13 Christmas Comedy Shows In London That'll Have You Chuckling Till New Year's

Will Noble
By Will Noble Last edited 28 months ago
13 Christmas Comedy Shows In London That'll Have You Chuckling Till New Year's

'Tis the season to quaff a few gallons of Advocaat, and laugh off another really, really weird year. Here are some crack(er)ing Christmas comedy shows that'll have you laughing through till January.

1. Town Hall Unwrapped - 2-18 December

the pecmas drag kings in festive clothes
Join the Pecs Drag Kings for the Pecsmas Office Party on 11 December.

Town Hall Unwrapped is a series of eclectic festive events taking place in Shoreditch Town Hall's many nooks and crannies throughout December. The line up includes the redoubtable comedian and performance artist Lucy McCormick (who seriously cracked us up a few years ago at Soho Theatre); and the Pecsmas Office Party, courtesy of all-female/non-binary theatre and cabaret company, the Pecs Drag Kings.

Town Hall Unwrapped, Shoreditch Town Hall, various prices 2-18 December

2. Pappy's Flatshare Christmas Podcast Double Bill - 6 December

pappys gather round a festive table recording a podcast
Pappy's gather round the table for a festive podcast recording.

Sketch trio Pappy's don't do too many shows together these days, but the ever-affable Matthew Crosby, Ben Clark and Tom Parry do like to get together for their annual Christmas podcast recording shindig, in which they invite pals from the world of comedy to join in with various silly Christmas games. A "wild, eggnog-drenched treat" is guaranteed; they've put it in writing, after all.

Pappy's Flatshare Christmas Podcast Double Bill, Pleasance Theatre, £11, 6 December

3. Sh!t-Faced Showtime: A Pissedmas Carol - 6 December-15 January

The cast of a A Pissedmas Carol... looking quite pissed
A Pissedmas Carol: does what it says on the beer tin.

The funny folks from Shit-faced Showtime do their own debauched take on the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, with the added twist that one of their company has had a ruddy skinful. Talk about Christmas spirits. Other festive happenings at Leicester Square Theatre over Christmas include Drunk Women Solving Crime's Christmas show (7 December) and Oh God, What Now?: Remoanin' Around The Christmas Tree (8 December).

A Pissedmas Carol, Leicester Square Theatre, £21.50, 6 December-15 January

4. Steptoe and Son Radio Show - Christmas Edition - 7-8 December

steptoe and son (or two blokes dressed as them) pose by a deckchair and christmas presents
Classic Christmas chuckles courtesy of this show based on original Galton and Simpson scripts

For fans of the grubby Galton and Simpson comedy about two rag and bone men, this festive rendition based on original Steptoe and Son scripts is a fantastic alternative to watching the DVDs/listening to the old recordings. Just bear in mind you'll still have that theme tune rattling around your head come Christmas Day.

Steptoe and Son Radio Show - Christmas Edition, Museum of Comedy, Bloomsbury, £13, 7-8 December

5. Snog Fest Christmas Weekender - 10-11 December

luisa omielan grinning with a huge smile
Luisa Omielan heads up two days of festive fun in Woolwich.

Luisa Omielan (who we like a lot) heads up two days of outrageously festive fun for the Snog Fest Christmas Weekender — starting with Christmas Musical Bingo (10 December), followed by a punchy chaser of stand up comedy, drag queens and sing-alongs for Camp as Christmas (11 December). It'll be, hmmm, a million? times better than watching the John Lewis Christmas ad. Also at Woolwich Works this December is cabaret chaos with Christmas hits aplenty from The Grotteaux (16 December-8 January).

Snog Fest Christmas Weekender, Woolwich Works, £15.50 per show, 10-11 December

6. Miss Hope Springs: Christmas Agogo! - 10-11 December

miss hope springs poses in a festive red dress
Hope Springs leaves behind the comfort of her Dungeness campervan to perform at Crazy Coqs

Leaving behind the comfort of her Dungeness campervan, Miss Hope Springs promises to sprinkle her Crazy Coqs audience with a frosting of vintage Vegas glitz — courtesy of seasonal sing-a-long-a-show-tunes, cracker-popping comedy numbers and scandalous showbiz stories (she spent time with an Engelbert Humperdinck tribute act, dontcha know). You can always warm up your vocal cords with a pre-show cocktail in the neighbouring Bar Américain.

Miss Hope Springs: Christmas Agogo!, Crazy Coqs, Piccadilly Circus, £40, 10-11 December

7. Aidan Goatley: The 12 Films of Christmas - 11 December

Aidan goatley grinning in a santa hat
You'd never tell he was doing a Christmas show, would you.

Comedian Aidan Goatley picks his all-time 12 festive films, regaling heartwarming stories about how they shaped his past Christmases. He also poses the eternal question: would the Muppets be any good in Die Hard? Come on Aidan, Miss Piggy would have Hans Gruber any day.

Aidan Goatley: The 12 Films of Christmas, The Bill Murray, Islington, £8.50, 11 December

8. Adam Kay: Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas - 14 December

adam kay in a santa suit and stethoscope
This Is Going To Hurt. But in a festive way.

In this festive spin-off of his wildly popular book This Is Going To Hurt, former NHS doctor Adam Kay tells the stories of the medical staff who spend their Christmases delivering babies and removing baubles from various orifices. He'll throw in the odd Christmas song on his keyboard, too. Multi-talented chap.

Adam Kay: Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas, Rose Theatre, Kingston, from £20, 14 December

9. Mark Thomas: An Extra Plate - 14-23 December

Mark Thomas in a santa hat with a green face. santa flies over london behind him
I mean, that is quite the promotional image.

Stand up comedy veteran Mark Thomas remembers the various Christmases he's endured, including the one where his dad played Father Christmas for the school fete, and the one with the dead neighbours (we have no more details, so you'll have to go along to find out what that's all about). Despite the ups and downs, we're told this show promises more cheer than a Laplander's eggnog hot tub.

Mark Thomas: An Extra Plate, Battersea Arts Centre, Clapham Junction, pay what you can (suggested £20), 14-23 December

10. The Dina Martina Christmas Show - 14-30 December

Dina Martina with festive red dress, santa hat and lips. the backdrop is a massive picture of her head
I mean, that is ALSO quite the promotional image.

Questionable songs, unnecessary dance, and overburdened costumes are all on the cards for drag queen Dina Martina's yuletide spectacular — in residence at Soho Theatre for half of December. It's a train wreck of a show, apparently, but in a good way. Also at Soho Theatre this December is Mark Watson's Does Mark Know It's Christmas? (20-23 December). Judging from the promo shot, he doesn't.

The Dina Martina Christmas Show, Soho Theatre, from £13, 14-30 December

11. Diane Chorley: Ding Dong Merrily Diane! - 16 December

Diane Chorley and her boy Milky.
Diane Chorley and her boy Milky. Image: Rachel Sherlock

Mawaan Rizwan, Sikisa, Leo Reich and Phil Dunning join Diane Chorley (and sidekick Milky) for an evening of Christmas comedy cheer — followed by a disco, sprinkled with all your fave festive numbers. Expect more sparkle than the star of Bethlehem. As Diane herself says, "It just ain’t Christmas unless you've raised a glass of eggnog to baby Jesus with the Duchess of Canvey!"

Diane Chorley: Ding Dong Merrily Diane!, Clapham Grand, Clapham Junction, from £20, 16 December

12. 21Soho Presents... CHRISTMAS SPECIAL! - 17 December

Nabil Abdulrashid mid set
Nabil Abdulrashid performs at 21 Soho's Christmas Special (or as they put it, CHRISTMAS SPECIAL!)

Nabil Abdulrashid (of Britain's Got Talent fame), Jessica Fostekew (who you might recognise from QI or House Of Games) and Garrett Millerick (from the Laughable podcast) form a holy trinity of comedians for this Christmas Special at one of Soho's newest comedy venues. Not sure what's festive about it specifically, but they've written CHRISTMAS in caps, so let's hope for a couple of Santa jokes at least.

21Soho Presents... CHRISTMAS SPECIAL!, 21 Soho, £16.50, 17 December

13. Grace Petrie's Lefty Christmas - 18 December

grace petrie and pals wearing christmas jumpers and having a singalong
That, sir, is an excellent Christmas jumper.

"A star-studded line-up from across the comedy, music and live art scenes" is promised for this variety show headed by folk musician Grace Petrie, at the very beautiful Bush Hall in Shepherd's Bush. At this point in time, we don't know who the guests are, but we can trust Grace to cobble together a cast fit for the festive occasion. As the title suggests, the show may not appeal to staunch Rees-Mogg fans.

Grace Petrie’s Lefty Christmas, Bush Hall, Shepherd's Bush, 18 December

Looking for pantos? Oh yes you are! They're behind you! I mean, they're here.

Last Updated 19 November 2021

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