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Greater Manchester has been named only the THIRD funniest region in the UK
Who the heck is funnier than us lot?
Emily Sergeant -
5th August 2025 
Greater Manchester has been named one of the UK’s funniest regions.
You’re probably thinking that all sounds well and good, but then you find out that not only are we not the funniest region, we have only claimed third place in the top 10, meaning there are two other regions who are funnier that us Mancs… apparently.
It’s all according to a new nationwide study by digital marketing agency Dark Horse, which set out to identify the UK’s funniest regions by compiling a dataset of 541 comedians born in the UK after 1900, using publicly-available lists from IMDb and Wikipedia.
The analysis mapped comedians by birthplace and adjusted for regional population to reveal what the company called a ‘clear front-runner’ in the national battle of banter.
According to the analysis, Manchester has 12.6 comedians per million people.
Manchester has a long-standing reputation for its distinctive style of honest, deadpan, and self-aware humour, and the city supports a strong comedy scene, with numerous clubs and regular national tours that continue to contribute significantly to the UK’s comedic landscape.
Not to mention the region has produced some serious comedy giants like Peter Kay, Steve Coogan, and Jason Manford over the years.
So why have we only claimed third place? Who the heck has is meant to be funnier than us? Well, apparently, it’s the scousers.
The UK’s top 10 funniest areas
- Merseyside
- London
- Greater Manchester
- West of England
- East Yorkshire & Northern Lincolnshire
- Gloucestershire & Wiltshire
- Surrey, East & West Sussex
- West Midlands
- Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire
- North Yorkshire
Merseyside has been officially crowned the UK’s funniest place, according to the new nationwide study, as the area boasts an impressive 19.6 comedians per million people, which is the highest per capita concentration in the country, and in second place is London with 19.2 comedians per million people and leading the UK by producing 172 comedians across its 33 boroughs.
On the other end of the spectrum, it was North Yorkshire that rounded out the top 10 securing tenth place, and other regions like Cumbria and Cornwall didn’t even make the cut at all.
“Comedy is more than just entertainment – it’s culture, identity, and one of Britain’s best coping mechanisms,” commented Libby Mayfield, who is the Head of Marketing at Dark Horse.
Read more:
- Manchester’s mega-hit comedy festival makes 2025 return – with Frankie Boyle, Rosie Jones, and more on lineup
- Rochdale will be hosting its FIRST EVER comedy festival later this year
- New monthly comedy night with ‘some of the UK’s biggest names’ to launch in Manchester
“We wanted to celebrate the regions bringing laughter into everyday life, whether it’s in pubs, clubs, or living rooms.”
Featured Image – BBC
