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The live comedy sector is estimated to be worth around £1bn ($1.3bn/€1.2bn) to the UK economy, according to a landmark study.
The research was conducted by the Centre for Comedy Studies Research, The Live Comedy Association and the British Comedy Guide.
It is believed to be the first time anyone has attempted to comprehensively measure the sector, and the goal is to use the resultant findings to lobby the new Government for more support for live comedy taking place around the country.
The survey found that 93% of comedians are sole traders or work alone and that 43% of people who work off stage are sole traders. The grassroots nature of the industry was also highlighted, with 80% of people who work off stage promoting live comedy in venues with capacities under 250.
“We are delighted with the initial results of the survey and want to thank everyone who completed it,” said co-chair of the Live Comedy Association Jessica Toomey.
“Although the survey was anonymous, it is clear that a broad range of people working in live comedy answered the questions and gave us valuable data.
“We know more about a part of the sector, but we now want to do more work to quantify the total amounts generated.
“We can use the initial results to continue to lobby and advocate to the new government and policy makers to help all those who do such amazing work.
“We will now work through the results in more detail and we will report in more detail later this year.”
The survey quizzed more than 350 people working in the UK’s live comedy sector to obtain data about the size of the industry.
Further data analysis and research is now set to be carried out, with the full results of the survey and additional information scheduled to be published later this year.
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