...and Southerners the least, according to a new survey

 Almost one in seven comedy-goers in the North West say they have heckled a comedian – and one in nine admit they have ‘crashed’ the stage of a stand-up gig. 

The region tops the table for such interactions with comedians, according to a new report by Ticketmaster. Scotland came second.

The best-behaved audiences are in the South of England, where only 8.4 per cent of people say they have heckled, followed by Wales at 8.8 per cent.

In findings exclusively obtained by Chortle, here’s what percentage of audiences say they’ve heckled comics around the UK.

North West: 15.2 per cent 
Scotland & Border: 13.2 per cent
Northern Ireland: 12.8 per cent
North East: 12.3 per cent 
Yorkshire & Humberside: 10.1 per cent 
Midlands: 10.0 per cent 
East: 9.9 per cent 
South West: 9.8 per cent
Wales: 8.8 per cent 
South / South East: 8.4 per cent 

In a mark of audience’s changing expectation of a comedy night, almost half of the 2,000 people in Ticketmaster’s survey say they look forward to crowd interactions.

The study also asked about what types of humour audiences preferred.

Welsh audiences like regional humour the most (26 per cent), followed by the Scots (24  per cent); while 87% of Southerners do not enjoy this genre.

Scottish audiences like dirty jokes the most (30 per cent), while comedy lovers in the North East are most prone to laughing at inappropriate moments (25 per cent)

 Nearly half of rural residents say they enjoy comedy about 'life’s absurdities', whilst only a third of city dwellers share this passion 

Published: 29 Oct 2024