Why did Samantha Niblett MP raise a Business Question in Parliament on behalf of the comedy industry?
As seen in this video, fearless Samantha Niblett MP has taken the first steps towards a debate in Parliament for the comedy industry. We are now working together towards a formal parliamentary debate, which will be a significant step forward. Thank you to Samantha and her team ✊.
Why did Samantha Niblett MP raise a Business Question in Parliament on behalf of the comedy industry?
Nationally loved, and generating billions across live, digital, and streaming, comedy remains an economically under-leveraged sector.
For years, I have relentlessly campaigned behind the scenes for the UK government and key institutions to recognise and support the comedy industry. This has involved hundreds of hours of meetings, letters, and emails, all aimed at securing the recognition, investment and support this vital sector deserves.
Despite all of us understanding comedy is a major entertainment category, it is not recognised as a dedicated artform by the Arts Councils in the UK. As a result, the industry must smuggle their vision inside other disciplines, such as ‘Theatre’, to have a shot at funding... Think of how you search on platforms like Ticketmaster/Netflix 🤷♀️ (clue: not under Theatre nor Music, Dance, Visual Arts, Literature, Libraries, Combined Arts, or Museums).
Many report omitting the word ‘comedy’ from funding applications. HMRC specifically only assesses comedy productions on a case-by-case basis for Theatre Tax Relief = no one bothers. In 2023/24, national funding allocations from DCMS and UKRI totalled £16.7bn—we estimate comedy was awarded just 0.003% of the funding available in areas it could access. UKRI + NLHF have only ever awarded funding to two comedy organisations—across decades.
Comedy was largely absent from early COVID-19 Culture Recovery Fund funding and, only after industry pressure, 23 (out of hundreds of) comedy-related organisations received just £3.8m (out of the £1.87 billion total)—significantly less than other performing arts sectors due to funds already being allocated to other creative industries. Many businesses have never recovered, resulting in lasting disruption.
The comedy industry has never had a representative on the Creative Industries Council. This is a critical oversight in this AI era, as the CIC oversees important government documentation, including technology and AI consultation reports. In fact, the only institutional report I've read mentioning 'comedy' is Jack Gamble's independent Campaign for the Arts Report (Go Jack!).
This list is not exhaustive; I could go on...
Now more than ever, in the face of emerging technologies like AI, we are witnessing the collapse of this much-loved, profitable, and vitally important cultural sector. Human voiceover work is all but gone; scriptwriting and other income streams are shrinking fast—this change is irreversible.
On a positive note, we at Craic™ are committed to building a resilient future for the sector ecosystem by working on viable, trustworthy, and scalable solutions—together with incredible partners.
