The best comedians to host your awards ceremony

Booking a comedian to host your awards ceremony is a different decision to booking one to perform at it. An awards host runs your night: the timings, the trophy handovers, the gap when the AV drops, the 90 minutes of category announcements that have to stay watchable. The jokes are the easy part.

These thirteen comedians host awards for a living, and they cover the full range from black-tie national ceremonies to regional trade nights and first-year awards programmes. If a broadcaster or a sector specialist would suit your room better, see our award ceremony hosts beyond the comedy circuit, or browse every award host on the roster.

What makes a good awards host?

A good awards host holds structure under pressure. They keep the running order moving, land a winner's name correctly first time, get people off stage warmly when they overrun, and fill dead air without the room noticing there was any. Comic ability sits second to that, because a funny host who loses the timings costs you the night.

Look for a track record hosting rather than performing, experience at your size of room, and a willingness to ask about your categories and your winners before the day. The three below cover three different briefs: a name on the invitation, a polished black-tie gala and a regional trade night.

Al Murray

Book Al for

Instant recognition, with the Pub Landlord held in reserve.

Al Murray is the name on this list your guests will recognise from the invitation. He created the Pub Landlord, won the Perrier, and has hosted awards across the circuit, alongside Live at the Apollo, Taskmaster and co-writing Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image The Musical.

You get a choice at the point of booking: the Pub Landlord for broad-appeal entertainment, or Al as himself, an Oxford history graduate who's made television about why Britain wins wars. Wickes booked him and reported that he stayed on afterwards and donated the Pub Landlord jacket for their charity auction, which tells you what he's like to work with once the trophies are done.

Learn more and book Al Murray →

Stephen Mangan

Book Stephen for

A black-tie ceremony with a familiar face and a steady hand.

Stephen Mangan is the polished, cross-generational choice. Your senior table knows him from Green Wing and Episodes with Matt LeBlanc, and a different cohort knows him from Sky Arts. He trained at RADA after reading Law at Cambridge, and has an Ian Charleson Award nomination and Old Vic and Broadway credits behind him.

Stephen's a working host as well as an actor, offering event hosting, after-dinner and virtual delivery. The Newspaper Awards booked him and described him as "funny, charming and respectful of the event". For a gala dinner where the brief is warmth and polish, he's the obvious call.

Learn more and book Stephen Mangan →

Justin Moorhouse

Book Justin for

A regional awards night with warmth and no side to it.

Justin Moorhouse carries instant recognition in a UK room as Young Kenny from Phoenix Nights, plus Coronation Street, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow and Ken Loach's Looking for Eric. He wrote and starred in his own BBC Radio 4 sitcom and is a semi-regular on 5 Live's Fighting Talk.

He also won Celebrity Mastermind, specialist subject Les Dawson, which tells you how Justin's comedy is wired. Volvo Trucks, City Plumbing and Barratt Developments have all booked him. For northern and regional trade awards, sport-adjacent dinners and any room that wants familiarity without a premium-tier fee, he's the value pick here.

Learn more and book Justin Moorhouse →

Five more comedians who host awards ceremonies

These five all host, and each brings something the three above don't: a name that sells the evening internally, a proven BAFTA ceremony, an interviewer's ear, one booking that covers every format, or the right voice for a Pride or inclusion-led night.

Micky Flanagan

An experienced awards host whose name sells the evening internally, working on class and everyday observation through storytelling a mixed audience follows without context. He came up through the Edinburgh Festival, so the improvisation hosting demands is well practised. For a large ceremony that needs a name on the poster.

Learn more and book Micky Flanagan →

Jim Moir

Better known as Vic Reeves, and a proven awards host through the BAFTA Video Game Awards. He brings the strongest brand client list on this page, including Renault, Fanta, Lynx, First Direct and Sky B2B, plus a second career as a Saatchi-exhibited painter.

Learn more and book Jim Moir →

Clive Anderson

Host of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and a television and radio presenter for decades, which makes him a strong interviewer as well as a host. Book him when the night includes a panel, a fireside chat or an on-stage interview with a senior guest. He also takes the formal after-dinner slot.

Learn more and book Clive Anderson →

Stephen Bailey

The most format-flexible host we represent: awards, panel moderation, Q&A, facilitation, after-dinner and virtual, all from one booking. He presents Celebs on the Farm for Channel 5, sold out the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018 and was nominated for Best Newcomer at the I Talk Telly Awards.

Learn more and book Stephen Bailey →

Holly Stars

A cabaret host by trade, which is exactly the skill an awards night needs: holding a room across a long, stop-start running order. She created and starred in Death Drop across three West End runs, and produces and hosts a monthly Soho cabaret. The standout pick for a Pride or inclusion-led ceremony.

Learn more and book Holly Stars →

Which comedians host awards for £2,000 to £5,000?

Five comedians on our roster host awards ceremonies for £2,000 to £5,000: Ed MacArthur, Matt Richardson, Tom Ward, Andrew Maxwell and Alun Cochrane. All five perform as well as host, so the hosting and a set come as one booking, which suits a regional trade night or a first-year awards programme.

Ed MacArthur

Awards hosting, conference facilitation and live comedy, with West End, BBC, Apple TV and Netflix credits and two comedy albums. The musical element gives him something to do in a gap most hosts cannot fill. From £2,000 to £5,000, which makes him accessible for a first-year awards programme.

Learn more and book Ed MacArthur →

Matt Richardson

A Chortle Award finalist with sold-out UK tours and a former Virgin Radio drive-time slot. Live radio experience shows in his hosting: he keeps to time and fills gaps without visible effort, which is what you want when the running order is likely to move. From £2,000 to £5,000.

Learn more and book Matt Richardson →

Tom Ward

Fast-paced observational stand-up with Live at the Apollo, QI and Roast Battle credits, plus a voice-over career that makes him comfortable with a script. Book him when there are sponsor reads and scripted links to handle without stiffness. From £2,000 to £5,000.

Learn more and book Tom Ward →

Andrew Maxwell

An Irish stand-up and broadcaster who has played everywhere from Glastonbury to Las Vegas, with Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You and QI behind him. Two Edinburgh Comedy Award nominations. The pick for an international audience or a news-literate room. From £2,000 to £5,000.

Learn more and book Andrew Maxwell →

Alun Cochrane

An observational comedian who works as an MC, with appearances on Have I Got News For You, 8 Out Of 10 Cats and Mock The Week. The adaptable delivery suits a smaller room where you are not certain how the audience will settle. From £2,000 to £5,000.

Learn more and book Alun Cochrane →

How do you brief a comedian hosting your awards?

Send the running order first, with realistic timings and a note on where it can flex. Then the category list, the winners if you know them in advance, and the correct pronunciation of every name being read out. A host who mangles a winner's name has undone the moment that person came for. Our guide on how to brief an award host goes further, into tone, embargoes and rehearsal timings.

Add what they can't know: what's happened in the business this year, which sponsor is in the room, which two departments have history. And say plainly what's off limits. Hosting differs enough from a stand-up set that it pays to be clear which you're booking, and our guide to the difference between a comedian, a host and an after-dinner speaker covers where each one fits.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to book a comedian to host an awards ceremony?

Booking a comedian to host an awards ceremony costs from a few thousand pounds for a circuit host to five figures for a household name. Hosting a full ceremony costs more than a 20-minute set, since it involves rehearsal, scripting around your categories and several hours on stage. Send us your running order and we'll quote against it.

Does the awards host write their own script?

Yes, the awards host writes their own links and opening, from the running order and whatever you give them on the categories and the industry. You supply the facts and the boundaries. Handing a comedian a fully scripted set to read is usually the point at which an awards host stops being funny.

Can the awards host also do a stand-up set on the night?

Yes, the awards host can also do a stand-up set on the night, and it's usually better value than booking two acts. Everyone on this list performs as well as hosts. Agree both at enquiry so the fee and the running order account for it.

How far in advance should you book an awards host?

Book a named awards host three to six months in advance, and longer if your ceremony falls in the autumn awards season or in December, when availability tightens across the whole circuit. Regional and internal nights can often be filled at shorter notice.

💡 Want a comedian to host your next awards ceremony? Send us the date and the running order and we'll find the perfect PepTalk expert for your organisation. Send us a message and we'll set up a free strategy call. Remember, it's always a good time to get a PepTalk!