Need a laugh? London’s funniest boroughs have been revealed – and the top five might surprise you

There is a lot of bad news out there, if we’re honest – we won’t go into details, after all, you can probably think of a dozen examples off the top of your head, but it’s not exactly surprising that Londoners need a laugh. And in 2025, searches for “comedy club London” hit 17,000 per month, up 38% percent.

And sure, laugh-a-minute Londoners have a great sense of humour and no one does sarcasm like a Brit, but which borough is actually the funniest of the flock? New research from property company Barratt London has uncovered where Londoners are laughing the most, analysing comedy venues across all 12 inner London boroughs — combining Google review scores, five-star ratings, monthly search volumes, and review sentiment to produce a weighted rank for each borough. The rankings were based on three main criteria: venue quality, community feedback, and audience demand.

Topping the comedy list was Westminster, with a weighted score of 98 and 29,420 five-star reviews. It’s not exactly surprising considering it’s home to some of the most iconic venues including The Comedy Store, and The Soho Theatre, and is generally considered the epicentre of West End Comedy, firmly cemented within entertainment history. And, not that it was a category, but it is also the birthplace of many beloved comedians, including Jack Whitehall, Noel Fielding, Matt Lucas.

Hot on its heels was Camden which landed in second place with a score of 97. It racked up an impressive 27,770 monthly searches and 12,374 five-star reviews. A whopping 34% of Brits name-checked it as the best comedy scene in London – particularly for its small clubs which highlight local and emerging talent.

Taking a spot on the podium in third place (bronze medal!) was Hammersmith & Fulham with a score of 96, which isn’t that surprising when you remember the Eventim Apollo has hosted almost every big comedian: Acaster, Connolly, O Briain – anyone, essentially, who was once on Mock the Week.

Coming in fourth and fifth place were Hackney and Tower Hamlets, proving that London’s laughs aren’t restricted to the West End, and that more grassroots comedy is well and truly thriving.

London’s funniest inner-boroughs were:

1. Westminster – 98
2. Camden – 97
3. Hammersmith & Fulham – 96
4. Hackney – 95
5. Tower Hamlets – 92
6. Wandsworth – 90
7. Islington – 87
8. Southwark – 86
9. Greenwich – 85
10. Lewisham – 83
11. Lambeth – 82
12. Kensington and Chelsea – 80

Unfortunately, whilst the survey showed the best comedy scenes, it didn’t confirm which area of London has the funniest people. Although if our office is anything to go by, Westminster has to be up there…

• London has just been named the kindest city in the UK – beating the likes of Manchester and Liverpool

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