How much do stand up comedians get paid in the UK?

[Drygate]

I know they all get paid different rates, but maybe someone who isn't on TV but is gigging every weekend around the country at comedy clubs, and has been at it for a good 5+ years?

Sort of like someone you'd see at nights like Komedia, Off the Rails, Glasgow Glee, etc

A monkey? A pony?

[thecuriousorange]

I assume they do it for the love and it's only ever a side hustle until they make it big with TV spots/going viral. Once they "arrive" the ticket prices rise and they finally stop operating at a loss. A bit like musicians, I guess.

[Gurke and Hare]

This is based on nothing at all, but I can't see how it would be worth Boothby Graffoe's time to schlep to Oldham and back[nb]Unless he lives in Rochdale[/nb] unless he was getting at least £250.

[Wayman C. McCreery]

I know they all get paid different rates, but maybe someone who isn't on TV but is gigging every weekend around the country at comedy clubs, and has been at it for a good 5+ years?

Sort of like someone you'd see at nights like Komedia, Off the Rails, Glasgow Glee, etc

A monkey? A pony?

£200 for a headliner, £100 for the other 20-minuters and £25-£50 for your open spots. Ish.

[Ignatius_S]

Corporate work is quite common for comedians - pretty sure I read a relatively recent interview with Harry Hill about him citing one such booking as one of the worst gigs he had done, and that was when he was starting out.

One company I worked at would book comedians to present its annual awards - although I think most were established, I recall people were still raving about how brilliant Graham Norton had been some years earlier and he was the yardstick they measured all other presenters by, and pretty sure at the time of the gig, he was relatively unknown (but about to get TV and radio work).

[Drygate]

I listen to a comedy podcast and the hosts live off their stand up gigs as far as I know (they talk about not having had a proper job for years etc). I'm pretty sure they haven't been on TV (panel shows, apollo, etc) and they talk about doing gigs in Newcastle and other places far from London where they live and staying over in hotels so it must cover those costs plus more.

One guest was saying how over lock down they had to get a minimum wage job as a receptionist and how it was gutting to get the equivalent of one gig's pay for an entire week of 9-5. So that must be about £315 a week/gig, right?

So I thought it was more in the £300 to £500 a gig range, and they do 2 or 3 a week to make an OK wage in London if you add corporate gigs to that.

I'd still be surprised if it was even that low to be honest, but I have no idea, hence the thread.

[Small Man Big Horse]

A good few comics will do 2 - 3 gigs a night if they're able too, at least at the weekend, a friend runs a night in Surrey where the headliner was late a fair few times as they were hurtling down the motorway having already performed in Brighton or London. It'll vary a lot depending on how well known they are too of course, but I think £200 - £300 is the figure they'll get if they've been going for a good few years and are performing in a venue which seats around a 100.