Survey offers insight into the state of the industry

Live comedy is worth more than a £1billion a year to the UK economy, it has been estimated.

A survey of people working in the field found that the turnover of their activities is worth around £82 million per year.

However, organisers say that as this is just a snapshot of the sector – excluding arena ticket sales, streaming revenues or other areas of income – the true figure is more than 12 times as high.

The figure would put live comedy on a par with the size of the UK fishing industry – which in 2022 landed £1.04billion of stock. 

The study was carried out by the  Live Comedy Association, and the  Centre for Comedy Studies Research based at Brunel University London. Two-thirds of responders were comedians, the rest promoters, producers, venue managers, festival organisers or agents.

David Elphick, co-chair of the Live Comedy Association, added:  ‘The contribution live comedy makes to the UK is really important and we now have a much better sense of the detail behind this. 

‘We now know, for example, that live comedy is more accessible than theatre with average ticket prices for comedy being almost 23 per cent cheaper than for theatre. 

‘We also know that the majority of live comedy helps support the nighttime economy across the country, with almost 48 per cent of venues being based in city centres. We also know that between five and ten jobs are supported in venues, in addition to those directly associated with the performances.’

A lot of those who respond were veterans, with  57 per of comedians saying have been performing for more than 11 years. Two-thirds of comics say most of their work comes from individual comedy bookers. 

Around 80 per cent of people who work offstage promote comedy in venues with capacities less than 250, highlighting the grassroots nature of the sector. 

Just under half – 45 per cent – of respondents who work offstage report they regularly sell between 71 and 90 per cent of their available tickets, suggesting a generally healthy attendance for comedy gigs. The most common price for a gig (43 per cent of shows) is between £13 and £18.

Some responses noted the growth in gigs on cruise ships and also the continued opportunities of gigging internationally.

Jess Toomey, co-chair of the Live Comedy Association, said: ‘We are delighted with the initial results of the survey and want to thank everyone who completed it. 

‘Although the survey was anonymous, it is clear that a broad range of people working in live comedy answered the questions and gave us valuable data. We know more about a part of the sector but we now want to do more work to quantify the total amounts generated. 

‘We can use the initial results to continue to lobby and advocate to the new government and policymakers to help all those who do such amazing work. We will now work through the results in more detail and we will report in more detail later this year.’

Dr Sharon Lockyer, of the  Centre for Comedy Studies Research, said: 'We are delighted with the initial results from the survey. We are pretty confident there has never been a survey like this before and the results give us an incredible insight into the contribution live comedy makes to the UK. 

‘We also know how amazingly diverse the sector is, with survey responses from a real mix of people at different stages of their careers.

‘The results suggest the financial contribution live comedy makes to the economy and also the broader value of the sector. The contribution to supporting charities and fundraising is impressive, so are the informal training and development opportunities on offer.

‘It seems there is a healthy number of people entering the sector, either as comedians or off stage, partly due to the commitment across the board of supporting new and emerging talent.’

Of the bookers who responded, 13 per cent mainly employed emerging acts while 16 per cent mainly book established acts. 

72 per cent of those working off-stage believe their main contribution is in adding to a vibrant cultural life in their community. 80 per cent host shows to raise money for charities and half get involved in community projects or activities. 84 per cent of comedians perform in support of charities or community projects each year.

Almost 70 per cent of comedians who responded to the survey don’t have any representation in landing work, although 38 per cent are part of a union, or other  trade organisation.

39 pert cent of comics reported that their income has increased in the last 12 months, and half say their live comedy careers are growing.

A full report will be published later this year and will be discussed at an event during next year’s Leicester Comedy Festival.

Published: 14 Jul 2024