Live at the Apollo (TV series)
British stand-up comedy programme
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Live at the Apollo (formerly titled Jack Dee Live at the Apollo) is a British stand-up comedy programme performed from the Hammersmith Apollo. The programmes are recorded, not broadcast live, but the acts perform in front of a live audience.
GenreLive comedy
Presented byJack Dee (2004–2007)
Guest hosts (2007–present)
Guest hosts (2007–present)
Narrated byPatrick Allen
Peter Dickson
Peter Dickson
Opening theme"Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet
| Live at the Apollo | |
|---|---|
| |
| Genre | Live comedy |
| Presented by | Jack Dee (2004–2007) Guest hosts (2007–present) |
| Narrated by | Patrick Allen Peter Dickson |
| Opening theme | "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 20 |
| No. of episodes | 130 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Addison Cresswell Andrew Beint Joe Norris |
| Producers | Alex Hardcastle Anthony Caveney |
| Production location | Hammersmith Apollo |
| Running time | 30–45 minutes |
| Production company | Open Mike Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One (2004–2015) BBC Two (2015–present) |
| Release | 6 September 2004 – present |
| Related | |
| Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow | |
Jack Dee hosted the first two series and the opening show of the third series, performing a short segment before introducing a guest comedian. Until 2015, all episodes were broadcast on BBC One. The show moved to BBC Two in November 2015. The programme was renamed for its third series which was filmed over three evenings in October 2007. The format was changed to have one of the night's performers assuming hosting duties.[1]
A fourth series began transmission on 28 November 2008. It showcased a variety of the newer stand-up comedians and was rescheduled from Monday nights to Friday nights to replace Friday Night with Jonathan Ross following Ross's suspension in the wake of the Sachsgate row.[2] After hosting the first episode, Michael McIntyre was given his own show with a similar format: Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow which was broadcast from 2009 until 2011.[3]
On 29 July 2026, the BBC announced that Live at the Apollo will end after series 21, which will be filmed in the autumn, due to cuts at the broadcaster.[4]
Episode list
Viewing figures from BARB and British Comedy Guide.[5][6]
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series premiere | Series finale | ||
| 1 | 6 | 6 September 2004 | 11 October 2004 |
| 2 | 6 | 12 September 2005 | 17 October 2005 |
| 3 | 6 | 12 November 2007 | 17 December 2007 |
| 4 | 6 | 28 November 2008 | 16 January 2009 |
| 5 | 6 | 4 December 2009 | 1 January 2010 |
| 6 | 6 | 25 November 2010 | 1 January 2011 |
| 7 | 8 | 4 November 2011 | 21 January 2012 |
| 8 | 6 | 17 November 2012 | 4 January 2013 |
| 9 | 6 | 22 November 2013 | 15 January 2014 |
| 10 | 6 | 19 November 2014 | 2 January 2015 |
| 11 | 7 | 9 November 2015 | 20 December 2015 |
| 12 | 7 | 8 November 2016 | 20 December 2016 |
| 13 | 7 | 30 November 2017 | 4 January 2018 |
| 14 | 7 | 15 November 2018 | 22 December 2018 |
| 15 | 7 | 5 November 2019 | 17 December 2019 |
| 16 | 7 | 10 November 2021 | 15 December 2021 |
| 17 | 7 | 19 December 2022 | 10 February 2023 |
| 18 | 7 | 7 November 2023 | 18 December 2023 |
| 19 | 7 | 19 December 2024 | 4 February 2025 |
| 20 | 7 | 23 December 2025 | 3 February 2026 |
| Specials | 4 | 2 June 2018 | 28 December 2020 |
Series 1 (2004)
| No. | Host | Comedian | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1x01 | Jack Dee | Joan Rivers | 6 September 2004 | N/a |
| 1x02 | Ardal O'Hanlon | 13 September 2004 | N/a | |
| 1x03 | Jo Brand | 20 September 2004 | N/a | |
| 1x04 | Ross Noble | 27 September 2004 | N/a | |
| 1x05 | Omid Djalili | 4 October 2004 | N/a | |
| 1x06 | No guest | 11 October 2004 | N/a |
Series 2 (2005)
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2x01 | Jack Dee | Lee Mack | 12 September 2005 | N/a |
| 2x02 | Dara Ó Briain | 19 September 2005 | N/a | |
| 2x03 | No guest | 26 September 2005 | N/a | |
| 2x04 | Rob Brydon (in character as Keith Barret) | 3 October 2005 | N/a | |
| 2x05 | Marcus Brigstocke and Rich Hall | 10 October 2005 | N/a | |
| 2x06 | Julian Clary | 17 October 2005 | N/a |
Series 3 (2007)
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3x01 | Jack Dee | Jason Manford and Russell Howard | 12 November 2007 | N/a |
| 3x02 | Jimmy Carr | Alan Carr | 19 November 2007 | N/a |
| 3x03 | Jo Brand | Michael McIntyre | 26 November 2007 | N/a |
| 3x04 | Lee Mack | Sean Lock | 3 December 2007 | N/a |
| 3x05 | Joan Rivers | Patrick Kielty | 10 December 2007 | N/a |
| 3x06 | Dara Ó Briain | Stephen K. Amos and Frankie Boyle | 17 December 2007 | N/a |
Series 4 (2008–2009)
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4x01 | Michael McIntyre | Rich Hall and Rhod Gilbert | 28 November 2008 | N/a |
| 4x02 | Al Murray (in character as The Pub Landlord) | Shappi Khorsandi and Russell Kane | 5 December 2008 | N/a |
| 4x03 | Sean Lock | Jason Manford | 12 December 2008 | N/a |
| 4x04 | Dara Ó Briain | Frankie Boyle | 19 December 2008 | N/a |
| 4x05 | Lenny Henry | Andy Parsons and Ed Byrne | 9 January 2009 | N/a |
| 4x06 | Russell Howard | Jo Brand | 17 January 2009 | N/a |
Series 5 (2009–2010)
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5x01 | Jason Manford | Michael McIntyre | 4 December 2009 | 4.20 |
| 5x02 | Rob Brydon | Sarah Millican and Jason Byrne | 11 December 2009 | 4.82 |
| 5x03 | Al Murray (in character as The Pub Landlord) | Chris Addison and Tim Vine | 18 December 2009 | 4.66 |
| 5x04 | Rhod Gilbert | John Bishop | 19 December 2009 | 6.29 |
| 5x05 | Ed Byrne | Adam Hills and Gina Yashere | 24 December 2009 | 4.07[7] |
| 5x06 | Alistair McGowan | Kevin Bridges and Reginald D. Hunter | 1 January 2010 | 3.77[8] |
Series 6 (2010–2011)
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6x01 | Sean Lock | John Bishop | 25 November 2010 | 3.81[9] |
| 6x02 | Lee Mack | Rich Hall and Danny Bhoy | 2 December 2010 | 3.86[10] |
| 6x03 | Dara Ó Briain | Greg Davies and Stewart Francis | 9 December 2010 | 4.67 |
| 6x04 | Kevin Bridges | Shappi Khorsandi and Jack Whitehall | 17 December 2010 | 4.89 |
| 6x05 | Stephen K. Amos | Jon Richardson and Micky Flanagan | 28 December 2010 | N/a |
| 6x06 | Lenny Henry | Mike Wilmot and Tommy Tiernan | 1 January 2011 | 4.26[11] |
Series 7 (2011–2012)
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7x01 | Micky Flanagan | Seann Walsh and Jason Byrne | 4 November 2011 | 3.02[12] |
| 7x02 | Sean Lock | Ed Byrne and Lee Nelson | 11 November 2011 | 3.21[13] |
| 7x03 | Alan Carr | Andi Osho and Patrick Kielty | 25 November 2011 | 2.68[14] |
| 7x04 | Andy Parsons | Andrew Lawrence and Milton Jones | 2 December 2011 | 3.22[15] |
| 7x05 | Rich Hall | Mark Watson and Andrew Maxwell | 9 December 2011 | 3.38[16] |
| 7x06 | Sarah Millican | Steve Hughes and Russell Kane | 16 December 2011 | 3.63[17] |
| 7x07 | Jason Manford | Jimeoin and Tom Stade | 14 January 2012 | 3.64[18] |
| 7x08 | Jack Whitehall | Josh Widdicombe and Shappi Khorsandi | 21 January 2012 | 3.02[19] |
Series 8 (2012–2013)
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8x01 | Dara Ó Briain | Nina Conti and Danny Bhoy | 17 November 2012 | 2.42[20] |
| 8x02 | Rhod Gilbert | Kerry Godliman and Jon Richardson | 24 November 2012 | 2.60[21] |
| 8x03 | Kevin Bridges | Phill Jupitus and Sara Pascoe | 1 December 2012 | 2.43[22] |
| 8x04 | Lee Nelson | Stewart Francis and Paul Chowdhry | 14 December 2012 | 2.56[23] |
| 8x05 | Omid Djalili | Julian Clary and Reginald D. Hunter | 21 December 2012 | 3.61[24] |
| 8x06 | Greg Davies | Hal Cruttenden and Simon Evans | 4 January 2013 | 2.76[25] |
Series 9 (2013–2014)
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9x01 | Eddie Izzard | Josh Widdicombe and Trevor Noah | 22 November 2013 | 2.74[26] |
| 9x02 | Jack Dee | Seann Walsh and Milton Jones | 29 November 2013 | 2.58[27] |
| 9x03 | Sean Lock | Romesh Ranganathan and Marcus Brigstocke | 13 December 2013 | 3.16[28] |
| 9x04 | Adam Hills | Andi Osho and Terry Alderton | 20 December 2013 | 2.45[29] |
| 9x05 | Jack Whitehall | Katherine Ryan and Rich Hall | 8 January 2014 | 2.23[30] |
| 9x06 | Nina Conti | Jimeoin and Rob Beckett | 15 January 2014 | 2.15[31] |
Series 10 (2014–2015)
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10x01 | Sarah Millican | Joe Lycett and Russell Kane | 19 November 2014 | N/a |
| 10x02 | Jason Manford | Chris Ramsey and Doc Brown | 26 November 2014 | N/a |
| 10x03 | Frankie Boyle | Simon Evans and Aisling Bea | 10 December 2014 | N/a |
| 10x04 | Jon Richardson | Sara Pascoe and Nathan Caton | 17 December 2014 | N/a |
| 10x05 | Hal Cruttenden | Justin Moorhouse and Tom Stade | 27 December 2014 | 2.48[32] |
| 10x06 | Danny Bhoy | Miles Jupp and Lee Nelson | 2 January 2015 | 1.71 |
Series 11 (2015)
The eleventh series of Live at the Apollo was broadcast on BBC Two for the first time, beginning on 9 November 2015.[33]
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11x01 | Alan Carr | Francesca Martinez and Nish Kumar | 9 November 2015 | 1.07[34] |
| 11x02 | Dara Ó Briain | Zoe Lyons and Paul Chowdhry | 16 November 2015 | N/a |
| 11x03 | Noel Fielding | Dane Baptiste and Al Porter | 23 November 2015 | N/a |
| 11x04 | Romesh Ranganathan | Jason Byrne and Stewart Francis | 30 November 2015 | 1.08 |
| 11x05 | Katherine Ryan | Henning Wehn and James Acaster | 7 December 2015 | N/a |
| 11x06 | Russell Kane | Roisin Conaty and Nick Helm | 14 December 2015 | 1.17[35] |
| 11x07 | Nina Conti | Tanyalee Davis, Hal Cruttenden and Josh Widdicombe | 20 December 2015 | 0.99[36] |
Series 12 (2016)
The twelfth series of Live at the Apollo was broadcast on BBC Two from 8 November 2016.
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12x01 | Sarah Millican | Tom Allen and Arj Barker | 8 November 2016 | 1.13[37] |
| 12x02 | Josh Widdicombe | Celia Pacquola and Nathan Caton | 15 November 2016 | N/a |
| 12x03 | Gina Yashere | Ellie Taylor and Sam Simmons | 22 November 2016 | N/a |
| 12x04 | Adam Hills | Michelle Wolf and Jamali Maddix | 29 November 2016 | 0.75[38] |
| 12x05 | Frankie Boyle | Holly Walsh and Jack Carroll | 6 December 2016 | 1.07[39] |
| 12x06 | Joe Lycett | Ivo Graham and Phil Wang | 13 December 2016 | N/a |
| 12x07 | Romesh Ranganathan | Seann Walsh, Kerry Godliman and Spencer Jones | 20 December 2016 | 1.78 |
Series 13 (2017–2018)
The thirteenth series of Live at the Apollo was broadcast on BBC Two from 30 November 2017.
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13x01 | Sara Pascoe | Gary Delaney and Larry Dean | 30 November 2017 | |
| 13x02 | Nish Kumar | David O'Doherty and Luisa Omielan | 7 December 2017 | |
| 13x03 | Rob Beckett | Jen Brister and Darren Harriott | 14 December 2017 | |
| 13x04 | Katherine Ryan | Marlon Davis, John Robins and Joel Dommett | 29 December 2017 | |
| 13x05 | Henning Wehn | Lucy Porter and Guz Khan | 31 December 2017 | |
| 13x06 | Dane Baptiste | Desiree Burch and Chris McCausland | 4 January 2018 | |
| 13x07 | Ed Byrne | Angela Barnes and Geoff Norcott | 11 January 2018 |
Series 14 (2018)
The fourteenth series of Live at the Apollo was broadcast on BBC Two from 15 November 2018.
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14x01 | Ellie Taylor | Tez Ilyas and Fin Taylor | 15 November 2018 | |
| 14x02 | Dara Ó Briain | Felicity Ward and Mo Gilligan | 22 November 2018 | |
| 14x03 | Gina Yashere | Lost Voice Guy and Ed Gamble | 29 November 2018 | |
| 14x04 | Phil Wang | Brennan Reece and Rachel Parris | 6 December 2018 | |
| 14x05 | Kerry Godliman | Suzi Ruffell and Loyiso Gola | 13 December 2018 | |
| 14x06 | Jamali Maddix | Sindhu Vee and Fern Brady | 20 December 2018 | |
| 14x07 | Sarah Millican | Ahir Shah, Laura Lexx and Gary Delaney | 31 December 2018 |
Series 15 (2019)
The fifteenth series of Live at the Apollo was broadcast on BBC Two from 5 November 2019.
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15x01 | Tom Allen | Rosie Jones and Kae Kurd | 5 November 2019 | |
| 15x02 | Sindhu Vee | Alex Edelman and Lou Sanders | 12 November 2019 | |
| 15x03 | Guz Khan | Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Rhys James | 19 November 2019 | |
| 15x04 | Darren Harriott | Jessica Fostekew and Stephen Bailey | 26 November 2019 | |
| 15x05 | Ardal O'Hanlon | Mawaan Rizwan and Sara Barron | 3 December 2019 | |
| 15x06 | Desiree Burch | Paul McCaffrey and Jonny Pelham | 10 December 2019 | |
| 15x07 | Sara Pascoe | Chris McCausland and Flo and Joan | 17 December 2019 |
Series 16 (2021)
The sixteenth series of Live at the Apollo was broadcast on BBC Two from 10 November 2021. This show wasn't filmed the previous year (2020) due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16x01 | Chris McCausland | Sophie Duker and Emmanuel Sonubi | 10 November 2021 | |
| 16x02 | Loyiso Gola | Scott Bennett and Helen Bauer | 18 November 2021 | |
| 16x03 | Zoe Lyons | Ria Lina and Tom Ward | 24 November 2021 | |
| 16x04 | Larry Dean | Harriet Kemsley and Slim | 1 December 2021 | |
| 16x05 | Angela Barnes | Sarah Keyworth and Tim Renkow | 8 December 2021 | |
| 16x06 | Jen Brister | Adam Rowe and Esther Manito | 15 December 2021 | |
| 16x07 | Jason Manford | Maisie Adam and Nabil Abdulrashid | 22 December 2021 | |
Series 17 (2022–23)
The seventeenth series of Live at the Apollo was broadcast on BBC Two from 19 December 2022.
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17x01 | Rosie Jones | Eshaan Akbar and Cally Beaton | 19 December 2022 | |
| 17x02 | Ed Gamble | Tom Davis and Judi Love | 6 January 2023 | |
| 17x03 | Kae Kurd | Laura Smyth and Liam Farrelly | 13 January 2023 | |
| 17x04 | Kiri Pritchard-McLean | Catherine Bohart and Babatunde Aléshé | 20 January 2023 | |
| 17x05 | Geoff Norcott | Michelle de Swarte and Sean McLoughlin | 27 January 2023 | |
| 17x06 | Suzi Ruffell | Alfie Brown and Sikisa | 3 February 2023 | |
| 17x07 | Tez Ilyas | Spring Day and Ignacio Lopez | 10 February 2023 | |
Series 18 (2023)
The eighteenth series of Live at the Apollo was broadcast on BBC Two from 7 November 2023.
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18x01 | Nabil Abdulrashid | Jake Lambert and Rachel Fairburn | 7 November 2023 | |
| 18x02 | Ria Lina | Lucy Beaumont and Josh Pugh | 14 November 2023 | |
| 18x03 | Lou Sanders | Celya AB and Neil Delamere | 21 November 2023 | |
| 18x04 | Maisie Adam | Michael Odewale and Susie McCabe | 28 November 2023 | |
| 18x05 | Emmanuel Sonubi | Troy Hawke and Olga Koch | 5 December 2023 | |
| 18x06 | Stephen Bailey | Lara Ricote and Glenn Moore | 12 December 2023 | |
| 18x07 | Tom Allen | Thanyia Moore and Lloyd Griffith | 18 December 2023 | |
Series 19 (2024–25)
The nineteenth series of Live at the Apollo was broadcast on BBC Two from 19 December 2024.
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19x01 | Judi Love | John Kearns and Dan Tiernan | 19 December 2024 | |
| 19x02 | Joel Dommett | Jamie MacDonald and Fatiha El-Ghorri | 31 December 2024 | |
| 19x03 | Paul Chowdhry | Ania Magliano and Ian Smith | 7 January 2025 | |
| 19x04 | Sara Pascoe | Amy Gledhill and Eddie Kadi | 14 January 2025 | |
| 19x05 | Babatúndé Aléshé | Chloe Petts and Lindsey Santoro | 21 January 2025 | |
| 19x06 | Iain Stirling | Harriet Dyer and Maria Shehata | 28 January 2025 | |
| 19x07 | Tim Renkow | Janine Harouni and Stuart Goldsmith | 4 February 2025 |
Series 20 (2025–26)
The twentieth series of Live at the Apollo was broadcast on BBC Two from 23 December 2025.
| No. | Host | Comedian(s) | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20x01 | Josh Widdicombe | Andrew Mensah and Harriet Kemsley | 23 December 2025 | |
| 20x02 | Mo Gilligan | Laura Smyth and Josh Pugh | 30 December 2025 | |
| 20x03 | Dara Ó Briain | Jack Skipper and Felicity Ward | 6 January 2026 | |
| 20x04 | Desiree Burch | Suzi Ruffell and Finlay Christie | 13 January 2026 | |
| 20x05 | Ivo Graham | Catherine Bohart and Nabil Abdulrashid | 20 January 2026 | |
| 20x06 | Tom Davis | Kae Kurd and Louise Young | 27 January 2026 | |
| 20x07 | Kiri Pritchard-McLean | Eshaan Akbar and Angela Barnes | 3 February 2026 |
Specials
Assorted special episodes have been broadcast by the BBC.
| No. | Title | First broadcast | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sx01 | All Girls (part 1) | 2 June 2018 | |
| Sx02 | All Girls (part 2) | 16 June 2018 | |
| Sx03 | Pride (part 1) | 25 June 2019 | |
| Sx04 | Pride (part 2) | 26 August 2019 | |
| Sx05 | The One About… Relationships | 20 August 2020 | |
| Sx06 | The One About… Sex | 27 August 2020 | |
| Sx07 | The One About… Kids | 3 September 2020 | |
| Sx08 | The One About… Transport | 10 September 2020 | |
| Sx09 | The One About… Shopping | 17 September 2020 | |
| Sx10 | The One About… Celebrity | 24 September 2020 | |
| Sx11 | Access All Areas | 18 November 2020 | |
| Sx12 | Secrets of the Apollo | 28 December 2020 |
Guest appearances
The following have appeared as a guest on the show multiple times up to and including the broadcast episodes of series 15:
Most appearances in total14 appearances 8 appearances 6 appearances 5 appearances 4 appearances |
Hosts14 appearances as host
7 appearances as host 4 appearances as host |
