Today, with the transformative rise (for good or for ill) of social media, our breakout stars are no longer, as it once seemed, chiefly those who cut their teeth in The Cambridge Footlights. Now anyone with a comedy schtick and a phone can put themselves and their jokes out there – and many do, the most successful amongst whose number do so to hugely appreciative followings.
Here, we train the spotlight on the best and brightest British internet comedy stars tickling our funny bones in the digital realm. From quick-witted sketches to highly relatable humour, these comedic talents have mastered the art of making us burst into peals of laughter with just a click, whether on TikTok, Instagram or both. Here’s to the comedic genius of these internet sensations as we explore the diverse and hilarious landscape of Britain’s online comedy.
@HenryRowleyy
A breakout star on the TikTok comedy scene, Henry Rowley – aka @henryrowleyy on TikTok and Instagram – has gathered up a staggering 1.3 million followers in a year thanks to his improvised POV sketches, which skewer a variety of British archetypes, from ‘the walking ick’ to ‘the pompous dad’. His star is firmly in the ascendant, having taken the Edinburgh fringe by storm this year. We especially like this one from the POV of going on a date with a ‘creative’ (who hasn’t had this conversation almost verbatim?), but we’re also here for his more surreal impressions, such as what he thinks various fruit and veg would sound like if they could talk.
@chrxstopherhall
Another TikTok/ Insta star, another master of the art of the POV sketch. Like many others,
trained dancer Christopher Hall took his comedy gold to Instagram in lockdown. Unlike most, just three years later, he is an online sensation, with his back-up dancer videos, alongside those from the point of view of a cat (amongst many others), tickling his followers silly. Last year, he headed to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, sharing a sell-out run with Mark Bittlestone, which he followed up this year with his acclaimed 2023 show, ‘Self Helpless’. A long way to have come in three years and we say ‘bravissimo.’
@sindhuvee
Sindhu Vee might not have made her name on social media, but she certainly enlivens our experience of Instagram. An Oxford-educated former investment banker, she debuted her first show, Sandhog, at Edinburgh in 2018, and it later went to a sold-out run at the Soho Theatre. She’s appeared on Have I Got News For You, Mock The Week and QI, but is known to many as the actor who played Mrs Phelps in the film of Tim Minchin’s Matilda The Musical. We love her amusingly pragmatic take on marriage – just don’t be the loser, eh?
@lukemillingtondrake
Actor and writer Luke Millington Drake is best known for his Keira Knightley parodies on TikTok and Instagram. There is good reason for that; they are, quite simply, perfection. But in truth there is much more to LMD than that; as well as making a stellar name for himself on social media, he’s also busy working with the famous improv-orientated Groundlings Theatre & School in LA, as well as making regular TV appearances. As with some of the others on this list, it all began in lockdown when, in a bid to entertain himself and others and egged on by his brother, he began to post his impressions online (another corker is his excellent Richard E Grant). Three years later, he has hundreds of thousands of followers – and it feels like he’s just getting started.
@daisymaycooper
While Daisy May Cooper may already have been known as the co-creator and star of This Country, she reached a whole new audience through her social media platforms – and rightly so; she is a complete riot. With a million followers on Instagram, she is in danger of achieving national treasure status.
@willhislop
@willhislop Best Man speech #weddingspeech #weddingspeeches #wedding #bestman #bestmanspeech #bestmanspeeches #comedy #comedyvideo #comedyvideos #comedyvid #comedyvids #funny #funnyvideo #funnyvidoes #funnyvid #funnyvids #foryoupage #FYP original sound - Will Hislop
As the son of Ian Hislop, it comes as little surprise that Will Hislop is pretty darn funny. As well as impersonating Michael Gove and parodying people who are not as woke as they think they are, he is also one half of the critically acclaimed, two-times Edinburgh Fringe Festival sell-out sketch group, Giants, Writer’s Guild Award Nominee’s 2018 for their online short, A Hard Brexit. He is, of course, also a much-followed star of TikTok and Instagram too.
By Nancy Alsop
November 2023
