Like the Bard himself, this place is seriously prolific — performances six days of the week. Shakespeare Comedy Club Giggles galore at the intimate Soho Comedy Factory venue. Image: Devin de Vil/ @licencetocapture Throw caution to the wind with a Monday night on the tiles, or more specifically, at the Betsey Trotwood, and Jester Jesters. Upcoming stand ups (sometimes sketch and character comedians too) vie for giggles, as they perform a litmus test on newly-penned material. Jester Jesters This experience is available on selected dates, depending on location and availability, throughout the year excluding August, mid November to the end of December and special events. How long will my experience last? Proof that you only need one pub to run an entire comedy festival, this convention of comics unfolds in the various nooks and crannies of the esteemed Bedford, and makes for a marvellous way to affordably binge on stand up. Balham Comedy Festival

All shows on the listings have an age restriction next to them, for your information. All weekend comedy shows and Christmas Comedy Specials are 18+. Proudly declaring itself the world's longest running live comedy show, we could hardly leave NewsRevue off this list. Songs and sketches galore are mashed into this 60-minute run down of topical news, playing four days a week. Given the state of the planet right now, it's a wonder they can keep up. NewsRevue It's that club again. The Comedy Store Players are the bee's knees when it comes to improv. The great Paul Merton did this gig for many years, and some of his peers carry on in this rotating-cast weekly outing, with fresh blood including Cariad Lloyd and Ruth Bratt. Comedy Store Players

Locations

Weekly open night at this hip east London pub. Acts who've never gigged before are followed by two pro headliners. Smashing way to round off the weekend. Laughter Lab Where to see sketch comedy in London B) There is just no room for them in the auditoriums, most of our events have theatre style seating in rows.

Midweek comedy for nowt — or you can pay a fiver plus booking fee, and get a free drink with entry. Either way, you can't say fairer than that. Kilburn Comedy Club There's also character comedy, stand up and film tossed into the comedy salad, but as you'd hope, the Bill Murray's monthly Sketchual Healing nights also feature some actual sketch. Bill Murray

LLOYD GRIFFITH

An orgy of cabaret, theatre, drag... but also a f**k ton of excellent comedy, inc. stand up acts already plotting out their Edinburgh shows. Oh, there's sketch too 😀 VAULT Festival Just the Tonic events have mixed bill regular shows on Fridays and Saturdays depending on location. Your voucher may not always be valid on Saturdays, depending on location. Group bookings with vouchers are not accepted. One voucher per night out for 2 people, seating requests not permitted. Special/ tour shows are not included in bookable dates. Booking no less than 2 weeks prior to the show date is advised. While stand up comedians stalk every street corner in this metropolis, good sketch comedy is harder to find. Like, really quite hard to find. Honestly though, if you know where we can find more of it on a regular basis, let us know. Soho Theatre has no shortage of sketch comedy, unlike, er, most of the rest of London.

You are welcome to stay after the show where the venue will turn into a nightclub. The venues will close between 02.00 and 03.00

Where to see sketch comedy in London

Minimum age: 18 (for The Covent Garden Comedy Club @ Heaven Nightclub - Minimum age: 14 (Under 16s must be accompanied by a paying adult and present valid ID)) This fave Londonist bottle/beer shop has a cosy downstairs space that puts on occasional stand up sets. Three Hounds The impressive space at Woolwich Works. Image: Paul Gilbey Unassuming basement venue riddled with comedians, with a Try Out Night on Thursdays, and more established acts on Saturdays (think Arthur Smith, Shazia Mirza). Downstairs at the King's Head Top Secret Comedy Club: you don't always know who's going to be on, but you'll rarely be disappointed. Yes, yes, we've already featured the Comedy Store, but we couldn't not give a separate shout-out to King Gong — the ruthless open mic night, where brave new comics try to make the crowd laugh, before being 'gonged' off stage. Only the finest go on to rewarding comedy careers. King Gong Romesh Ranganathan plays the Boat Show, the only regular comedy night we know of that floats.

A slew of acts take to the stage for five mins at a time, in a bid to win your laugher/applause/respect. Given the sheer amount of acts up here, some are better than others, but it all moves so fast that hardly matters. Ultimately, you'll choose who was funniest of all. Two shows a night, so six in all. Comedy Virgins You've might've heard of it. Has superstar names like Peter Kay and Flight of the Conchords. A pretty big deal actually. The O2 We recommend you booktwo weeks in advance for Friday bookings and several weeks in advance for Saturday bookings. This is only a guideline and we advise you to book as early as possibleto ensure that dates are available before the expiry date listed onyour voucher. All bookings are subject to availability. Doors open from approximately 19.00 and the shows begin from 20.00 (depending on location). Each venue will operate different opening and start times so we recommend you call the supplier for more information.A religious experience for comedy disciples in more way than one; the stunning church setting plays host to a ludicrously talented set of comedians. Have rolled around in the (literal) aisles laughing at Tim Key, Mae Martin, Reginald D Hunter and countless others. Live at the Chapel Free comedy in London Kaleidoscope of acts — stand-up, clowns, sketch, drag, etc — at this 30-seater studio venue in north London. Could be one of the most intimate (and, from some accounts, personable) nights out there. Scramble! Surely one of London's most intimate comedy spaces, at the Glitch. Image: Londonist CellarDoor, Covent Garden: Smoosh up with revellers in these erstwhile toilets to watch drag-doused debauchery.