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.
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Manchester has only been named the third funniest region in the UK / Credit: Manchester City Council | Nick Harrison (via Wikimedia Commons)
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.
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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.
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“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.
“We wanted to celebrate the regions bringing laughter into everyday life, whether it’s in pubs, clubs, or living rooms.”
Featured Image – BBC
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Boyzone to reunite for exclusive New Year’s Eve special on the BBC
Danny Jones
2025 has very much been the year of the comeback – be it Oasis, Britpop fashion in general, or short bobs and pixie cuts – so it’s only fitting that we round off the calendar with one last reunion, as throwback boyband Boyzone are set to feature on a TV special on the BBC this New Year’s Eve.
Turns out ‘All That I Need’ to make a year memorable is a load of 1990s nostalgia.
Now, obviously, despite plenty of other music names enjoying a second renaissance over the past 12 months or so, nothing is ever going to be quite as big as the Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour.
However, if you asked us to guess which group from the era were also going to reunite this year back in January, there’s not a chance we would’ve said Boyzone.
Boyzone are telling us about coming back together for one final run in their most unforgettable concerts yet 🎤
After news first began circulating earlier this week, it has now been confirmed that musician turned presenter Ronan Keating will be getting back together with two of his former bandmates.
Joining the 48-year-old for ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’, ex-Boyzone members Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch are part of an exciting live music lineup.
Other names include actor and singer, Shona McGarty, who recently starred on season 25 of I’m A Celeb, as well as fellow 90s pop artist Louise Redknapp and singer-songwriter Calum Scott.
The exclusive reunion comes after the success of the recently aired Boyzone: No Matter What documentary show.
Spread across three parts on Sky, the docuseries (named after their hit song from 1998) looks back on the career and journey up the charts back in their heyday, all the way up to the present. After seemingly striking a chord with fans and the lads themselves, it looks like they’re not done after all…
Yes, not only is the festive TV special going to see three of the original members performing alongside each other again, but
Here’s hoping that turns into a springboard for something even bigger, and we get a Manchester arena show sometime soon.
As for the programme itself, ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’ will be broadcast on BBC One and made available on BBC iPlayer from Wednesday, 31 December 2025.
One in 10 Brits are fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party, new survey finds
Emily Sergeant
We’re in peak office Christmas party season right now.
With just a week to go until the big day itself is here, many businesses across the UK are treating their staff to night out to celebrate both the festive season and all of the hard work they have been putting in throughout the year… and as you can expect, these are usually quite eventful gatherings, shall we say.
But now, a survey by has shed light on just how ‘eventful’ they actually are, as a new survey has revealed that, apparently, one in ten Brits face some sort of disciplinary action or dismissal due to their behaviour at Christmas parties.
The study was conducted by After Drink, and included more than 2,000 participants.
During the research, it was highlighted that 89% of employees admitted to drinking alcohol at these events, Lad Bible reports – with 65% of these confessing that they drank “excessively”.
One in 10 Brits get fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party / Credit: Kraken Images | Mimi Thian (via Unsplash)
There are a multitude of incidents which could lead to disciplinary action in the workplace nowadays, but according to the survey, some of the common reasons following festive celebrations with colleagues included inappropriate comments (23%) and even getting into fights (21%).
16% of these incidents were because of drug use during the event, while inappropriate interactions with colleagues accounted for 14%.
Some of the legal reasons you can be fired from your place of work after a Christmas party include gross misconduct, drunken behaviour, and fighting of any kind.
Despite all these risks, however, Christmas parties still remain as popular as always, and a whopping 79% of respondents said they are planning to attend theirs this year.
Emily Sergeant -
5th August 2025 
