Cracking comedy to catch in Liverpool in 2026

Is everyone in Liverpool a comedian? If not, the UK’s unofficial ‘capital of comedy’ certainly punches way above its weight when it comes to knowing how to enjoy a good laugh.

So it’s perhaps no surprise funny men and women from across the country – and beyond – are always keen to bring their live shows to the city.

Along with bespoke comedy clubs and regular comedy nights, star names and rising talent also perform at mainstream venues like the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool Playhouse, Philharmonic Hall, Epstein Theatre, Royal Court Studio and Unity.

The next 12 months are no exception, and comedy fans are in for a treat with a host of names heading this way with their latest live stand-up shows.

From arena shows in front of 10,000 to intimate gigs for 100 comedy afficionados, and from storytellers to surreal flights of fancy, there really is something – and someone – to appeal to every taste.

Here’s where you can find your laughs during 2026.

Liverpool Empire

Russell Howard pays not one but two visits to the Empire in spring 2026 with his new stand-up show Don’t Tell the Algorithm.

Howard is inviting you back into the room: no phones, no distractions, just humans and jokes. Catch him on March 15 and April 19.

Following overwhelming demand (mainly from his wife Rosie who is desperate to get him out of the house), Chris Ramsey is back on the road in 2026 with a new stand-up show, Here Man.

He arrives at Lime Street on March 19.

Then fast forward to June 27 to catch Joanne McNally.

Following the success of her record-breaking tour The Prosecco Express, McNally returns with her hotly anticipated new stand-up show Pinotphile. Join her for a wild ride as she navigates situationships, revenge, frenemies and rejection in her 'Terrifyingly funny' (London Evening Standard) and 'Joyously nuts’ (Irish Examiner) trademark style.

Edinburgh Comedy Award winner and Taskmaster champion Sam Campbell presents Kid Giblet on November 11.

With a signature style that marries absurdist loops and razor-sharp observational wit—from surreal YouTube shorts to mainstream TV and podcast success—Aussie comedian Campbell continues to evolve as one of the UK’s most distinctive and boundary-pushing comedic talents.

And Liverpool’s own Adam Rowe follows on November 13 with what is being billed as ‘his best-ever hour of stand-up’ Fashionism, a show about trying to see everyone’s point of view, especially those you hate.

Liverpool Playhouse

Mike Wozniak heads for the Liverpool Playhouse to kick off a busy year of comedy at the Williamson Square venue.

The Bench is a new stand-up show in which a story about a bench will be prominent. Previous experience of or strong opinions about benches not required.

Catch Wozniak on January 23 and again on September 11.

It’s Nameste from Omid Djalili on February 12 when he peacefully bows to his inner anger and unleashes a torrent of comedic vitriol upon the current state of this dangerously messed up planet.

Joel Dommett is a Happy Idiot on March 24, with the comedian promising glamorous tales from behind the camera and less glamorous anecdotes of first-time fatherhood.

Then it’s all about the Zaltgeist with Andy Zaltman on March 25.

One of the UK’s leading satirical comedians, Zaltman assesses the state of Planet Earth and its most famous and controversial species – the human race. Attempting to concoct vaguely plausible answers to perennial questions such as What?, Who?, Where?, and above all Why?

Ardal O’Hanlon is Not Himself on March 26. In this latest live show, O’Hanlon reflects on who he is as a man and a comedian.

He examines his own ethnic and religious background. And thinks twice about the very core of his identity as a voice of reason. Is everything a big lie? With no major trauma of his own to draw on for material, apart from the drag of getting older, he also turns his gaze outwards at the joys and follies of contemporary life. 

The following evening, BAFTA and British Comedy Award-winning Irish stand-up Aisling Bea is welcomed to the Playhouse with her live show Older Than Jesus.

Expect tales of travel, home, immigration, history, sex, babies, music, lovers and enemies.

Judi Love (pictured) is All About the Love on April 25.

Known for her honesty and humour, Love offers fresh insights into how a big heart navigates a world full of surprises, struggles and transformations. But let’s be real – adulting? It’s no joke!

On June 9, political comedian Matt Forde heads for the theatre as part of his biggest live tour to date.

In Defying Calamity, Forde finds positivity in life despite all the evidence to the contrary in politics and his own health.

Award-winning Scott Bennett opens the autumn season on September 9 with his show Stuff.

As a society we love stuff - it’s a statement about who we are and who we want to be. But apparently, this message is at odds with the looming environmental crisis. Bennett is desperately trying to cleanse his life of stuff, but is this even possible anymore?

Expect something Swanky when Sindhu Vee plays the Playhouse on September 12. Swanky is a show about falling through the cracks you didn’t make, avoiding the friendships you don’t want, and embracing the self-love you definitely need.

From Taskmaster alumni and double Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner John Kearns is Tilting at Windmills on September 24.

Expect a show for those who have read about but not committed to the Guinness Nitrosurge.

And Maisie Adam is in Liverpool on October 7 with Whatsherface. Join the “tall, chaotic one with the weird hair” (a genuine description given by her best friend’s mum at a wedding) as she returns with her trademark wit, firecracker gags, and probably a few angry outbursts along the way.

Philharmonic Hall and Music Room

To mark its 25th anniversary, BBC Radio 4’s multi-award-winning topical satire show Dead Ringers is taking to the road with a full UK tour for the first time – coming to the Philharmonic Hall on January 30.

Starring long-standing cast members Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis MacLeod, and Duncan Wisbey the show promises a trip through a quarter century of classic sketches and unrivalled impressions, alongside the razor-sharp topical humour which has become the series’ trademark.

A kidney stone. A stray cat. An eye-themed fetish. Bridget Christie hits the road again in 2026 with a new show, Jacket Potato Pizza, which hits Liverpool on January 31.

Spend February 7 in the company of comedian, author and creator of online sensation Mammy Banter Serena Terry, who presents Therapy - her biggest stand-up comedy tour to date.

Then on February 13, find out why Vittorio Angelone believes You Can’t Say Nothing Any More. As seen on the internet…unless your algorithm hasn’t blessed you thusly.

Ross Noble returns to the Philharmonic Hall on February 25 with his new show Cranium of Curiosities.

What the show will be about is anybody’s guess, but that’s all part of the fun when you look inside his Cranium of Curiosities. 

Clinton Baptiste pays not one but two visits in spring 2026, with his new show Spectral Intercourse entertaining comedy fans on March 6 and again on May 10.

In a rudderless world, mankind needs an envoy to gather solutions from the all-knowing, all-seeing Afterlife. But who should it be? Of course, there’s only one man for the job.

Two-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and New Yorker Janine Harouni plays the Music Room on March 7 with a new hour of joyful, quick-witted stand-up. The razor-sharp new show is about marriage, parenting, and all the other wonderful milestones that slowly degrade your sleep and sanity.

The next night the Music Room hosts Alison Spittle  with "her finest show to date" (The Scotsman).

A man told Spittle to sit down and now she's doing a whole stand up show about it. After an encounter on a train with a man triggers a series of events that change Spittle's life, she ponders if it’s easier to change herself than the world around her. A big show about making yourself smaller.

Back on the main stage, Harry Enfield and No Chums will entertain Liverpool comedy fans on March 9. A rare and entertaining evening with legendary satirical comedian and self-styled ‘stupid idiot’ who will reflect on 40 years of arsing about in comedy and bring some of his favourite characters vividly back to life on stage.

There will also be an audience Q&A.

Share in The Eternal Shame of Sue Perkins on March 11 when she talks about the unlikely happenings from a career in the spotlight in her first live show for a decade.

What’s the fallout when your pituitary gland goes haywire on live TV?  How do you convince the public you didn’t really fall onto that hoover attachment? And when intimate photos get splashed all over the internet, how do you switch the shame to dignity and joy? 

Liverpool’s own Chris McCausland returns with his smash-hit live show Yonks on April 11. It’s a masterclass in stand-up comedy that has literally been yonks in the making.

Tom Davis arrives with Spudgun on May 3.

Davis is co-host of mega-hit podcast Wolf and Owl with Romesh Ranganathan, star of BAFTA and Royal Television Society award-winning comedy series Murder in Successville and BBC One smash-hit comedy King Gary.

Comedian and writer Jen Brister is Reactive - or so she's been told. Finding herself in a constant state of exacerbation at the state of the world and people in general, Brister has been told she needs to chill the hell out. Can Jen find her zen? Find out on May 20.

Then the suave Troy Hawke entertains on May 23-24 with a new show Never Stop, Never Change!

Angry security guards, barked compliments and crossed wires abound as Hawke navigates various conversational minefields, both online and in real life.

Royal Court Theatre and Studio

Taskmaster loser & Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed returns as his critically acclaimed alter-ego Mr. Swallow with a new show: Show Pony, which comes to the main stage at the Royal Court on April 9.

Show Pony has been described by Mr Swallow as “payback for everyone who didn’t come to the last tour” and “my most personal/libelous show to date” and will cover everything from not having his own sitcom to not having his own sitcom… and everything in between.

Meanwhile there’s a busy start to 2026 downstairs in the Royal Court Studio.

Grace Petrie brings her latest stand-up show, This is No Time to Panic, to the Studio stage on January 16.

Like protest songs? Neither does Petrie - and she's been singing them for 15 politically disastrous years. No longer able to meet the deadened eyes or desperate hopes of leftwing audiences, she reckons there's no better time for a feel-good show.

On January 20, see Gary Delaney’s work in progress and get a taste of his new jokes months before your friends and family do.

Then on January 23, Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominee and Best Show nominee Emmanuel Sonubi is back on tour, this time with Life After Near Death. The hilarious and heartfelt show is about turning life’s toughest moments into comedy gold, finding the laughs in survival and the punchlines in perseverance. 

Justin Moorhouse gives The Greatest Performance of My Life on February 13.

Moorhouse covers subjects ranging from pantomimes to dreams, how to behave in hospitals, small talk, realising his Mum is a northern version of Columbo, and how being a smart-mouthed kid saved him from a life of continually being beaten up.

Spend Valentine’s Day in the company of Desiree Burch who arrives with her show The Golden Wrath.

Gleefully irascible storyteller and comedian Burch leads a madcap voyage through the ‘Middle Ages’ - aka the mid-life crisis – in her new stand-up hour which celebrates the fury and freedom found when you’ve accepted that time has ruined your plans - but roll up your sleeves to fight it anyway.

Mark Watson (pictured) returns after seasons at the Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Edinburgh comedy festivals, bringing his show Before It Overtakes Us to the Royal Court on February 19.

A recent encounter with a stranger caused Watson to spend some time pondering the uncertain future facing humanity. He explores this - along with equally pressing matters like the worst word he’s ever said in public and the current state of the UK sausage industry - in a frantic and fun-packed new show.

Following three sell out shows, Chloe Petts returns with a new tour, Big Naturals, and she's delving where she's never delved before: this is a show about sex. The problem is that she blushes every time she says that word. Catch her on February 4.

There’s a One Night Kiwi Invasion on March 4 courtesy of Taskmaster NZ’s Ray O’Leary and Melanie Bracewell. Don’t miss this one-off chance to see the two of them on a single bill in Liverpool.

Scotland’s global break-through stand-up and prolific joke writer Connor Burns follows them on March 19 with Gallus, his fourth solo hour – billed as ‘a show for anyone who loves live stand-up.’

Then Pierre Novellie (World’s Most Dangerous Roads, The Mash Report and co-host of the Frank Skinner, Budpod and Button Boys podcasts) follows with You Sit There, I’ll Stand Here on March 25.

March 28 sees a visit from award-nominated comedian, writer and composer Leila Navabi. Relay is described as ‘a bold, joyful punk-musical one-person show ‘and was included in The Guardian’s “10 Best Shows to Catch” at Edinburgh Fringe last summer, as well as being nominated for the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence.

Fresh from starring in the latest series of Taskmaster, on May 22 Ania Magliano arrives with Peach Fuzz, a new show full of jokes, confessions, and occasionally unhinged observations, from the quirks of her own body to the legend that is Eve (yes, from Adam and), to her newly discovered boundaries.

Then after the summer, on September 12 Celya AB presents We Must Stop Meeting Like This.

Have you ever forensically over-thought your life choices? Are they all somehow connected to a passing comment your Spanish teacher made when you were 15? Has it impacted everything from your love life to your career? This is a show about breaking free from shame, and what ensues when you do.

Epstein Theatre

Share Tiny Tim’s Stand-Up Adventures on February 20.

Eight years ago, Tiny Tim decided to go on his own adventure navigating through adult life and posting about his calls on social media. More than 250 million views on YouTube and more than 10 million followers on social media later, it’s your turn to join the man behind the voice on his biggest adventure to date.

TV favourite Josh Jones is now knee deep into his 30s and nothing thrills him more than a Greggs sausage roll and an M&S food shop. Living a more sedate life isn’t without its challenges though – he’s still trying to earn his cat’s respect. 

Now Josh is hitting the road with hisI Haven’t Won the Lottery So Here’s Another Tour Show with a date at the Epstein on February 25.

Multi-award-winning Alasdair Beckett-King (pictured) is King of the Crumbs on March 13.

Come vagabonds, come mountebanks, come coney-catchers and cutpurses. 'Either a genius or a very silly man' (Rolling Stone).

Meanwhile on March 19, carpet-fitter turned comedian Jack Skipper delivers Skint, his debut, Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated, stand-up hour about how he went from a tradesman with no qualifications to a full-time comedian (with no qualifications).

And Mark Simmons will Jest to Impress on June 20.

Winner of Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe 2024, Simmons is back on tour in 2026 with a new show packed with expertly crafted one-liners alongside his trademark off-the-cuff jokes based on random audience suggestions.

On October 20, Ghosts star Kiell Smith-Bynoe brings Kool Story Bro, his smash hit improv comedy show, to the Epstein, featuring a cast of some of the UK’s best improvisers around, a surprise celebrity guest every night and stories from the audience to inspire the comedy.

Then Thomas Green comes to the Epstein on November 15. After a significant self-discovery, Green – one of Australia’s best exports - realises his life is a whirlwind full of tangents of his own making, navigating through the impulsive, random and stupid.

Unity Theatre

Alex Stringer (pictured) is promising Happy Hour on March 19.

The award-winning/nominated comedian got sober in 2017 when she was 23. This is a show about what it’s like once you get sober, discovering who you really are without substances, and what if who you really are is actually also a d*ckhead?

Also on March 19, catch Best in Class, the sell-out fringe phenomenon that champions the rich talent of working-class comedians. The evening is hosted by Sian Davies and features a mixed bill of the very best new comic voices, who just so happen to be from working-class backgrounds.

Juicy Bits earned five-star reviews and sold-out Edinburgh completely. Now “master clown” Dru Cripps brings it to Liverpool on March 20.

This quadruple award-winner (British Comedy Guide, Malcolm Hardee, Comedy Store King Gong, Solo FX Sponsorship) and BBC New Comedian of the Year nominee uses questionable musical abilities and dangerous levels of confidence. Every performance is completely different.

Meanwhile also on March 20, Gavin Lilley presents his new show Signs of the Times, billed as a hilarious, heartfelt celebration of language, culture, and the joy of laughing at ourselves.

Drawing on his life as a sign language user, seasoned traveller, and weary father of three, Lilley shares painfully funny stories of awkward moments, cultural mishaps, and the quirks of everyday life.

Then on March 21, Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer 2024 Joe Kent-Walters (Frankie Monrow) is back, after yet another sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe and time he’s dead… dead good! And also, dead. He’s a dead man.

Join the nation’s favourite demonic entertainer at the Unity (a date on March 14 is already sold out) as he dazzles you from beyond the grave. See him now before he is well and truly gone. 

M&S Bank Arena

Greg Davies is heading back out on tour for the first time in seven years with his new stand-up show Full Fat Legend, with a date at the M&S Bank Arena on March 25.

Star of shows such as Taskmaster, The Inbetweeners, The Cleaner, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Man Down and Cuckoo, this is his biggest live tour yet.

The UK’s biggest-selling arena artist, Peter Kay, has announced a series of final arena shows across the UK and Ireland, with all profits donated to 12 leading cancer charities. Catch The Final Show on the Liverpool waterfront on June 19.

Then Kevin Bridges is Here if you Need Me on October 31.

After shattering box office records with Overdue Catch-Up (2022), Brand New Tour (2018), and A Whole Different Story (2015), Bridges has firmly established himself as one of the nation’s most successful stand-ups.

Susan Calman will be telling Tall Tales on November 7.

Calman hasn’t been on tour in 10 years. A decade older, but not necessarily wiser, Calman has found herself in some improbable situations over the years. Tall Tales is a show about cruising, driving tanks, cats and getting older. Prepare yourself for an evening of barely believable stories, laughter and probably some dancing.

Meanwhile Bill Bailey brings his Vaudevillian Tour to the arena on November 14.

Before streaming, before TV, before cinema, before radio… there was vaudeville, the prime-time entertainment of its day. A celebration of comedy, songs, and multifarious skills.

The versatile, vaudevillian Bailey returns with a show that celebrates this great tradition.

And if that wasn’t enough, Jonathan Pie comes to Liverpool for two nights on November 21-22 with his The End of the World tour.

Pie, the UK’s angriest and most unfiltered political satirist, is coming to terms with the horror of Keir Starmer’s Labour and the fact that he voted for it. Meanwhile, Reform is waiting in the wings,Trump’s having a ball, AI is about to rule and ruin your life and World War Three feels distinctly possible.

Catch this helpful and hilarious guide to surviving the impending apocalypse.