Following the recent launch of the UK Live Comedy Sector report and Live Comedy Day, the Live Comedy Association (LCA) are delighted to have been invited to a roundtable meeting with Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Arts Ian Murray MP to discuss the comedy sector. The meeting was originally called for by Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the CMS Select Committee in April 2025 when the Select Committee hosted a specific evidence session focusing on live comedy. This was the first time live comedy had been discussed in parliament after the LCA lobbied for a meeting.
The roundtable meeting will take place in early March and is being attended by a range of people working in live comedy. Further details about the LCA is available from here.
The LCA is a not for profit Community Interest Company representing over 1500 people who work in live comedy across the UK. The CIC has a board of Directors, and an advisory panel made up of 20 people working in live comedy. The organisation has been working since 2020 to fight for recognition by governments about the importance of live comedy sector. The LCA secured support for live comedy during the pandemic, has produced 2 national surveys and reports showing the size and impact of the sector, and most recently ensured live comedy clubs were eligible for business rates support alongside pubs and live music venues.
In October 2025, the LCA wrote to Ministers with a 5 point manifesto of support for the live comedy sector. The letter raised areas of support vital to ensure the long term security of live comedy and the pipeline of talent development across the sector. The points raised were:
1. Follow up on the items raised in the letter from Culture, Media and Sport Committee following its first State of Play evidence session in April 2025. These included:
- A round table discussion between government and live comedy sector
- Identify resources to produce an independent, accurate assessment of the size and distribution of the live comedy sector
- Explore the potential to extend the live music arena levy to include live comedy
2. Include live comedy as a crucial part of UK’s creative and cultural industries in policy and strategy documents.
3. Include live comedy in policy interventions such as discussions around VAT on tickets, business rates for venues and working conditions for freelancers
4. Business rate relief for grassroots venues
5. Invite representation from Live Comedy Association on relevant working groups and policy advisory committees
Jessica Toomey co-Chair of the LCA, said “we are delighted this roundtable meeting with the Minister is going ahead, to continue the conversation about how and why our sector needs recognition. It’s enormously frustrating to people working in live comedy, together with our friends and supporters, that we aren’t formally recognised alongside theatre, music, dance, poetry and other parts of the live creative industries.
We are making good progress; of the 5 areas we identified in October, several items are being developed particularly the agreement of government to include live comedy venues in the business rates support package.
Our small team is working hard with others to ensure we secure this recognition, and our community of people who share our vision is growing all the time. Last week we launched Live Comedy Day at the Night Time Industries Association Conference in Liverpool where live comedy was given a platform to over 2000 delegates alongside other part of the creative industries and night time economy.”
The LCA is producing Live Comedy Day on 1st April 2026, a national celebration of grassroots live comedy. Further information is available from here.
The UK Live Comedy Sector Survey was administered by Centre for Comedy Studies Research at Brunel University of London and ethical approval to conduct the survey was received from the College of Arts, Law and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee at Brunel University of London.
The Stand Up And Give Fund, raising money to support grassroots live comedy across the UK, has so far raised £15,000. For more information, and to donate, click here.
