Who’s laughing now? The changing landscape of Stand-up comedy

In troubling times there is nothing that works as a potent form of escapism than someone making you laugh despite it all. With a rife history of cutting, true-to life British humour, the changing landscape of the Stand-up scene, with an ever-aware progressive culture being at the forefront of a neoliberal narrative and at the heart of Gen Z values, disrupts the place of politics in an art form that pokes fun of anything and everything. What can comics do to adapt to the times? Is it finally time to admit there no place for traditional Stand-up in 2025.

Short form media and the influence of Digital era

Brevity becomes the soul of wit in the fight against the thousands of content creators attempting to make it mainstream.

Having roots in the entertainment industry of the 19th century Stand-up comedy originated in various traditions of popular culture, including dime music, concert saloons and English music halls – the first documented use of “stand-up” appeared in The Stage in 1911, however this referred to a performance of comedy songs rather than the modern monologue-esque form of comedy we’ve come to know. In the typical performance (like a musical set) Stand-up comedians have a three-act structure of opener, feature and headliner. However, with the instantaneous nature of information of the online world, the way that most people interact with the art form has become through the 15 second bytes in the mass of doom scrolling. Brevity becomes the soul of wit in the fight against the thousands of content creators attempting to make it mainstream. Gone are the assurances of prerecorded reputable comedy houses like Live at the Apollo, with comics performing at Hammersmith in front of live audiences. Now engagement and ‘clicks’ are privileged above all else, which is why some of the technical aspects of comedic technique get lost in translating for the digital landscape. Though for those who have grown alongside these platforms it is hard to argue against the amount of avenues opened for smaller comics who haven’t established themselves nor have diehard fanbases.

Building connection: Do we discuss politics at the table!?

In the case of Stand-up comedy, laughter at some of the social failings make them just that more bearable. However, this phenomenon hasn’t risen out of nowhere, in fact, it comes from a longstanding British tradition of taking the mick out of anything and everything

As scholar Sophie Quirk explains, comedians can effectively act as ‘timely and coherent responses to political challenges’. by which she means that comedic innovation has evolved into representing the world around us. This lack of separation is becoming just as integral to our cultural and social narratives than ever before. In the case of Stand-up comedy, laughter at some of the social failings make them just that more bearable. However, this phenomenon hasn’t risen out of nowhere, in fact, it comes from a longstanding British tradition of ‘taking the mick’ out of anything and everything, with popular comedy panel tv shows like The Last Leg, QI and Mock the Week being based on and consequently encouraging a current sense of political awareness. This fusion of digital and live comedy inherent to some of the internet’s favourite comedians. Nish Kumar, a South Asian comic who is also the host of the podcast Pod Save the UK has a pessimistically realistic angle on comedy which unlike the bleaker genre of poets, makes sure to underpin his work with the sense of care, he like many of his age are laughing with us and not at us. In an interview with the Guardian, Nish displays how he hopscotches the fine line between indelicate subjects and a collective connection with his audience. On tour in Australia, Nish describes the effect of Suella Braverman and Priti Patel and their hostile ethics on the communities they represent. he says:

“I’m slightly horrified by how many people are already aware of Suella Braverman and Priti Patel. I actually wish I’d had to explain more who they were. But I think a lot of that is from seeing people from your ethnic minority rise up the ranks in politics, and feeling politically quite disconnected from them – I think that is broadly relatable. We’ve all been embarrassed by a family member at our wedding. Braverman and Patel are just your uncle throwing up in the punch bowl at the family event. ”

And it is this humanising of these political figures that give the audience the license to laugh at their entitled actions. He explores the nuances of the political landscape by acknowledging the failures and grey areas rife in representation politics.

And it is this humanising of these political figures that give the audience the license to laugh at their entitled actions. He explores the nuances of the political landscape by acknowledging the failures and grey areas rife in representation politics. With ever-emerging hostile narratives forming the basis of our governmental bodies, it is important to recognise harmful messaging when it’s presented to us – which makes comedy a perfectly unassuming source of information. Comics with clear humanistic value are developing both the physical and online spaces and thus the people, the newer ‘generation’ of crowd work heavy stand-up comics, align with a more hope inspiring culture. Shows like Taskmaster and Dropout TVs Gamechanger sit down in the reality of the burning room that is politics today, take you by the hand and make a sly observation about becoming smores together. As Nish Kumar adds, this upcoming style of comedy is the most suited yet.

“My stand-up setlists don’t look like an evening of comedy. It looks like a catalogue of human misery. I’d like to think there’s something funny about trying to make stand-up comedy out of the worst imaginable ingredients.”

The final product, for all the stakes we have in it, becoming even more delicious.