The BBC Comedy Festival is back for a fifth time and in May 2026 the host city will be Liverpool. 

The BBC Comedy Festival – previously held in Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff and Newcastle - is an opportunity for those working in the TV industry to get together, celebrate and discuss comedy. Previous years have seen Jesse Armstrong, Stefani Robinson, Sharon Horgan and Guz Khan appear, amongst many other brilliant comedy names. Whether well-established, or fledgling in their careers, TV producers can regroup to explore and reflect on the industry.  

From Wednesday 13th to Friday 15th May, Liverpool will be home to a series of talks, panels, screenings, a short film night and live comedy shows.   

Jon Petrie, Director of Comedy at the BBC says: “Liverpool has funny bones and a rich culture of producing top tier comedy creatives, so we’re delighted to be bringing the BBC Comedy Festival 2026 to the city. Comedy forms a unique corner of the television industry and in British culture. It’s important that we provide a forum that brings together some of the best comedy minds to celebrate and discuss the success of the sector now and in the future.” 

The BBC Comedy Festival 2025 was held in Belfast and across two days there were 16 panels and masterclasses, with over 70 comedy names on stage including Steve Coogan, Lisa McGee, Ash Atalla and Michelle de Swarte. During the festival, BBC Comedy and BBC Northern Ireland announced a new initiative to ringfence £500k of funding for comedy production in Northern Ireland. The 2026 festival in Liverpool will mark the beginning of development and production opportunities in the North West region – more details will follow.  

At the BBC Comedy Festival in Liverpool a selection of panels and events will be open to the public. More information on the dates, venues and how to get tickets will be available closer to the time.