In need of a laugh? The best comedy shows to see in 2026

0:01Hi, I'm Charlie Duffield and welcome back to The Standard Podcast. if you're new here hit follow and give us a rating for all the latest news head to standard.co.uk coming up later in the show the unmissable comedy tours you should book now for the year ahead every year i preview comedy and i think the bubbles burst comedy can't get any bigger you know comedians are about as big as they can get and then they come along and announce arena tours So, you know, there's a few for your diary. But first, it's a new year and officially the first Monday back to work after the festive break. If that feels a little bleak and you're looking to schedule some laughs in 2026, then stay tuned for today's episode.

0:51Perhaps your New Year's resolution is to check out more culture, in which case there's a growing live comedy scene ready and waiting in the capital. From award nominees to TV stars to online sensations and podcast heroes, stand-ups are all getting back to their stage roots. The Standard's comedy critic, Bruce Dessau, is here with a round-up of the best of the bunch that are hitting the road in the coming months. Bruce, first of all, it used to be live at the Apollo that introduced comedy fans to new talents, But now it seems to be Channel 4's Taskmaster. Which acts from the current series are touring in 2026, aside from the Taskmaster himself, Greg Davis?

1:38Most comedians, every year they come to their agent and say, get me on Taskmaster. In fact, you know, this month you can see the Inside No. 9 show, which was a live show last year, was so successful in the West End, it's now returning for one final run at the Apollo in Hammersmith. and one of the stars of that, if you know Inside Number Nine from the BBC Two series, is Rhys Shearsmith, who I think is one of the sort of token old people on Taskmaster. Every series they seem to have an old person who doesn't quite get things right, and I think Rhys fitted into that category. The winner of the last series, Taskmaster, was Maisie Adam, and she's out on tour now with her brand new show.

2:17It's called What's Her Face? Because I think one of her relations, every time she sees her on television, goes, oh is that what's her face on television again so macy adam is around phil ellis who was in the last series and he's a madcap comedian i love him if you like sort of harry hill or vic reeves and bob mortimer he's a kind of oddball comedian like that i really strongly recommend phil ellis anna magliano is another taskmaster graduate she's back probably my favorite of all though i have to say he wasn't in this series of taskmaster but sam campbell he really is a loose cannon you know I've seen him live loads of times.

2:51And anyone who saw Sam Campbell on Taskmaster, you're only seeing a hint of what Sam Campbell is like live, where anything can happen on stage with Campbell. And you also mentioned some podcast comics who are leaving the studio. Tell me more about them. Comedians have to have this portfolio of careers now. So you can't just be a stand-up comedian. You have to be a broadcaster yourself. So every comedian has to have a podcast. I think it's compulsory. I think a law must do in past. Josh Ridicom, he launched during covid lockdown he launched parents in hell with rob beckett and josh is out on tour he just started in the autumn again it's a tour that runs well anytime he can fit it in between tv jobs he's going to be touring with his latest show which is called not my cup of tea even rob beckett's got a few more days although rob has said he's actually he's one of these few comedians who's actually going to be doing less live stuff in 2026 i think because his wife's got a book coming out.

3:43Chris Ramsey, who's half of the Shag Married Annoyed podcast, he's on the road with his brand new solo tour, Here Man. And then, of course, one of my favorite podcasts is, I'm sure, one of yours as well, Off Menu, with James Acaster and Ed Gamble. Ed's kind of tied up doing the Traitor's Unwoked visualized podcast at the moment. James Acaster is off on the road now with his brand new show. I don't know if you'll get much in the way of food recommendations in it. I heard tell of James Acaster's work in progress shows this year. And I've actually been told I'm not allowed to say what his live show's about because it's going to be very different.

4:18It won't be your normal live stand-up show, but it just sounds very intriguing. And then again, another podcast star is Tom Davis. We all know him from stand-up, from Live at the Apollo and stuff like that. And he's got a podcast with Romesh Rangadathan, Wolf and Dal. But Tom's going out on the road on his own with a new solo set called Spud Gun, which will have more sort of revelations from his domestic ups and downs. Now, the other thing comedians have to do is have an online presence. But who is transitioning to the stage this year? One of the big breakout stars during lockdown and pandemic was Michael Spicer, who broke through with his political spoofs, The Room Next Door.

4:57And now he's bringing the same satirical edge with a bit of more personal comedy. He's bringing that to the stage with his new show, Hope All's Well. It'll be a mix of sketches, short films, and sort of stand-up stories. So that's worth looking out for. Another comedian who's a personal favorite is, you may have called him on his YouTube channel, is Alistair Beckett King, who does brilliant spoofs, you know, does spoofs of Scandi Noir thrillers, surreal, whimsical sketches. He really tries to make his live shows special. He's not a stand-up comedian. He does do stand-up, but he doesn't just stand and then show clips on the screen.

5:33He has a really, again, I don't like to give too much away, But the way he integrates his footage with his actual stand-up comedy is pretty unique. His show's called King of Crumbs. And just, I'll tell you his name again, because I always spell it wrong. It's Alastair, and it's spelled the Scottish way. A-L-A-S-D-A-I-R. Alastair Beckett King. So if you're Googling him, make sure you get the spelling right. And also Stevie Martin, who again, people might know from Taskmaster. She's been pretty prolific online with her viral sketches and whimsical gags. And she's off on tour as well. She toured last year.

6:09I saw her show in Edinburgh. It's called Clout. And she's back on the road with it in 2026.

6:18Let's go to an ad break. Coming up, from the awards gang to those coming to an arena near you, plus some personal favourites, there's plenty more comedy acts to check out in 2026. We'll see you back here in just a moment.

6:39Welcome back. So Bruce, who was discovered last summer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards? In terms of just sort of straight up stand up, Ian Smith is from sort of Yorkshire and he's got a kind of downbeat, sort of a low status personality. His latest show is all about how he tried to become a father and the lengths he went to to help his wife conceive, which involved some strange new age techniques and a bit of incense and other stuff. He's just a really funny comedian. You may have heard him on podcasts with Amy Gledhill. He does a podcast. Ian Smith is someone to look out for. Dan Tiernan, if you don't mind being shouted at for 60 minutes, It lets his frustrations out on stage.

7:22And I think he's going to be a big star in the future. Sam Nicarresti, who won the Best Show Award at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival last year. Sam's out on the road and I recommend that show. Now, let's talk about some of the bigger names. Who is performing in arenas this year and beyond? Rommash Ranganathan has announced a brand new tour. If you're looking forward to seeing him, I'm afraid it doesn't even start till 2027. But it's called Rommash Ranganathan Will Change Your Life. Buy your tickets now, but then wait the whole of 2026. And in January 27, you can see Romesh in arenas. Kevin Bridges, who I think is probably the best Scottish stand-up comedian at the moment.

7:58Kevin Bridges hasn't toured in a while. And he announced a tour and it immediately sold out. He's already had to add extra dates. He'll be going all over the country. So Kevin Bridges, his show is called Here If You Need Me. And you just know with Kevin, he's a safe pair of hands. Another comedian who's kind of Scottish and English at the same time, Daniel Sloss. I think he was born in England, but brought up in Scotland. Daniel Sloss is also touring next year. And he's a kind of global success. He's actually doing international shows at the first part of the year, I think. And then he comes to the UK with dates.

8:30He's playing Wembley in London, and then all over the country. And Daniel's been a really sort of strong, unfiltered, speaks his mind, not afraid to say what he thinks, comedian. and it's really, really strong stuff, but always it's funny and it's also thought-provoking. It's nice to see a gig that you, afterwards it stays with you and you go away and it provokes debate and you talk about it. And I think you can usually get that from Daniel Sloss. I should add, how could I forget? Peter Kay has actually been touring with this show since 2022. He's had a run of shows at the O2 Arena where he's been doing the O2 Arena once a month, every month for about three years now.

9:10He's finally said he's finishing the tour this year with a run of UK shows. The proceeds will be going to various cancer charities. So you can get a good laugh and support good causes if you go and see Peter Kay. And which comedy champions are on tour following reality TV triumphs? You can't have a reality TV show without comedians these days. And they usually go ahead and win them. We've got two Strictly winners on the road at the moment. Bill Bailey is back for the brand new show. So, you know, Bill Bailey's pretty versatile. I knew him as a stand-up comedian. He used to do music on stage. And now everyone thinks of Bill Bailey as a dancer as well.

9:46So I imagine you'll get a bit of music and a bit of dance and a bit of stand-up in his new show, Vauderville. And then a more recent winner is Chris McCausland, who just seems to have gone from strength to strength. He won Strictly in 2024. And I think it was around that time that he announced his tour called Yonks. It was called Yonks because people thought he was an overnight success. But of course, he'd been a stand-up comedian for Yonks. Yonks now stretches way into 2026. It wouldn't surprise me if he ends up extending it into 2027. It's just a classic stand-up. Chris would admit that he's not really breaking new ground as a stand-up comedian.

10:23But his material is totally accessible. It's about being a father, being married, being in a long marriage, keeping the romance alive, his day-to-day ups and downs. and he's just a great stand-up comedian who can find the funny side of anything that happens to him. So if you just want guaranteed laughs, you can't go wrong with Chris McCausland. And then obviously the Trasers is back now, but the star of Celebrity Trasers last year was Alan Carr. I think people quite surprised he won it. I think people thought he couldn't really keep his mouth closed. And that's probably what's inspired the title of his new show, which is called Have I said too much.

11:02And yeah, Alan Carr, then his chat show was called Chatty Man. So we all know Alan Carr can talk for England. If talking was an Olympic event, Alan Carr would be up on the podium with a gold medal every time. He's another one of these comedians who's so busy with other commitments. His tour actually doesn't start till January 2027, but you can buy tickets for it now and it's bound to sell out. So I would snap up tickets for Alan Carr straight away. And then And also someone who benefited from a bit of traitorous bold dust is Nick Muhammad. He was touring in 2026 with his show Show Pony, and he's had to extend that into next year.

11:41Nick Muhammad's interesting life because it's a kind of character comedy. He has this weird, hapless character called Mr. Swallow, but he's also quite personally in this show. He also roller skates on stage, which is not something you see every day. So I do recommend Nick Muhammad. it. Bruce, can you share some of your personal favourites now? Who has caught your attention? People have to sort of have their own favourites. I find Bridget Christie very relatable. Her new shows about them being of a kind of menopausal age, kidney stones, having kids, all sorts of problems that she's got going through.

12:14She's a great clown, so she's one to see. Another favourite of mine who, for some reason, she never seems to win awards, but she's popping up on television now, and I think she's really good, is Chloe Petz, who's got her brand new show called Big Naturals. And also another one who you may know from Taskmaster is Mike Wozniak. His show's called The Bench. I haven't seen any previews of it, so I don't know what it's about, but Benches may possibly be involved, although with Mike Wozniak, you never can tell. And finally, is there anyone else listeners should look out for in 2026? Tim Key I love you know if you haven't seen his film Ballad of Wallace Island there's a stand-up comedian as well he does stand-up and poetry so I would recommend Tim Key another person who I couldn't squeeze into my preview that I wrote for The Standard is Laura Smith she's got a brand new tour called Aggie she's a sort of comedian with attitude and if you get a chance to see Laura Smith Smith with a Y S-M-Y-T-H do go and see Laura Smith but yeah that's what I love about comedy every year new comedians crop up and there were new people to see.

13:18And all I can say is we need a laugh at the moment. So I think there's plenty there to, something there should give everyone a laugh.

13:30And that's The Standard. For all the latest news, head to standard.co.uk. If you'd like to get in touch, please do drop us a line at podcasts at standard.co.uk. We'll be back here tomorrow morning we'll see you then