On 11 May 2026, the team behind streaming service NextUp confirmed the launch of ComedyUK, a 24\/7 station devoted entirely to stand-up. It is the first dedicated comedy radio channel in Britain, and it arrives with a live roadshow opening at Leicester Square Theatre on 18 June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ComedyUK is a partnership between three organisations: NextUp, Bridgemore Productions and Positive Digital Media. The umbrella business is Comedy UK Media, directed by John Dash. Listeners can tune in via the ComedyUK.online site, a dedicated app, smart speakers and YouTube. The station mixes recorded specials drawn from the NextUp catalogue with classic clips, new voices and a weekly live gig broadcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A free advertising-supported tier sits alongside a paid membership option. That dual model mirrors the NextUp parent service, which already runs a \u00a320 monthly subscription plus a \u00a31.99 YouTube tier. It gives the station a path to monetise without leaning on the BBC or commercial radio groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
British audiences spend more time on smart speakers and podcast apps than on traditional FM. Radio listening through smart devices passed 30 per cent of UK adult reach in the most recent RAJAR figures. Connected-car dashboards have stripped tuning friction down to a voice command. A 24\/7 comedy radio brand can sit beside Heart, LBC and TalkSport on those interfaces without the cost of a national FM licence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The timing also matches a wider shift in stand-up distribution. We tracked the Gorilla Comedy+ video launch earlier this month<\/a>, and the BBC has just confirmed a Liverpool edition of its summer comedy festival<\/a>. Audio is the missing layer. ComedyUK plugs that gap with always-on programming rather than weekly podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The roadshow opens on 18 June 2026 at Leicester Square Theatre. The bill features Jessica Fostekew, Thanyia Moore, Alex Kealy, Ria Lina and Roman Harris, billed as New Comedian of the Year. The lineup mixes circuit veterans with one freshly-anointed competition winner, which tells working comics two things at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, ComedyUK is willing to platform new names alongside touring acts. Second, awards still travel. Roman Harris went from a final to a national-launch slot in months. That echoes the pattern we saw with Eloise Heath at the West End New Act of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “This is something completely new for UK audiences, a dedicated comedy station available 24\/7.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Dash, Director of Comedy UK Media, in the official launch press announcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Dash also confirmed the station will tour after London, with cities still to be revealed. That roadshow format, rather than a static studio, gives the station promotional reach into regional venues that podcasts rarely match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a clean recorded set in the past three years, send it to NextUp’s submissions inbox now. ComedyUK draws programming from the parent catalogue, so any act already on the streamer is automatically in rotation. Acts who are not on NextUp will find that the catch-up window before the June launch is short. A placed set can mean repeat plays for months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For circuit comics chasing the live broadcast slot, the path is the same as any TV taping. Bring tight, broadcast-safe material, a verified runtime and clean audio levels on your tech rider. The format is closer to a regular gig than a TV record. The audio engineer will still want a wired mic and a controlled green room. Treat it like a special taping<\/a> at a smaller scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For independent rooms, the station is a low-cost promotional channel. A live broadcast night at your venue lifts the door and sells subscriptions for the radio brand. It also gives the booker a marketing asset that lives on the app for weeks. That is more valuable than a single press review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The risk for venues is the inverse of the same coin. If ComedyUK broadcasts free comedy directly into kitchens and cars at the same Friday-night hour your room runs, you are competing with a curated highlights reel. Promoters who book mid-tier touring acts will need to lean harder on the live-experience differentiator. We made a similar argument when Banana Cabaret announced its handover<\/a>: the independent room sells presence, not the joke alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The contrarian read is that a national 24\/7 comedy radio station does not actually create demand. It redistributes it. Audio comedy in Britain has been served by Radio 4, podcasts and a busy independent scene for two decades. ComedyUK is competing for the same ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason to be optimistic anyway is the live broadcast layer. NextUp’s first iteration was a Netflix-style on-demand library, and it struggled to scale past its core comedy nerd audience. A 24\/7 station with a roadshow forces the brand into pubs, taxis, gyms and supermarkets. That is the only honest distribution route for the kind of mid-circuit acts who do not get a Netflix taping. If ComedyUK pays its broadcast acts fairly, by which we mean a flat fee plus a streaming royalty rather than a flat fee alone, it will become the most useful new platform for working comics this year. If it pays a token fee for unlimited rotation, it will become another back-catalogue exploit. The contract terms will tell us which one it is by autumn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can listen via ComedyUK.online, the ComedyUK app, smart speakers including Alexa and Google Nest, and the station’s YouTube channel. There is no FM frequency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a free advertising-supported tier and a paid membership tier. The free tier includes the main 24\/7 stream and the weekly live broadcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Comedy UK Media Ltd runs the station, directed by John Dash, in partnership with NextUp, Bridgemore Productions and Positive Digital Media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fastest route is to be in the NextUp catalogue, because ComedyUK draws from those recordings. Submit a recorded special or club set to NextUp, and ask your agent or promoter to confirm broadcast clearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Comedy UK Radio Roadshow opens at Leicester Square Theatre, London, on 18 June 2026. Further UK cities are due to be announced after the launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Leicester Square launch and the Roman Harris signal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The named quote from the founder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What working comics should do this month<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What venues and bookers gain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Open Comedy’s take<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Key takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Where can I listen to ComedyUK?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Is ComedyUK free?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Who runs the station?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do I get my set played on ComedyUK?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When does the live tour start?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n