We here at Comedy To Watch are already going a little stir crazy given that all live comedy in the country has been cancelled, but thankfully some all round lovely people are doing their best to help comedy fans like us remain sane by making their past shows available for free, and this is our guide to the best of them.
Latest Update: 06/08/2020
Ted Alexandro – Senior Class Of Earth – Looking for a show which “is riddled with provocative insights about ageing, disturbing American politics, and the droll life of newlyweds”? Then this is the show for you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KyBMGpARps
Aisha Alfa – All The Parts – Sees Aisha cover a whole range of topics like how awful she was as a kid, crossing the Canadian border, orgasms, and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te4rcxP5wPc
Hannibal Buress – Miami Nights – Hannibal’s latest stand up show about the night he was arrested in Miami has been released for free on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVc4-05Agf0&t
James Davis – Live From The Town – In which the comedian jokes about old people on Facebook, reveals what his professional golfing nickname would be and shares his conspiracy theory about Magic Johnson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2dNRKZvzFA
Ron Funches – Giggle Fit – Comedy Central have released Funches’ 2019 stand up special here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=friGNPeWtt4&feature=emb_logo
Rich Hall – Hell No I Ain’t Happy – Hall’s excellent 2009 show, which sees him partially performing as Otis Lee Crenshaw, is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okyr8XzhjzE
Joe Jacobs – Ripe – Joe’s one of our favourite comedians (and you can check out our interview with him here), and his show from 2017 is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2n2uTdqR5w&feature=emb_logo
Paul Karensa – So a Comedian Walks into a Church – For inexplicable reasons I haven’t seen Paul perform since 2011, but he was great then so presumably still is now!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsIzlLIiqBk&feature=emb_err_woyt
Jay Larson – Me Being Me – Larson’s reportedly excellent 2019 special is here in full – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZxzMILgYRM
Simon Taylor – Live at The Enmore – We’ve yet to see it but we hear good things about Taylor’s show which is available to watch right now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht_p4ReEnEE
Previous Updates In A Handy A-Z Format:
2Northdown’s New Act Competition 2020 Final – Now you can relive this year’s final as a playlist has been created consisting all of the acts who took place –
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP-zh63DnbiNCMKLfmIwaoj5acFFsS8v8
Simon Amstell – Do Nothing – Amstell’s 2011 show, it’s a lovely bit of comedy filled with great lines and observations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4mH6E0hMbI&t
Fahim Anwar: There’s No Business Like Show Business – Another Comedy Central special, I’ve yet to view it but hear really great things about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8a8fZujVno
Rowan Atkinson – His one and only comedy specials is considered a classic of the genre, and still stands up to this day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw8dW9Hyno0
Maria Bamford – Plan B – Maria’s 2010 show, this isn’t an official upload so though we recommend watching it we’d then suggest dashing off and buying her brand new and all kinds of amazing latest release. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqZ_rHgALTc / https://www.mariabamford.com/ while Maria’s One-Hour Homemade Christmas Stand-Up Special is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSqlFjHP860
Andy Barr: Neustadt – Andy’s 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show was filmed at The Bill Murray with Andy explaining “In this show I play a man who has the same looks, voice and personality as I do but is, crucially, not me and instead is an architect in the past.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZPsB6v2y_s
Live From The BBC – A huge selection of fantastic stand up is up on iPlayer, from the likes of Sara Pascoe, Sofie Hagen, Liam Williams, Josie Long, Rhys Nicholson, Mat Ewins, Fern Brady, and many many more. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b08spttw/live-from-the-bbc
Frankie Boyle – Hurt Like You’ve Never Been Loved – Boyle’s show from 2015 may not be his best, but it certainly contains some very funny material.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0UYyxo158
Bo Burnham – What – Burnham’s 2011 comedy special is packed with some fantastic songs that will make you adore him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejc5zic4q2A
Bill Burr – You People Are All The Same – This 2012 stand up special from the critically acclaimed stand up can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O2bKu-3U3U while Burr’s 2010 special is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCJDLgQ6xFk
Sam Campbell – The Trough – We’ve yet to see it but a friend claims it’s absolutely superb, and he’s only lied three times in his entire life, so it seems like a pretty safe bet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYyCuG8HcjY&t=
George Carlin – Live in 1979 – The audio and video isn’t the greatest, but fuck it, it’s still Carlin and so of course essential viewing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouTVSb03t4E
David Cross – The Pride Is Back – Over twenty years old but still great, this is Cross at the top of his game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2OQXQYQaZ8&t
Les Dennis – Jigsy – Dennis’s one man show about a comedian whose career is flailing is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTOT01mKLqk&feature=emb_logo
Frances Dilorinzo – Men Are The Worst Communicators – A great forty minutes of comedy from this excellent comedian is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6zZMlsc9ic
Dry Bar Comedy – We’re currently only putting up videos by comedians we know or shows we’ve seen right now, but this channel has a huge selection of releases from some lesser known American comics, and a cursory glance suggests there’s some great stuff here. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvlVuntLjdURVD3b3Hx7kxw
Mark Ellis – Dog Stepfather – We’ve not seen it yet but apparently in his first stand up special Ellis covers a lot of pressing topics, like getting drunk at Applebee’s, ordering pizza, the Jussie Smollett controversy, and becoming his ex-girlfriend’s dog stepfather. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm7nl9sx2_A
Rachel Feinstein: Only Whores Wear Purple – This is unfortunately a slightly patchy bootleg copy of the show, but it’s watchable and Feinstein is great, so it’s worth putting up with the poor sound quality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y–yGobpr8Y
Craig Ferguson – This very funny stand up show from the former talk show host / all round seemingly great guy is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNZ28TYESZk
Donald Glover – Weirdo – Glover’s first special from 2011, it’s not his best work, but it’s still bloody funny. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=OjWI-5CObq8&feature=emb_logo
Hancock’s Half Hour – This live show based on Ray Galton and Alan Simpson’s original radio scripts toured last year, and now they’ve put it up on youtube for all too see. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47YFc7MUE88&feature=emb_logo
John Hastings – 10 John Hastings I Hate About You – We saw a preview of Hastings very funny show last year, and described it as “A charming and often hilarious hour which I’m sure many, many people will enjoy a great deal.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiDBBqGdN1M&feature=emb_title
Emily Heller – Ice Thickens – A Comedy Central special from 2019 from one of the writers of HBO’s Barry, this is packed with sharp, delicious satire and made us laugh a huge amount.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5n0hOM0Bm8&feature=emb_logo
Adam Hess – Salmon – His 2014 show is on youtube, which Chortle reviewed as “Fast, funny, and vibrant, this is an assured debut from a man who deserves all the ‘one-to-watch’ tips he attracts” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsIYWezuTMY
Will Hodgson – Another GoFasterStripe release that you can now watch on youtube and which comes complete with an introduction from the comedian, this is a superb slice of comedy and something you’ll definitely want to catch before it disappears. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5mWDNmBd10&feature=youtu.be – While Hodgson is also performing older shows from his home which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzVdODmdmeZ6etiFM6r9Q-w
Tez Ilyas – Teztify – One of our favourite comedians (and an all round lovely guy to boot), Tez’s superb special Teztify is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-Shps6Aiqk
Jim Jefferies – Fully Functional – Jefferies 2012 show is an early effort from the man, and we’re not huge fans personally, but some rate it highly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDtkXPzUS0U
Daniel Kitson – Analog.ue – As we mentioned in last week’s Comedy Snippets, Kitson has put his 2014 show on his site for free, and it’s an amazing piece of comedy and then some. https://www.danielkitson.com/analogue
Dan Klein – This Is Comedy – Bit of an odd one this as a number of well known faces praise Dan at the beginning including Thomas Middleditch, Nicole Byer, Lauren Lupkis, Jenny Slate and Adam Pally, but I watched ten minutes and only smirked once, I skipped forward a further 10 minutes to see if it improved but if anything it just actively annoyed me. Still, he somehow managed to get those famous types to say nice things about him so perhaps if you stick with it there’ll be a twist and the rather mundane and obvious stuff he talks about will suddenly start being funny. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhNaU5mjgAE
Stewart Lee – Stand Up Comedian – Lee’s acclaimed and all round fantastic 2005 show is up on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxN8PhKzZgY
Josie Long – Romance and Adventure – It’s Josie Long, so of course it’s fantastic, and this recording of her Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated show is essential viewing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9WBd_yvrg0&t=
Lee Mack – Live At The Apollo – Another unofficial release, so watch it while you can, as Mack’s 2016 special is a great watch and then some. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N55Cbb3fmlc
Demetri Martin – If – An early show from Martin, and one of his best too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmD-AaZZtas&app=desktop
Sean McLoughlin – CTW favourite McLoughlin’s full show Hail Mary is now up on youtube in full: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzQwEum3WJQ
Dylan Moran – Like, Totally – A man who surely needs no introduction, if you like Moran you’ll love this, and if you don’t like Moran, well, hopefully this will convert you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ox6d1cKru8&list=PLr0fEXssXvOW8SPVL4GS14OQZaQlw8DG4&index=4&t=0s
Sam Morril – I Got This – Comedy Central have put this special from this superb American comedian on youtube, which will hopefully see him garner the acclaim he deserves as it’s lovely indeed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xo3Fq7GGWk
Daniel Muggleton – Three Stripes – Daniel Muggleton’s just woke enough to know that he’s an asshole. But who wants to be a hero these days anyway? There’s never been a worse time to be revered, so Daniel’s doing the sensible and jumping off his privileged pedestal to join the safety of the herd. Three Stripes can be viewed via his youtube page here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_vQZqNlsPM&feature=youtu.be
Rob Mullholland – Too Big To Fail – I’m afraid I’ve not had the time to watch this so far as annoyingly I’m still working (grumbles on about this for several hours), but hopefully it’s fun –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I-uiNpv3k4
Timpson The Musical – This musical take on Romeo and Juliet was described as “a hugely charismatic winter warmer” by LondonTheatre1 and is supposed to be a huge amount of fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfzOOWCi8Ag
Mark Normand – Out To Lunch – This Comedy Central special has over a million hits, so must be worth watching, we hope at least. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDolNU89SXI
Luisa Omielan – Am I Right Ladies? – The always fantastic Luisa Omielan’s second show is a whirlwind of comedy, with an amazing central performance and some gorgeously funny observations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yqlJQ4qJns&feature=youtu.be
Joz Norris – Hello, Goodbye – Joz Norris is all kinds of hilarious and one of our favourite comedians, and now he’s been lovely enough to post his 2016 hour online.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHpHwxCNfAo&t
Richard Pryor – His much loved Here and Now show is up on Daily Motion in two parts – https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3gnst5
Eric Sykes In Conversation With Graeme Garden – Filmed in 2009, Sykes talks about his career to Graeme in a conversation filled with many fantastic anecdotes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22BZERG7mmk&feature=emb_logo
Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre – Superheroes – Described as “Space age comedy to knock your socks off ★★★★” by the Daily Record and “Had every single audience member… laughing until they cried ★★★★★” by the Edinburgh Evening News, this mix of sketches and songs is reportedly superb. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeOPPO1gqW4
Nick Thune – Good Guy – Another Comedy Central Special is here in full, with them seemingly unable to stop posting the things online, the lovely people that they are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnMSJVRgopc
Ben Van Der Velde – Barbarians – Filmed at The Bill Murray in London, Van Der Velde’s excellent 2017 show is here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS_hCgOYbls
Robin Williams – Remind yourself as to why Williams was such a much loved comedian with this show – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6Zuh9q9INk
Josh Wolf – Father Of The Year – Wolf’s special from 2019 is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQWf2C3_57k
If you have put a stand up show online for free, or are streaming a live event, please let us know about it by using the box below:
Thanks to the great folks at CookdandBombd for a good number of the links found here.
Alex Finch.
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