London Comedy Industry Business & Growth Meeting at UK Parliament
Craic is delighted to bring together Rachel Blake MP (Cities of London & Westminster) and Howard Dawber OBE (Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Growth) to co-host a focused discussion on the future of London’s comedy industry.
Craic is delighted to bring together Rachel Blake MP (Cities of London & Westminster) and Howard Dawber OBE (Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Growth) to co-host a focused discussion on the future of London’s comedy industry.
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.
Alongside Rachel and Howard, we’ve convened a strong cross-section of leaders and stakeholders, including Dr Simon Opher MP, team representatives of Samantha Niblett MP and Chris Murray MP, Westminster City Council, with observing attendees from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Arts Council England (AC), the Greater London Authority (GLA), Campaign for the Arts, the The Tackling Loneliness Hub, and more.
Our goal with Craic™ and Craic Health is to help the comedy industry thrive: enriching culture, strengthening collective mental wellbeing, and connecting people through laughter, while supporting the sector through awesome technology, fair policy, and evidence-backed initiatives like Comedy-on-Prescription.
London’s comedy scene doesn’t just influence Britain, it shapes the world and our lives. From nurturing grassroots talent to producing global streaming hits, London remains one of the most vital ecosystems for comedy on the planet.
Yet the UK comedy sector is in survival mode. It's 'managing decline' amid a lack of investment, the cost-of-living crisis, and pay stagnation, while AI scrapes data and displaces secondary income streams across voiceover, scriptwriting, research, and beyond.
The aim of this meeting is to strengthen comedy’s contribution to London’s position as the world’s premier comedy hub — supporting local businesses, protecting jobs, and unlocking growth in a sector with enormous cultural, social, and wellbeing impact. I look forward to seeing where our discussions lead, and how together we can build the stronger systems and solutions this industry needs.
Special thanks to everyone working behind the scenes who makes these events possible, and to all our guests. See you Wednesday.
