Starting a British Comedy YouTube Channel (2026 Guide)

Comedy is one of the most popular content categories on YouTube, but it's also one of the most challenging to monetise. UK comedy creators face a specific set of realities.

The good news: British humour travels internationally. The dry wit, sarcasm, and observational comedy that defines British humour has fans worldwide. A British comedy channel can build a genuinely global audience, with US, Australian, and European viewers drawn to the comedic style.

The challenging news: comedy CPMs are among the lowest on YouTube (£1.50-£4 in the UK). Advertisers consider comedy audiences less commercially valuable than finance or technology viewers. Brand deals are available but less frequent than in lifestyle or beauty niches.

The competitive landscape is intense. Every aspiring comedian and entertainer is making YouTube content. Standing out requires a genuinely distinctive voice, consistent quality, and patience.

However, comedy channels that break through tend to grow explosively. Viral comedy content generates massive view counts, and subscribers accumulated through viral moments tend to stick around. The challenge is surviving the non-viral periods financially.

Formats that work for British comedy on YouTube: observational commentary, sketch comedy, reaction content with a comedic angle, satirical news coverage, and cultural comparison content (comparing British vs American culture, for instance, has a large cross-Atlantic audience).

These formats have proven track records for British comedy creators.

Observational commentary: Videos about uniquely British experiences — queuing etiquette, passive-aggressive behaviour, weather obsession, regional stereotypes. This format works faceless (voiceover with stock footage and graphics) or on camera. AI tools like FluxNote can produce observational comedy content with narration and relevant visuals.

Sketch comedy: Short, scripted comedy sketches. Higher production effort but strong audience loyalty and viral potential. Can be as simple as one person playing multiple characters.

Cultural comparison: 'British vs American' content has an enormous audience on both sides of the Atlantic. Comparing everyday cultural differences through a comedic lens generates strong engagement.

Commentary and reaction: Reacting to or commentating on trending topics, other content, or cultural events with a comedic perspective. Lower production effort and taps into trending search traffic.

Satirical analysis: British audiences particularly enjoy satirical takes on current events, politics, and social trends. Think a YouTube version of Have I Got News For You or Mock the Week.

Character-based content: Creating recurring characters that audiences connect with. Requires acting ability but builds strong audience loyalty.

Short-form comedy: TikTok and YouTube Shorts are natural formats for quick comedy. Many British comedy creators use short-form to build audiences and drive subscribers to longer content.

Comedy monetisation requires creativity because ad revenue alone won't pay the bills at moderate audience sizes.

Ad revenue reality: With CPMs of £1.50-£4, you need serious view counts to earn meaningful ad revenue. A comedy channel with 500K monthly views earns roughly £750-£2,000 from ads. Compare that to a finance channel earning the same from 50K views.

Brand deals — the right approach: Comedy creators need to be selective about brand deals to maintain audience trust. Brands that work well with comedy: food and drink (especially snacks and alcohol), gaming, entertainment (streaming services, events), mobile networks, and fintech (Monzo's marketing tone is comedy-friendly). Comedy-specific brand rates can be competitive because brands value the entertainment value and audience engagement.

Merchandise: Comedy channels often have stronger merchandise conversion than other niches. If you have catchphrases, characters, or running jokes, merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers) can be a meaningful income stream. UK print-on-demand services like Teemill keep overhead low.

Live performance: Stand-up comedy and live shows are natural extensions. Even at small channel sizes, live shows in UK comedy clubs can earn £200-£1,000 per show. As your channel grows, you can tour independently.

Podcast cross-promotion: Many successful British comedy YouTubers also run podcasts. Podcast advertising rates in the UK are growing, and the comedy demographic is attractive to certain advertisers.

Patreon and memberships: Comedy audiences are loyal and often willing to support creators directly. UK comedy creators on Patreon earn £500-£5,000/month at modest audience sizes.