Comedy-on-Prescription®
CRAIC HEALTH
NHS feedback: Trial showed a “statistically significant gain in wellbeing” (June 2026)
Craic News
Laughter is the best medicine – and the doctor may soon prescribe it. Craic Health Founder CEO Lu Jackson features in the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Weekend Magazine alongside partners Justine Sless, Clean Slate Clinic, and Dr Kuljit Singh.
Craic Health can finally announce the launch of 'Simon Says, Let's Talk', the men's creative health Podcast-on-Prescription series, hosted by Dr Simon Opher MP. Our opening guests are Andy Burnham MP and Craic’s Founder, Lu Jackson, who is a series co-founder. The microsite is live from today!
An increasing body of evidence points to the therapeutic effects of comedy for mental and physical health. Sumaiyah Uddin looks at how health care professionals can make use of it.
Scientists believe that the respiratory effects of laughter have potential as a low-cost, scalable intervention which could be offered outside of hospitals and within communities.
Craic Health thinks MPs could benefit from comedy workshops. Our new world requires sharper timing, clearer communication, and the ability to land ideas quickly before the audience moves on. Perhaps it's about time we moved from hateful, divisive speech to something sassier, wittier and a good deal funnier.
Veterans who undertook a year-long comedy course, sponsored by the NHS and aimed at helping them to express themselves, are now preparing to perform to an audience in London.
Dr Simon Opher brings his "Simon Says, Let's Talk" podcast to SXSW London 2026. Men are significantly less likely to access traditional talking therapies, yet experience disproportionately poor mental health outcomes. The UK is emerging as a global frontrunner in addressing this gap by pairing the new Men’s Health Strategy with the world-first integration of comedy into public creative healthcare, with the NHS, called Comedy-on-Prescription.
They say laughter is the best medicine … unless you have syphilis, in which case it’s penicillin. That joke is as old as penicillin itself, and as with all medicines it has been superseded by alternatives that may suit you better.
WORLD FIRST: The first prescribed live podcast recording will take place this Wednesday at UK Parliament, hosted by Dr Simon Opher MP with Tom Findlay (Groove Armada), Tom Walker (Jonathan Pie), and Dr Zubir Ahmed MP (Minister for Health Innovation and Safety).
'Simon Says, Let’s Talk' is created for men and those who support them. The series is designed to help men speak earlier, feel less alone and engage with support in ways that feel more human and accessible. Blending humour, music, personal storytelling and audience Q&A, the podcast opens up conversation around pressure, identity, vulnerability and mental fitness.
Women facing bereavement, homelessness and other hardships performed at the Royal Albert Hall as part of a programme to reduce reliance on antidepressants. Depression costs the public purse tens of billions of pounds a year and nine million patients are on medication. Now a trial has taken inspiration from the adage that laughter is the best medicine, by employing a professional comedian to teach patients how to perform stand-up routines.
The Financial Times article “Comedy on prescription: the NHS trial turning patients into stand-ups. A Westminster day centre is being used to help show that laughter really is the best medicine”, featuring an interview with Craic Health Founder, Lu Jackson, with Carly Smallman, a Comedy-on-Prescription facilitator.
The ministerial roundtable on comedy is happening, March 9 2026! I’m delighted to announce the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will be hosting a dedicated meeting to discuss the comedy sector and how the Government can support its ambitions.
Samantha Niblett MP asks how we can include 'comedy' as a standard category across future funding portals, investment strategies, and research classifications, so comedy businesses and professionals are not navigating systems that were never designed with them in mind. The question was raised with Prof Sir Ian Chapman, CEO of UK Research and Innovation, at the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee session on Tuesday 3 February, 206.
Comedy-on-Prescription: Major Trials Launching in Westminster to Accelerate Integration into NHS Social Prescribing Pathways by 2026: Westminster, London — A new phase of Comedy-on-Prescription® trials is launching at The Passage led by award-winning comedian Carly Smallman and supported by Craic Health. This initiative marks the first programme within a wider, multi-trial framework, designed to build the evidence base required for future integration into NHS social prescribing pathways by 2026, enabling comedy- and laughter-based workshops and therapy to be recognised as a safe, structured healthcare intervention.
A brand-new men’s mental health podcast series is launched from Gloucestershire, created to get Britain talking and the world listening. Simon Says, Let’s Talk is hosted by Dr Simon Opher MBE (GP) supported by the NHS, Brimscombe Mill, and Craic Health. Each episode brings together leading voices from comedy, music, art and sport to share real stories and practical tools for better mental fitness: by men, with men, for men.
Wednesday 15 October, House of Commons, UK Parliament: for the first time ever, comedy businesses and professionals will have a direct seat at the table with all levels of government, to help shape policy and growth in one of the UK’s most creative yet overlooked sectors.
As the UK’s new Data Bill passed through the Commons, UKAI and Sony Music hosted a panel on AI, IP and creativity. From licensing to smart contracts, comedy to music, here’s what the future holds for creators in the age of generative tech.
In a landmark PMQ on 11 June 2025, Dr Simon Opher MP asked Prime Minister Keir Starmer to consider how comedy could be integrated into NHS mental health policy—as an alternative to antidepressants. Backed by mounting evidence and the work of Craic Health, Comedy-on-Prescription is emerging as a credible, cost-effective tool to reduce pressure on the NHS and improve wellbeing outcomes.
Comedy is one of the UK’s most loved and profitable entertainment sectors—yet it remains critically under-recognised in public funding, policy, and institutional support. In a major breakthrough for the industry, Samantha Niblett MP raised a Business Question in Parliament calling for urgent action. Discover why this matters, what’s been missing, and how Craic™ is leading the campaign to give comedy the recognition and investment it deserves.
On Valentine’s Day, in what could be seen as an act of love for the creative sector, industry leaders gathered for the UKAI roundtable on AI and copyright. Hosted by Adobe and chaired by Baroness Thangam Debbonaire, the discussion brought together key voices from AI, policy, and the creative industries The debate was clear: how can AI and creativity coexist in a way that respects intellectual property, supports innovation, and ensures fairness for all?
On Thursday 13 March 2025, the Houses of Parliament will host a landmark roundtable on Comedy-on-Prescription, an innovative approach to mental health and social prescribing. This invite-only event, co-hosted by Dr Simon Opher MP and Craic Founder, Louisa Jackson, will bring together key policymakers, healthcare leaders, and comedy industry professionals to explore how laughter can be harnessed to improve wellbeing and reduce the UK’s £300 billion mental health burden.
Laughter is more than entertainment—it’s a powerful, evidence-backed tool for mental well-being. Craic Health is leading the charge with Comedy-on-Prescription, embedding comedy into NHS social prescribing to tackle loneliness, depression, and stress. With political backing from Dr Simon Opher MP and early trials proving its impact, this movement is gaining momentum.