The best new and upcoming comedians in 2026
From established club comics primed to step into the limelight to those bursting onto the scene and leaving only laughter in their wake, these are the best up-and-coming comedians 2026 has in store.
Date published: 19th Jan 2026
There’s no shame in chasing laughs from the biggest names in comedy. From your Acasters to your Kumars, your Millicans to your Ryans - they’re big for a reason. But there’s something uniquely satisfying about discovering a comic early doors. Like finding a band before social media starts banging on about them... though the smugness is optional (not for us).
Of course, not everyone has the time (or emotional resilience) to wade through back rooms, basements, and Fringe queues to find the next big thing - so we’ve done it for you. After trawling comedy clubs, festivals, awards lists and feeds, we’ve pulled together the comedians we reckon are primed for a huge 2026.
From Fringe breakout stars and award winners to comics quietly becoming undeniable, humour is subjective, but these lot are very much on the rise. Do your own digging, watch some clips, but don’t be surprised if you see their names everywhere very soon.
Deadpan, bleak, and brilliantly British, Eli Hart made a huge leap forward after winning the BBC New Comedy Award last year, and we reckon 2026 is the year that crystalises into his name being on the lips of all the country’s comedy fans.
Mining big laughs from astute readings of life’s mundanity, Hart’s strength lies in immaculate timing and devastatingly dry punchlines that creep up and take over. Definitely one of the best new comedians 2026 has to offer.
Dry, sharp, and brilliantly blunt, Amy Annette is one of those comics who’s been quietly excellent for a while now, and is one loved by all your favourite comics.
A regular on the club circuit and a familiar face at the Fringe, her comedy cuts through modern dating, social expectations and everyday frustrations with perfectly timed punchlines and zero fuss. She’s a comic’s comic, but increasingly an audience favourite too. It feels like 2026 could finally be the year Amy gets the wider recognition she’s more than earned.
A former Hip-Hop dancer with an infectious energy and confidence in abundance, Sharifa Butterfly has quickly built a reputation as a comic who’s impossible to ignore.
Gaining renown for her ability to translate life’s stories into comedy gold, her sets blend sharp social observation with playful performance, often tackling identity and assumptions with warmth and bite. Fresh and fearless, Sharifa is going to break out of the cocoon this year.
One of the most inventive and unpredictable comics currently coming through the North West, Ben Silver is a comic who thrives on misdirection, absurdity, and razor-sharp writing.
After winning Hot Water’s Breakthrough Act competition and making waves in British Comedian of the Year finals, Silver has been steadily building momentum as a comic who spirals into strange places before snapping back with huge laughs. A proper comic’s comic, and one we reckon is ready for a much wider audience in 2026.
Ayoade Bamgboye spectacularly burst onto the scene after winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer for her current show, Swings and Roundabouts, instantly marking her out as one of the most exciting new voices in British comedy.
Her comedy blends language, culture and identity that switches effortlessly between British and Nigerian perspectives. Ayoade’s work is thoughtful, original, and incredibly assured. It already feels like she’s destined for big things, and one of the biggest up-and-coming comedians 2026 has to offer.
Irish comic Roger O’Sullivan has been quietly building a reputation as one of the most interesting new acts on the circuit.
Blending dry one-liners with surreal storytelling, his comedy often leans into nostalgia, odd ideas, and unexpected turns of phrase. After earning a Best Newcomer nomination at the Fringe and picking up a Comedians’ Choice Award, it feels like the wider world is starting to catch on. Clever, odd, and hugely likeable, Roger is very much one to keep an eye on this year.
Winner of Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year in 2024, Rohan Sharma is one of the sharpest new voices on the circuit, championing a “scatterbrain weirdness” that revolves around surprising the audience in the silliest ways possible.
A former teacher, Sharma tackles identity, race and contemporary life with clarity and humour, never losing the laughs. With Fringe buzz and industry backing growing fast, he feels perfectly positioned for a big 2026.
Ciara O’Connor prefers to refer to themself as transsexual rather than transgender, just because it sounds more scandalous. An edge that saw her become a BBC New Comedy Award semi-finalist last year!
Her comedy is sharp, self-aware, and unapologetic, often skewering identity, internet culture and modern life with confidence and bite. Bold and brilliantly funny, Ciara feels very much of the moment, and one we reckon will keep rising through 2026.
Breaking through with her debut Fringe show Slob, earning a Best Newcomer nomination and plenty of buzz to boot, Salford’s Molly McGuiness blends working-class warmth and beautifully brutal writing to belly-shaking aplomb.
Already supporting major names, like Joe Lycett, Sophie Duker and Rachel Fairburn, she’s only just getting started, and 2026 could be the year the rest of us take notice.
Ayo Adenekan made serious waves across the Scottish scene, and also at the Fringe with a debut show that sold out its run and earned him a Best Newcomer win at the ISH Edinburgh Awards.
Exploring race, queerness, and growing up Black in Scotland, his comedy is sharp and incisive, whilst also being warm and charmingly laid-back. Having already proven himself on big stages, supporting acts like Sarah Keyworth, Olga Koch and Amy Matthews, Ayo feels like a comic on the brink of something special and one of the best up-and-coming comedians 2026 has in store.
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