam Buxton Podcast lands at the Roundhouse with special guest Mawaan Rizwan, while Dropout’s trio of shows bring their distinctive, interactive formats to UK audiences for a rare run of live appearances.
Stand-up remains at the heart of the festival, with a series of curated mixed bills led by some of the most in-demand names in comedy. Star of Last One Laughing, Sam Campbell headlines a surreal, high-energy line-up alongside Fern Brady, Desiree Burch and Ayoade Bamgboye, while Ed Gamble tops a bill hosted by Taskmaster star Amy Gledhill, featuring Jamali Maddix and Sam Nicoresti. Sara Pascoe and Vittorio Angelone each host special “& Friends” nights, assembling hand-picked line-ups including Harriet Kemsley, Nina Conti, John Kearns, Michael Odewale, Troy Hawke and Janine Harouni.
The festival also highlights more theatrical and personal work. BAFTA-winning writer and Roundhouse ambassador Jack Rooke revisits his breakthrough show Good Grief a decade after its debut, as part of a wider UK tour. Beyond the stage, Rooke is a Commissioner for the Young Creatives Commission, led by the Centre for Young Lives in partnership with the Roundhouse. The initiative aims to expand young people’s access to arts and creative spaces. As part of a diverse panel, he will help shape recommendations to improve youth, education, and community arts provision, due by December.
American actress and comedian Kristen Schaal is bringing her new comedy play The Legend of the Crystal Shell to London for a one-night-only performance, co-starring her Bob’s Burgers co-star John Roberts. The festival closes with Joe Lycett hosting a night of new and experimental material, inviting audiences into the messy, unpredictable process of comedy in the making, where Joe will host a line-up of some of his favourite comedians.
The 2023 festival firmly established the Roundhouse Comedy Festival as a major highlight in the UK comedy calendar, with sold-out shows from names including James Acaster, Katherine Ryan, Ed Gamble, Nish Kumar, Rose Matafeo and Reggie Watts. Building on this success, the 2026 edition offers an even more expansive and ambitious programme, reflecting comedy’s growing cultural impact as both entertainment and a space for connection, release and commentary.
Roundhouse Comedy Festival 2026 runs from 1–18 August at the Roundhouse, Camden.
PROGRAMME LISTINGS IN DATE ORDER
SAT 1 AUGUST, 7.30PM
Live at the Roundhouse with Frank Skinner
plus Phil Wang, Paddy Young, Rosie Jones & Celya AB
Headlining the opening night of the Roundhouse Comedy Festival 2026 is Perrier Award-winning comedian and TV favourite Frank Skinner. He’ll be joined by Phil Wang, Rosie Jones and Celya AB, with the night hosted by Saturday Night Live UK star Paddy Young.
SUN 2 AUGUST, 2.30PM
The Alexei Sayle Podcast: Live!
with special guest Diane Morgan
The Alexei Sayle Podcast crashes onto the Roundhouse stage for a freewheeling conversation with co-host Talal Karkouti and special guest - Diane Morgan!
SUN 2 AUGUST, 7.30pm
Katherine Ryan & Friends
with Judi Love, Michelle de Swarte, Lou Sanders & Jack Skipper
Join powerhouse award-winning comedian, writer, presenter and actor Katherine Ryan for a fiercely funny night. She’ll be joined by her funniest friends to bring the laughter all night long.
WED 5 AUGUST, 7.30pm
Roundhouse Comedy Festival and Berk's Nest in association with PBJ Management present
The Adam Buxton Podcast: Live! with special guest Mawaan Rizwan
Adam Buxton sits down for a live ramble chat with former YouTube star, now BAFTA-winning actor, comedian, and musician, Mawaan Rizwan.
THU 6 AUGUST, 7.30pm
Live at the Roundhouse with Sam Campbell. Hosted by Sarah Keyworth, plus Fern Brady, Desiree Burch & Ayoade Bamgboye
Edinburgh Comedy Award winner, Taskmaster champion and surrealist genius, Sam Campbell headlines this blazing line-up.
FRI 7 AUGUST, 7.30pm
Roundhouse Comedy Festival & Berk's Nest present
Dropout’s Crowd Control with Jacquis Neal
Crowd Control is an improvised stand-up show hosted by Jacquis Neal where the audience is the material. Our three stand-ups will improvise their sets based on YOU, the audience members.
SUN 8 AUGUST, 7.30pm
Roundhouse Comedy Festival & Berk's Nest present
Dropout’s Um, Actually with Ify Nwadiwe & Brian David Gilbert
Um, Actually is a trivia game show hosted by Ify Nwadiwe and fact-checked by Brian David Gilbert, wherein contestants are read false statements about their favorite pieces of nerdy pop culture, and they have to figure out what's wrong.
SUN 9 AUGUST, 7.30pm
Roundhouse Comedy Festival & Berk's Nest present
Dropout’s Dirty Laundry with Lily Du & Grant O'Brien
Dirty Laundry is a game show where host, Lily Du, brings on four guests to anonymously air their dirty laundry. Together, they must guess whose secret is being shared while enjoying drinks served by the show’s bartender, Grant O’Brien.
THU 13 AUGUST, 7.30pm
Live at the Roundhouse with Ed Gamble
Hosted by Amy Gledhill, plus Jamali Maddix & Sam Nicoresti
Headlining this powerhouse line-up is Ed Gamble, co-host of the award-winning mega-hit podcast Off Menu with James Acaster, Taskmaster champion and host of The Traitors: Uncloaked and Taskmaster the Podcast.
FRI 14 AUGUST, 7.30pm
Berk’s Nest in association with Soho Theatre, Curtis Brown and Roundhouse Comedy Festival present
Jack Rooke's Good Grief: a decade retrospective of capitalising on my dead dad to varied levels of failure and success
BAFTA-winning writer and recovering spoken-word artist Jack Rooke (Creator of Hulu / C4’s Big Boys) brings back his debut comedy-theatre show Good Grief, returning to the Roundhouse where he first developed the show in 2014
SAT 15 AUGUST, 7.30pm
Roundhouse Comedy Festival and Berk's Nest in association with Curtis Brown present
Sara Pascoe & Friends with Harriet Kemsley, Nina Conti, John Kearns & Michael Odewale
Sara Pascoe presents a very special evening of comedy as she hosts a spectacular line-up of her funniest friends.
SUN 16 AUGUST, 7.30pm
Roundhouse Comedy Festival and Berk's Nest in association with UTA & Curtis Brown present
Vittorio Angelone & Friends with Troy Hawke, Janine Harouni & more TBA
A night of stand-up comedy hosted and curated by Vittorio Angelone, featuring some of his favourite comedians in the whole world.
MON 17 AUGUST, 7.30pm
Berk's Nest in association with Sophie Chapman Talent and Roundhouse Comedy Festival presents
Kristen Schaal: The Legend of the Crystal Shell
The brand new comedy play from Kristen Schaal (Bob's Burgers, BoJack Horseman, Flight of the Conchords) comes to London for one night only, co-starring John Roberts (Bob's Burgers), with music by Big Black Delta and directed by Frank Smith.
TUE 18 AUGUST, 7.30pm
Chambers Touring Presents Joe Lycett & Friends
Join host Joe Lycett and some of his dear friends as they try new jokes, old jokes, experimental jokes, bad jokes, fantastic jokes.
