New Year’s Eve comedy in London

Let’s face it, we haven’t had much to laugh about this year – but chuckling is now back in a big way as London’s comedy clubs reopen. This city has the biggest and best comedy scene in the world. But where to start? Our list of London’s best comedy nights and clubs encompasses local gigs, central hangouts and theatre shows where you’ll find performances from the funniest comedians in the business, all guaranteed to raise your spirits and leave your ribs tickled. RECOMMENDED: our complete guide to theatre in London.

A comedy club at the Bill Murray pub, tucked away in the backstreets east of Upper Street.

A great pub in Angel that has a charming beer garden out front and an events space upstairs, where Angel Comedy calls home (as well as The Bill Murray down the road). There are excellent comedy line-ups here every night and they're always free.

As the unofficial comedy capital of the world, London's comedy circuit doesn't take a break. There are stand-up shows seven days a week, from early evening through to the small hours. To help you plan your week of witticisms, here's a nifty calendar of regular comedy shows in London.

We asked you to reveal the strangest things that had ever happened to you while getting intimate – and you didn’t hold back. What you are about to read is very, very NSFW… ‘My girlfriend went down on me on a bench opposite the Tower of London. Not one passer-by said a word.’ ‘We were watching “Titanic” and then suddenly I was in the middle of a threesome.’ ‘I once dated a guy who got off by closing his eyes and jiggling my butt cheek.’ ‘He came so hard that semen came out of both my nostrils.’ ‘He asked me for a foot job: like a hand job, but with my feet.’ ‘She burped vigorously whilst giving me a blow job. It was surprisingly arousing.’ ‘He started licking my forehead. WTF?’ ‘After a one-night stand I found a condom (used but empty), a pair of socks and a packet of Super Noodles lined up neatly on my dressing table. I still have no idea what happened.’ ‘Peanut butter.’ Now tell us: what’s the worst job you’ve ever had to do?

Diaries at the ready: it's time to start planning your comedy year. Many of the biggest comedy tours of 2020 are coming to a London venue this year, and we've put them all into this handy planner. There's every variety of stand-up comedian in London. Check out the full list below of notable comedians on tour making their way to London in the coming months.

With comedians charging top dollar to watch them from a mile away at the O2, we here at Time Out offer you a guide to the financially viable alternatives – London’s best free comedy gigs.   In general, the quality at free clubs can be a little hit and miss, but we highly recommend these ten comedy nights, and there’s no doubting that these free things to do in London offer excellent value for money.   A minor warning: although they say ‘free’, many clubs invite donations at the end of the night. Don’t fret if you can’t make a contribution, but if you’ve enjoyed the show, why not pay what you think it was worth?

Formerly known as The Venue, Leicester Square Theatre gave the beery, dank space something of a facelift in 2008 and opened with a bill of comedy, cabaret and theatre that included Joan Rivers, burlesque star Polly Rae and an experimental take on Oscar Wilde's 'Dorian Gray'. Its diddy basement bar is one of the most intimate places to catch a comic or cabaret turn in town.

‘My main goal of the show, and my life, is to clear the name of Yoko Ono,’ says James Acaster, matter-of-factly, at the top of his show. Quite how we get there via examining his love of mariachi music, or the identities of Percy Pig’s mates, we’re not sure. But it all seems to make sense, at the time. Honest. Three solo shows in, and Acaster’s quickly becoming a reliable Fringe favourite. The Kettering-born comic is quiet, pedantic and refreshingly low-key. He's in no rush to get laughs, his shows are slow-burners, but every carefully chosen word or pause builds up to a sturdy, satisfying punchline. From Twister-etiquette to French rhyme structures, the Marks and Spencer-donning comic has a knack for flipping observational comedy on its head, studiously examining things most of us have dismissed as inconsequential. His confident, yet gawky, persona is wonderfully aloof, too. But what Acaster has mastered, which most comics fail at, is structuring an hour-long show. Seemingly throwaway jokes cleverly re-emerge, and no callbacks are crowbarred in. By the end of the hour you’re totally sucked into his minute, quizzical world, where Yoko Ono is addicted to biscuits, and Joe Bloggs is a prat. And it’s a wonderful world to visit. See 'James Acaster – Lawnmower' at the Edinburgh Fringe