Southport Comedy Festival sponsored feature
While the Southport Comedy Festival 2025, in association with Halliwell Jones Kia Southport, is just around the corner, planning is already underway for Festival 2026.
The festival has revealed their first big name for next year’s festival.
Following a meteoric rise through the comedy ranks, Laura Smyth – the brutally honest, blisteringly funny, working-class voice from East London – is back with a brand-new national tour. Off the back of her critically acclaimed and sell out debut tour Living My Best Life, Laura is hitting the road again in 2026 with ‘Born Aggy’ and will be bringing it to the Southport Comedy Festival on Thursday 15th October 2026.
What if all your dreams come true and you’ve still got the hump? Laura has spent the last few years selling out shows up and down the country; she has supported Jack Whitehall, Michelle de Swarte, Alan Davies, and Jason Manford and appeared on multiple panel shows including QI, Would I Lie To You, 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Live at The Apollo. She’s even beaten cancer; she’s done all the alternative healing you could shake a stick at – and she still thinks everyone’s a d**khead. It can’t just be her, can it?
Like her last tour, Laura will cover all of her everyday ever-changing life with truth, warmth, and hilarity. Maybe she needs more sleep or maybe she was just born aggy.
Tickets go on sale this Friday 26th September at 10am.
Laura Smyth: Born Aggy
Date of show: Thursday 15th October 2026
Tickets: £22.50 +BF
Book: Southport Comedy Festival
Doors 7pm
Show 8pm
Age suitability: 14+PG
Venue: Southport Comedy Festival Under Canvas at Victoria Park in Southport, Esplanade, Southport, PR8 1RX
This year’s Southport Comedy Festival 2025 in association with Halliwell Jones Kia runs from 3rd to 19th October. The entire festival will be staged for a fifth year in a giant luxury heated and seated marquee courtesy of Elite Marquees in Victoria Park, home of the world-renowned Southport Flower Show.
Visit southportcomedyfestival.com for full line up, information and direct links to book tickets.
LAURA SMYTH entered the comedy world after a career as an English teacher. Her distinctive style blends blunt honesty with warmth, capturing the truth of everyday life in a way that’s hilarious and relatable. Laura’s debut show Living My Best Life toured nationwide in 2024. Originally planned for 29 dates, the tour was extended to 48 due to demand, concluding with a third and final London show at the Indigo at The O2. On screen, Laura featured in all six episodes of Outsiders Series 3 (Dave), teaming up with Chris McCausland to compete against Judi Love & Guz Khan and Roisin Conaty & Alan Davies in David Mitchell’s hit series.
She has appeared on numerous television shows including Live at the Apollo (BBC), Cats Does Countdown (Channel 4), Frankie Boyle’s New World Order (BBC), The Jonathan Ross Show (ITV), QI (BBC), Would I Lie to You? (BBC), Richard Osman’s House of Games (BBC), The Weakest Link (BBC), Saturday Kitchen (BBC), Between the Covers (BBC), As Yet Untitled (Dave), and Yesterday, Today and the Day Before (Comedy Central). \
Her BBC Radio 4 comedy special I Don’t Know What to Say, which she wrote and performed, won the Gold Comedy Award at the 2024 ARIAS – the UK audio industry’s top honour – beating out nominees including Kathy Burke, Frank Skinner and The Skewer. It was also shortlisted for Best Stand-Up Show at the BBC Audio Drama Awards. Laura also co-hosted Bang On It for BBC Sounds, which won Bronze at the British Podcast Awards.
Her comedy-entertainment series Your Mum (BBC Radio 4, 6×30), featuring guests including Jo Brand, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Arlene Phillips and Iain Stirling, aired in June and was recommissioned for a second series. Laura’s latest venture is her new podcast Shouldn’t Laugh But, co-hosted with her best friend Carmen Butcher. Each week, they dive into the daft, awkward, and morally questionable things that happen in everyday life, letting their intrusive thoughts run wild. The show was named Podcast Pick of the Week by The Guardian and Radio Times and debuted in the top 30 of the UK comedy podcast charts.
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