The best comedy audiobooks: fantastic funny stories to listen to

Did you know laughter can help make you happy? It sounds like the stuff a clueless relative would tell you, but laughter can help the release or serotonin — the happy chemical. It’s also why we’ve decided to round-up the funniest audiobooks around for your listening pleasure.

It’s an eclectic old mix, hand-picked and approved by our team. These titles are ShortList Certified and categorically laugh-out-loud funny. From reflective memoirs packed with the funniest of anecdotes (enter Billy Connolly), through to classics like Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, this list covers the spectrum.

And with some great offers currently available from Audible, there’s never been a better time to swap a hardback for a Stephen Fry narrated tale. The podcast and audiobook site is currently offering a 30 day free trial to new members, while existing Amazon Prime customers can pick up a 3 month Audible membership for only 99p. Now that’s what we call a bargain.

UPDATE: You can find many of these books on Spotify, too. The music streaming giant is now offering 15 hours' worth of audiobooks for free to premium subscribers every single month. You may have to pay extra for some, though - with the padlock image denoting which ones come at an extra cost.

Without further ado, these are the top laugh-out-loud funny audiobooks worth listening to wherever you are

Best comedy audiobooks

at AmazonAlan Partridge: Nomad shows off the best (or should that be worst) of the fictitious broadcaster who has now graced our TVs for almost three decades.

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at AmazonHitchhiker's Guide is worth your time in any medium. But we think there's someting extra delightful about it when it's being beautifully narrated by Stephen Fry. Given he did the voiceover for the not-quite-successful (but still kind-of good) movie, he's the perfect choice to read the tale of Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect’s adventures around the universe.

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at AmazonToast! Arguably, the best character Matt Berry has ever created, Stephen Toast is a failed/failing actor who has to survive on voiceover work and other scraps of acting. This book is read in character, and is both a memoir and a ‘how to act’ bible. Learn about Toast's journey, from RADA to 'It's a Right Royal Knockout', and hear his thoughts on crucial matters like typecasting, and how to deal with difficult work experience staff in the recording studio. Having Berry read the audiobook is a delight and this is well worth the (Ray) purchase.

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at AmazonIn the current political climate, just 10 seconds of watching the news can make you want to despair. Thanks, then, go to David Mitchell, whose dry take on a broad range of subjects (everything from politics and inheritance tax, to rude street names and scampi) will put a smile on your face, or at the very least, distract you from all that misery. Plus, the bonus tit-bits of knowledge will definitely make you feel smarter (even if you have no one to share them with right now).

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at AmazonBossypants is effortlessly funny. But it’s also brutally honest, sweet and most importantly, relatable. Narrated by Fey, this memoir gives you a sneak peak at the woman who has became an American TV staple. From Saturday Night Live to 30 Rock, she's done it all, and this is a must-listen if you want to know how to transform from awkward teenager to actress-cum-comedian- extraordinaire (results may vary).

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at Amazon“Surprisingly down to Earth, and very funny” is the Tweet Limmy puts out whenever someone famous dies, so it's the perfect title for his own book. It’s fantastic to hear Limmy read out his own words, with the book taking on the subjects of mental health, his time at school and how he became the comedian he is today. While you will laugh a lot listening to this, it’s more about how humour can get you out of the darkest spots, told candidly by one of the best comedians around.

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at AmazonGreat comedians telling funny anecdotes is podcast gold. And James Acaster went and made them into a whole book back in 2017, Classic Scrapes. We rate the audiobook over the paperback, as it’s narrated by James Acaster himself.

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at Amazons and the answer to the question: can a brain leak? Lovely stuff.

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at AmazonYou wouldn’t expect too much from the novelisation of a TV show, but the Red Dwarf audiobooks are surprisingly brilliant. OK, maybe it’s not that much of a surprise when their novels were written by the show’s creators, Rob Grant and Doug Naylor. The first two novels are readily available in digital audiobook form, Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers and Better Than Life.

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at AmazonThis audiobook captures the very essence of one of the best loved comedians of all time. From his early years growing up in the Drumchapel district of Glasgow - and a tale that involves being mistakenly adopted by a drunken neighbour - through to the time he took up the banjo and formed a band called the Humblebums, this is an undeniably enthralling tale from the comic genius. But be warned, there are plenty of lows as well as highs here, and the book offer more than just laugh out loud comedy.

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at Amazonthat Jimmy Saville documentary, Louis Theroux has experienced his fair share of awkward and eye-opening encounters over the years. It’s precisely what makes this memoir all the more enjoyable. Gotta Get Theroux This sees the hilariously awkward journalist and documentary filmmaker look back on his life. Delving into two decades of interviews, chance meetings and memorable moments, Theroux’s observant take on some of the world’s strangest inhabitants is one not to be missed.

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at AmazonParsnips, Buttered, perfectly encapsulates his tongue-in-cheeky style of comedy, featuring convoluted stories and tales of political correctness gone mad. It’s silly entertainment at its finest.

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