The second comprehensive survey of the UK Live Comedy Sector officially launches today. This initiative is a collaborative effort between the Live Comedy Association, British Comedy Guide, and the Centre for Comedy Studies Research at Brunel University London.
Building on the success of the initial survey conducted last year - which led to a DCMS (Department for Culture, Media & Sport) Select Committee meeting with industry representatives to explore the sector’s cultural and economic contribution - this follow-up survey aims to further assess the landscape of live comedy across the UK. Findings from the survey will inform a detailed report, scheduled for publication in February 2026.
All professionals working within the live comedy sector are strongly encouraged to participate by completing the short survey available at www.comedysurvey.co.uk.
The Live Comedy Association (LCA) was formed in May 2020, when industry representatives came together in response to the crisis faced by the industry due to a significant lack of public funds and government support during the pandemic. The new LCA leadership team has worked on various activities over the last couple of years to benefit those working in the sector. These include lobbying government and parliament to recognise live comedy as an essential part of the UK’s creative industries, holding development workshops for members and making representations to party political policy forums.
Most recently the LCA was successful in asking a question to government about the recently published Creative Industries Action Plan. The question prompted Sir Chris Bryant, (Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism at Department for Culture, Media and Sport) to say "the point has been really well made about the value and impact of live comedy. I'm keen to have a roundtable meeting with the sector. (Live comedy) is an important part of the cultural sector & industry"
Jessica Toomey, co-chair of the LCA, said “The first sector survey report we published earlier this year, based on the 2024 survey, was vital to our work and making our voice heard by politicians and decision makers. For the very first time, we know what our sector looks like, how many people are employed and what our collective impact is. We also now know that the sector is worth over £1billion to the UK economy and have been using the data to advocate for more support for people working in live comedy. However, we need to keep up the pressure on governments and policy makers and our annual sector survey is a crucial part of us hearing from those working in live comedy and understanding more.”
Dr Sharon Lockyer, the founding director of the Centre for Comedy Studies Research says “there has been a huge amount of progress in the last 12 months with government acknowledging the impact of live comedy sector. We know that the DCMS select committee responded really positively to the first survey report, so much that they hosted the evidence session back in April as part of their State of Play enquiry.”
Chair of the DCMS Committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, said “Despite its widespread and enduring role in our cultural landscape, we should not be fooled into thinking that it’s always a barrel of laughs for our nation’s stand ups, small venues, festivals and those that make the mirth happen behind the scenes. Like so many other of our successful creative industries it can be a precarious place to be and no joke for those away from the glare of the big stage spotlight. Our session shone a spotlight on the challenges faced by live comedy and whether there is more that can be done to keep the laughter coming.”
The Centre for Comedy Studies Research has several aims including contributing to debates relevant to industry and practitioners. Their research examines the production, content, reception and wider socio-political implications of comedy in its variety of formats, from television sketch shows to comedy thrillers. The Centre works closely with its advisory group, international affiliated researchers and founding ambassadors which include comedians Jo Brand and Lee Mack, producer Simon Minty and Leicester Comedy Festival founder Geoff Rowe. All their work is strongly underpinned by the belief that comedy is socially, culturally, politically and economically significant at local, national and international levels.
The UK live comedy sector survey is available to those who consider the UK live comedy industry to be their main sector of work to contribute to. Everyone working in live comedy are encouraged to visit the website and fill out the survey before 23:59 on 18th August 2025. All contributions remain anonymous, and it will take 10 minutes to complete.
Links:
UK Comedy Sector Survey - https://comedysurvey.co.uk
Live Comedy Association - https://livecomedyassociation.co.uk
Centre For Comedy Studies Research - https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Networks-and-Labs/Centre-for-Comedy-St...
