''Channel 4's Comedy Gala'' is an annual British comedy benefit show organised by

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

in aid of

Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Found ...

. The show is filmed live at the

O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to: *The O2 Arena, London * O2 Arena, Prague *The 3Arena, Dublin, formerly known as The O2 *The Uber Arena, Berlin, formerly known as O2 World *The Barclays Arena Barclays Arena (originally known as the Color Line Arena an ...

in London, and then broadcast later by Channel 4. An inaugural gala was held in 2010, while a second gala was held in 2011. A third Gala aired in May 2012. A fourth Gala was filmed on Saturday 18 May 2013. A fifth Gala was confirmed on 24 February 2014 to be recorded on 16 May 2014 at the O2 Arena.

History

The Comedy Gala was first commissioned by Channel 4 Entertainment Commissioning Editor, Syeda Irtizaali. Tickets first went on sale on 12 February 2010 for the live show at the O2 Arena, scheduled for 30 March 2010. With over 25 performers taking part, Channel 4 promoted the first gala as "the biggest live stand up show in United Kingdom history", and "the comedy event of the year". Hinting that there may be more Channel 4 Comedy Galas in the future, as Jack Dee closed the first show with the line "we'll see you next year, thank you and goodnight". Hailing the first gig as a big hit both in terms of fund raising and for viewers, Irtizaali commissioned a second gala again at the O2, with tickets going on sale on 11 March 2011, and the gig scheduled for 24 May 2011. All profits from ticket and DVD sales of the Comedy Galas go to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity. All performers waive their fees for the shows. The first gala raised nearly £1 million, enabling a new

anaesthetic An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia ⁠— ⁠in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into t ...

room to be built, while the second gala is to raise funds for a new £5m operating theatre. At every Gala during the ad breaks some adverts are hijacked by

Alan Carr Alan Graham Carr (born 14 June 1976) is an English comedian, broadcaster, and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the '' City Life'' Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards. In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeo ...

and/or

Jimmy Carr James Anthony Patrick Carr (born 15 September 1972) is an Irish-British comedian, presenter, writer and actor. He is known for his rapid-fire deadpan delivery of One-line joke, one-liners. He began his comedy career in 1997, and he has regula ...

Galas

2010

The first gala took place at The O2 on 30 March 2010, and was broadcast on Channel 4 on 5 April 2010. It featured seventeen comedians performing stand-up, as well as a number of others performing live and pre-recorded sketches. Hosted by

and

Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show '' Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s and early 2010s, hosted his ow ...

, it featured extended stand-up sets by

Michael McIntyre Michael Hazen James McIntyre (born 21 February 1976) is a British comedian, writer, and television presenter. In 2012, he was the highest-grossing stand-up comedian in the world. He currently presents the variety and stand-up comedy show '' Mic ...

and Lee Evans.

2011

The second gala took place at The O2 on 24 May 2011, and broadcast on Channel 4 at 9pm on 10 June 2011. Several acts from the first gala were confirmed to appear in the second.

2012

The ''Comedy Gala 2012'' was filmed on 11 May 2012 at the

. It aired on Channel 4 on 20 May at 9pm starting the show with a live performance from

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind ...

and, featuring in order of appearance: Alan Carr, Lee Nelson,

Jack Dee James Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee (born 24 September 1961) is an English stand-up comedian, actor, presenter, and writer known for his sarcasm, irony, and deadpan humour. He wrote and starred in the sitcom '' Lead Balloon'' and hosts the panel show ...

Keith Lemon Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Keith (gamer), American professional ...

, Jonathan Ross,

Paul Chowdhry Tajpaul Singh Chowdhry (born 21 August 1974), better known as Paul Chowdhry, is a British comedian and actor. He is of Indian Punjabi Sikh descent. He began his stand up career in 1998 and hosted the Channel 4 comedy series '' Stand Up for the ...

, Michael McIntyre,

Jimeoin James Eoin Stephen Paul McKeown (born 24 January 1966), better known as Jimeoin (), is a Northern Irish-Australian comedian and actor. Jimeoin rose to prominence in the early 1990s in Australia, where he had his own TV show and where he still ...

, Josh Widdicombe,

Seann Walsh Sean Christopher Walsh (born 2 December 1985), known professionally as Seann Walsh, is an English stand-up comedian and actor. Early life Walsh was born in Camden in London, but was brought up in Brighton. He left school with one GCSE examin ...

Jack Whitehall Jack Peter Benedict Whitehall (born 7 July 1988) is an English comedian, actor, writer and television personality. He is known for his roles as JP in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series '' Fresh Meat'' (2011–2016) and as Alfie Wickers in the BBC ...

Andi Osho Yewande "Andi" Osho (born 27 January 1973) is a British actor, writer, and blogger who had previously been a stand-up comedian and television presenter. Life and career Osho was born in Plaistow, East London,In an interview for BBC Radio 4 E ...

Micky Flanagan Michael John Flanagan (born 7 October 1962) is an English comedian. Flanagan has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and toured Britain with stand-up shows. He presented ''Micky Flanagan: What Chance Change?'' for Radio 4 and has appeared on vario ...

Jo Brand Josephine Grace Brand (born 23 July 1957) is an English actress, comedian, presenter and writer. Starting her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand-up scene and early performances on '' Satur ...

Jon Richardson Jon Joel Richardson (born 26 September 1982) is an English comedian and radio presenter. He is known for his appearances on '' 8 Out of 10 Cats'' and '' 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'' and his work as co-host with Russell Howard on BBC Rad ...

Reginald D. Hunter Reginald Darnell Hunter (born March 26, 1969) is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian based in the United Kingdom. Early life Reginald Darnell Hunter was born on March 26, 1969, in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, the youngest of nine.Ma ...

, Lee Evans, Kevin Bridges and Sean Lock.

2013

The ''Comedy Gala 2013'' was filmed on 18 May 2013 at the

. It aired on Friday 7 June 2013 on Channel 4 as a two-hour show. Performing at the gala were

Miranda Hart Miranda Katherine Hart Dyke (born 14 December 1972) is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won three Royal Television Society awards, four British Comedy Awards, and four BAFTA nominations for her self-driven semi-autobiographical ...

, Kevin Bridges,

Russell Brand Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and media personality. He established himself as a stand-up comedian and radio host before becoming a film actor. After beginning his career as a comedian and la ...

Adam Hills Adam Christopher Hills (born 10 July 1970) is an Australian comedian, radio and television presenter. In Australia, he hosted the music quiz show '' Spicks and Specks'' from 2005 to 2011, and again in 2021 onwards, and the talk show '' Adam Hi ...

Warwick Davis Warwick Ashley Davis ( ; born 3 February 1970) is an English actor and television presenter. Active within the industry since he was eleven, Davis is one of the highest grossing supporting actors of all time and has the highest average gross r ...

, Jason Byrne,

, Josh Widdicombe,

, Lee Evans,

Nina Conti Nina Margarita Conti (born 25 August 1973) is a British actress, comedian, and ventriloquist. Early life Conti was born and grew up in Hampstead, London, the daughter of actors Tom Conti and Kara Wilson. She attended King Alfred School, Lo ...

Rhod Gilbert Rhodri Paul Gilbert (born 18 October 1968) is a Welsh comedian and television and radio presenter who was nominated in 2005 for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award. In 2008 he was nominated for the main comedy award (as the Edinburgh Comedy Award ...

Paddy McGuinness Patrick Joseph McGuinness (born 14 August 1973) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television presenter. He rose to fame with the help of fellow comedian Peter Kay, who invited him to appear on the television comedy series '' That Peter ...

, Tom Stade, with taped videos from

Noel Fielding Noel Fielding (; born 21 May 1973) is an English comedian, artist, and actor. He was part of The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe alongside Julian Barratt in the 2000s, and has been a co-presenter of ''The Great British Bake Off'' since 2017. He is kn ...

Terry Mynott Terry Mynott (born 21 November 1974) is an English comedian, actor, impressionist and singer. He stars as Martin Hurdle in Channel 4’s '' The Mimic'', having previously appeared in '' The Morgana Show'' and '' Very Important People''. In 202 ...

and

2014

The ''Comedy Gala 2014'' was filmed on 16 May 2014 at the

. It aired on 5 June 2014 on Channel 4 as a 2-hour and 40-minute show. Performers included

, Lee Evans,

, Jason Byrne,

James Corden James Kimberley Corden (born 22 August 1978) is an English comedian, actor, writer, producer, singer, and television host. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for co-writing and starring in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom '' Gavin & S ...

, Josh Widdicombe, Kevin Bridges, Sean Lock,

Rob Beckett Robert Anthony Beckett (born 2 January 1986) is an English comedian, actor, and presenter. He was a co-host on the ITV2 spin-off show '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW!'' from 2012 to 2014. Since 2016, Beckett has been a team captain ...

and

2015

The ''Comedy Gala 2015'' was filmed on 15 May 2015 at the

. It aired on Channel 4 later in the year. Performers included

, Lee Evans,

, Jason Byrne,

Jason Manford Jason John Manford (born 26 May 1981) is an English comedian, presenter, actor and singer. Manford was a team captain on the Channel 4 panel show ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' from 2007 until 2010 and has presented numerous television shows for the BBC an ...

, Josh Widdicombe, Kevin Bridges, Katherine Ryan,

Aisling Bea Aisling Clíodhnadh O'Sullivan (born 16 March 1984), known professionally as Aisling Bea ( ), is an Irish comedian, actress and screenwriter. She created, wrote and starred in the comedy series '' This Way Up'' on Channel 4. As a stand-up comedi ...

Romesh Ranganathan Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan (born 27 March 1978) is a British comedian, actor, and presenter. His style of comedy is deadpan and often self-deprecating. Ranganathan has made numerous appearances on television comedy panel shows and has been a ...

Sara Pascoe Sara Patricia Pascoe (born 22 May 1981) is an English comedian, actress, presenter and writer. She has appeared on television programmes including ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'' and ''Taskmaster (TV series), Taskmaster'' for Channel 4 and ...

, Sean Lock, and

Shappi Khorsandi Shaparak Khorsandi (, ; born 8 June 1973), who previously performed as Shappi Khorsandi, is an Iranian-born British comedian and author. She is the daughter of the Iranian political satirist and poet Hadi Khorsandi. Her family left Iran for ...

2016

The 2016 Comedy Gala aired on Channel 4 on 29 May and featured Aisling Bea, Alan Carr, Alex Brooker, Kevin Bridges, Nathan Caton, Hal Cruttenden, Rob Beckett, Joel Dommett, John Thomson, Josh Widdicombe, Kerry Godliman, Lee Nelson, Michael McIntyre, Russell Kane, Sean Lock, Shappi Khorsandi, Seann Walsh, Tom Allen, Warwick Davis and musician Jake Bugg.

DVD releases

The first "Channel 4's Comedy Gala" event was released on Region 2 DVD by

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

, on 26 April 2010. The second event "Channel 4's Comedy Gala 2011", was released on DVD on 7 November 2011. On 5 November 2012, the third event "Channel 4's Comedy Gala 2012", was released on DVD. The fourth event "Channel 4's Comedy Gala 2013", was released on DVD on 18 November 2013. Since the tours ended in 2016, the remaining 4 Galas have not been released on DVD.

References

External links

Channel 4's Comedy Gala microsite

Channel 4's Comedy Gala programme guide

Great Ormond Street Hospital

Off the Kerb Productions
* {{British Comedy Guide, tv, channel4_comedy_gala Channel 4 comedy 2010 British television series debuts 2016 British television series endings Health-related fundraisers Great Ormond Street Hospital Stand-up comedy specials and films Charity events in the United Kingdom Annual events in the United Kingdom

History

Galas

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

DVD releases

See also

References

External links