The Funniest Comedy Shows of the Decade - London’s Must-Watch Picks
When it comes to laughter that sticks with you, London’s comedy scene has always been more than just a backdrop-it’s the stage. From the smoky backrooms of Soho’s comedy clubs to the polished studios of BBC One, the city has churned out some of the funniest, sharpest, and most oddly British TV shows of the last decade. If you’ve ever laughed until you cried on a Tube ride home after a long day at Canary Wharf, or bonded with a colleague over a shared obsession with a show set in a fictional South London council estate, you know what we’re talking about.
London’s Comedy DNA: Where the Jokes Come From
London doesn’t just host comedy-it breeds it. The city’s chaos, its class divides, its endless queues at the post office, and the sheer absurdity of trying to get a decent cup of tea after 10 PM all feed into its humor. Think about it: no other city in the world has a show like Only Fools and Horses still being quoted in pub debates 30 years later. And the decade from 2016 to 2026? It delivered a new generation of shows that feel like they were written by someone who’s been stuck in a 10-minute delay on the Northern Line.
1. Stath Lets Flats (2018-2023) - The Most British Workplace Nightmare
Imagine your worst boss, but he’s a Greek-Cypriot immigrant who thinks he’s a business genius, and he runs a property letting agency in Peckham. That’s Stath, played by Jamie Demetriou, and his show is pure London satire. Every episode feels like a documentary shot in a flat above a kebab shop on Camberwell Green. The jokes aren’t loud or slapstick-they’re quiet, awkward, and painfully accurate. Stath’s inability to understand basic English idioms (“I’m not trying to be a *wanker*, I’m trying to be a *landlord*”) is genius because it’s exactly how you overhear conversations at a Brixton estate agent’s open viewing.
And let’s not forget the supporting cast: his equally clueless siblings, his ex-girlfriend who still texts him at 2 AM, and the neighbor who always shows up with a suspiciously warm casserole. This show doesn’t just make you laugh-it makes you recognize your cousin.
2. Barry (2018-2023) - A Hitman in LA? No, a Hitman in Croydon
Yes, Barry is technically set in Los Angeles. But if you’ve ever sat through a stand-up night at the Hackney Empire and felt like the comic was just trying to survive his own life, you’ll get it. The show’s dark tone, the way Barry keeps trying to be a better person while accidentally strangling people-it’s all very London. You don’t need to be in California to feel the weight of pretending to be someone you’re not. In London, you do it every day: pretending you like wine at a Shoreditch dinner party, pretending you didn’t just spend £12 on a single avocado, pretending you know what “sustainable” means when you’re buying a £400 pair of trainers from a pop-up in Camden.
The show’s humor comes from the collision of brutality and banality. That’s London. That’s the guy who works in finance and does improv on weekends. That’s the woman who runs a vegan bakery in Islington and has a secret YouTube channel where she does stand-up about her ex’s new partner’s dog.
3. The Great British Bake Off (2016-2026) - The Unlikely Comedy Masterpiece
Wait-Bake Off? A comedy show? Absolutely. Forget the sugar and flour. This is Shakespearean drama with a piping bag. The tension between Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood is pure farce. The way contestants panic when told to make a “technical challenge” with no instructions? That’s every Londoner trying to assemble IKEA furniture at 11 PM on a Sunday.
The real comedy? The accents. The Yorkshire lass who says “I just fancied a bit of a sponge” while crying over a collapsed soufflé. The man from Bristol who names his buns after his ex-wife’s new boyfriend. The way the judges nod solemnly like they’re sentencing someone to life in a Hounslow flat. It’s not just baking-it’s social observation with a buttercream finish.
And don’t get me started on the 2022 episode where someone tried to make a “modernist” cake shaped like a Brexit map. The internet went wild. London’s Twitter feed exploded. It was the most watched non-sporting event in the UK that year. And yes, it was comedy.
4. Detectorists (2014-2020) - The Quietest, Deepest Laughs in London
Set in the green belt just outside of North London, this show follows two middle-aged men who spend their weekends digging up Roman coins with metal detectors. It’s slow. It’s quiet. It’s deeply, deeply funny. The dialogue is so understated, you’ll miss half the jokes if you’re scrolling on your phone while watching.
Andy and Lance don’t have grand ambitions. They don’t want fame. They just want to find a Roman brooch. And when they do? It’s the most triumphant moment in TV history. You laugh because you know someone like them. Maybe you’ve seen them in Richmond Park. Maybe you’ve waved at them while walking your dog in Hampstead Heath. They’re the quiet heroes of suburban London life.
The show’s genius? It finds humor in patience. In loyalty. In the fact that two men can spend 10 years searching for one artifact and still be happier than most people with six-figure salaries. It’s the antidote to the hustle culture that dominates London’s corporate grind.
5. People Just Do Nothing (2015-2021) - The UK’s Answer to Entourage
If you’ve ever been to a warehouse party in Walthamstow where someone’s trying to be a DJ but only plays one song on loop while shouting “Bassline!” into a mic, you’ll recognize the crew from People Just Do Nothing. The show follows a group of friends in West London who run a pirate radio station called “Kurupt FM.”
It’s ridiculous. It’s loud. It’s full of bad wigs, terrible outfits, and lines like “I’m not a DJ, I’m a *curator of vibes*.” But it’s also weirdly accurate. The show was inspired by real-life UK garage crews who started out in garages in Brent and ended up on BBC Radio 1. The fact that it was made by the real people behind Kurupt FM? That’s the joke. London doesn’t just produce comedy-it *is* the comedy.
Why These Shows Resonate in London
What ties these five together? They don’t rely on punchlines. They rely on truth. In London, humor isn’t about being loud. It’s about being real. It’s about the guy who tries to order a flat white at a café in Brixton and gets handed a latte because the barista thinks he’s “one of those people.” It’s about the time you got lost in the Underground and ended up in Woolwich, only to find a pub that served the best pie in the city.
These shows work because they’re not trying to be funny. They’re trying to be human. And in a city as fast, expensive, and confusing as London, that’s the funniest thing of all.
Where to Watch Them in London
Most of these shows are on BBC iPlayer, All 4, or Amazon Prime Video. But if you want to watch them the London way? Head to a local pub with a TV above the bar. The George in Clapham. The Red Lion in Brixton. The Prince Albert in Brighton (yes, we’re allowed to sneak in one outside the city-it’s just over the river, and we all know it counts). Order a pint. Sit back. And let the laughter roll over you like the noise of a bus passing by at 2 AM.
Final Thought: London’s Best Comedy Isn’t on TV
It’s in the queue for the 24-hour Sainsbury’s in Stratford. It’s in the way a Londoner says “cheers” when you hand them a £20 note for a £1.80 coffee. It’s in the silence after someone says “I’m just popping to the loo” and never comes back.
The funniest comedy shows of the decade? They’re the ones that remind you: you’re not alone. And in a city of 9 million people, that’s the punchline worth remembering.