Comedy
Guide
The best comedy clubs in London
Thankfully, in England's capital city you don't have far to look for a good old rib-tickling
If you’re in need of a laugh, thankfully you don’t have far to look in London for a good old rib-tickling.
England’s entertainment capital isn’t short of comedy clubs, as you can imagine, with over 100 official clubs and venues dotted in and around the city’s centre. According to a study by Brunel University London, the live comedy scene in the UK was a major economic force in 2024, contributing over £1 billion annually to the economy. That’s no joke.
Grassroots clubs are often the springboard for most comedic talent you’ll see and hear on the screen or in an arena, where the familiar personalities that keep us cackling learn their trade. So where better to catch the most self-deprecating, satirising, sarcastic, deadpan, dry comedians working today than in London.
The UK can lay claim to having one of the funniest comedy scenes in the world. Be it in the back room of a pub, a historic theatre, or an ornate church, here’s our guide to the best comedy clubs in London:
The Bill Murray
Though it’s tucked away around the corner from the A104 – which runs through the heart of Islington – you’ll instantly recognise The Bill Murray when you’re passing by the antiquated boozer. Might be something to do with the giant mural of Bill Murray’s face adorning the pub’s exterior, along with fellow comedy icons like Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Connelly, Rowan Atkinson, Richard Pryor and Victoria Wood. Thanks to the Angel Comedy Club, the intimate venue has been a hub of community comedy for over a decade, running stand-up shows every night of the week from ambitious upstarts to stalwarts like Stewart Lee popping by to give new material a whirl.
Big Belly Comedy Club
Situated right on the Southbank, soak up central London’s glorious vistas before checking out the crème de la crème of contemporary comedic talent at the Big Belly Comedy Club, each and every night of the week. Famously friendly and light-hearted in nature, let your belly jiggle without worrying about obnoxious windbags delivering a torrent of jokes in your direction. For those wanting to chance their arm at comedy themselves, the club (formerly known as the Vauxhall Comedy Club) offers a free comedy course too, and every Sunday, fresh comedians get to chance their arm at the Ding Dong Gong Show dubbed “London’s wildest open mic night”. Who knows, it could be you up on the stage next.
Comedy Carnival
Comedy Carnival has ensured punters’ sides have been well and truly split since 2004. Starting out as a showcase for the finest antipodean talent in London town, the club opened its doors to international talent after hosting Flight Of The Conchords in 2005 in one of their rare UK appearances. It’s never looked back. Evolving into a weekly event across its three venues (in Camden, Covent Garden and Leicester Square), comedy greats like Micky Flanagan, Sara Pascoe, Reginald D Hunter, and Russell Kane have all stepped in front of the luxurious red velvet curtain on their route to renown.
Comedy In Your Eye
If you’re a thrifty soul on the hunt for some bargain laughs, then Comedy In Your Eye should undoubtedly sit at the top of your comedy checklist. At the historic Camden Eye three nights a week, you can witness cracking line-ups cracking jokes from the tidy sum of just £3. What’s more, is that they ensure the roster of comedians is top secret right until the eleventh hour, so you’ll never know who you’ll be chuckling along to until they take to the mic. With comics that appear regularly on Live at the Apollo, Conan, QI, Mock the Week, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and Taskmaster, it’s a snip.
Up The Creek
Founded by comedy impresario Malcom Hardee in 1991, purpose-built comedy club Up The Creek certainly ranks up there among the legendary London comedy venues. Having nurtured the careers of stars like Jimmy Carr, Dara O’Briain and Jo Brand, it’s not only comedy greats that step foot in Up The Creek: the weekly Blackout night welcomes the most razor-witted emerging talent, and has become an institution in its own right. You might not necessarily know the names you’re going to see, but you certainly won’t forget them in a hurry. With its own brewery on-site and weekend afterparties that roll into the early hours, you can make a real night of it at this Greenwich gem.
Covent Garden Comedy Club
“I love this club more than my own gold boots,” Noel Fielding once gushed about the Covent Garden Comedy Club. For those that know The Great British Bake Off host and bonafide glamour puss, that’s quite the accolade. Slap bang in the centre of London’s famed West End entertainment hub, the Covent Garden Comedy Club is the perfect spot for a knee-slapping night of laughs. It’s as up-close-and-personal as it gets, celebrated for its lively atmosphere, like the comedian in question is in your own living room. A real treat given the likes of Michael McIntyre, Alan Carr, and Romesh Ranganathan are all regular acts.
Union Chapel
Given the sheer amount of profanity that’s often present in comedy routines, you’d worry that holding comedy nights in a church would result in the stand-ups bursting into flames upon taking to the mic. On the contrary: Live At Union Chapel is nothing short of a religious experience for comedy fans. With laughter echoing around the celestial Grade I-listed building on a monthly basis – and humorous heavyweights like James Acaster, Katherine Ryan, Russell Howard, and Tim Minchin frequently on the bill alongside a series of sharp-as-you-like supporting acts – there’s no better setting to worship at the altar of comedy.
The Comedy Store
Few comedy clubs have shaped British comedy quite like The Comedy Store. After entrepreneur Don Ward founded the club in 1979, The Comedy Store went from renting the rooftop club space of the Gargoyle private members club in Soho to offering an alternative comedy platform for a host of Britain’s best known comedians. The anti-establishment ethos cultivated the likes of French & Saunders, Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, and Alexei Sayle – who all went on to form The Comic Strip troupe – as well as Keith Allen, Ben Elton, and Paul Merton who remains closely tied to the club. Even Robin Williams, Bill Hicks and Mike Myers got in on the act. With its now-iconic venue at 1a Oxendon Street, which the club has called home since 1993, The Comedy Store continues to welcome improvisational icons and fast-rising names. In short, there’s a reason people have been coming back in droves for nearly half a century.
Soho Theatre Walthamstow
With Soho Theatre having restored this 960-seat former art deco cinema to its former glory, there’s a new era of glory underway at 186 Hoe Street. Soho Theatre Walthamstow are ensuring heritage names from comedy and beyond head to this heritage landmark. The organisation’s second venue so happens to reside in a borough which has undergone a restoration of its own in recent years, with E17 now considered to be one of London’s hippest post codes. Since its inauguration in May 2025, cutting edge comedy has been on the docket, inviting international names and superstar headliners – some on their own monthly showcase Neon Nights – to put punters in hysterics.
