Looking for the best free comedies to stream online? BBC iPlayer is a good start. There are several of my all time favourite and some newer comedies released in the last five years. I’ve gathered all of the comedy movies that I’ve watched and can recommend, including the synopsis, my take and trailers so you can decide for yourself if it’s the right comedy for you.
I’ve ranked the comedies in order of how much I laughed, but the star ratings are based on the WYALAN rating for the movie as a whole and if I would rewatch it.
WYALAN star rating explained:
- 5 stars – Highly enjoyed and would highly recommend as a must watch
- 4 stars – Enjoyed and would watch again in the future
- 3 stars – Glad I watched it once, but I’ll probably never watch it again
- 2 stars – Watched to the end, but I wouldn’t watch it again
- 1 star – DNF (did not finish)
Click the three dots on the left hand side to open the table of contents and quickly jump to a series or movie you haven’t seen.
You might be interested in my other best comedy lists:
- Best Comedies On Apple TV+
- Best Comedy Series on Netflix
- Best Comedies on Amazon Prime
- Best Comedies on Disney+
Table of contents
The Mighty Boosh
Created by: Julian Barratt (Nathan Barley, Flowers) and Noel Fielding (The IT Crowd, Luxury Comedy).
Stars: Julian Barratt (Mindhorn, The Great), Noel Fielding (The IT Crowd, Never Mind the Buzzcocks), Michael Fielding (Luxury Comedy, The Mighty Boosh Live), Rich Fulcher (Snuff Box, Drunk History), and Dave Brown (The Mighty Boosh Live, Luxury Comedy).
WYALAN Rating: 5/5
The Mighty Boosh is a surreal British comedy series that aired on BBC Three from 2004 to 2007, spanning three seasons and 20 episodes. The show follows the eccentric adventures of Howard Moon (Julian Barratt) and Vince Noir (Noel Fielding), two aspiring musicians with contrasting personalities. Howard is serious and intellectual, while Vince is flamboyant and carefree. Together, they navigate bizarre and fantastical scenarios in a universe filled with peculiar characters and absurd humor.
The first season is set in the “Zooniverse,” a quirky zoo run by the eccentric Bob Fossil (Rich Fulcher). Howard and Vince work as zookeepers alongside Naboo the Enigma (Michael Fielding), a mystical shaman, and Bollo (Dave Brown), a talking gorilla. The second season shifts to their flat, where they form a band and encounter surreal challenges. The third season takes place in Nabootique, a secondhand shop owned by Naboo, where Howard and Vince continue their escapades.
The Mighty Boosh received critical acclaim and developed a devoted cult following. It was nominated for several awards, including BAFTA TV Awards for Best New Director (Fiction) and Best Editing – Fiction/Entertainment. The show also won a Royal Television Society Craft & Design Award for Best Costume Design in 2003.
Tim’s Take: The Mighty Boosh remains pretty unique despite being released 20 years ago. The universe they operate is unlike anything you’ll have probably seen. It might be too weird for you, but definitely worth watching to find out. Even if it’s all a little too surreal for you, you’ll be able to appreciate the creativity.
Extras
Created by: Ricky Gervais (The Office), Stephen Merchant (Hello Ladies)
Stars: Ricky Gervais (The Office, After Life), Ashley Jensen (Ugly Betty), Stephen Merchant (Logan, Jojo Rabbit)
WYALAN Rating: 5/5
Extras follows Andy Millman, a frustrated actor who has given up on serious roles and instead works as a background extra in films and television. Each episode features a high-profile celebrity—playing a fictionalised, often grotesquely exaggerated version of themselves—who crosses Andy’s path. As Andy chases fame and attempts to sell a script that would give him creative control, he faces constant humiliations, ethical dilemmas, and his own ego. Andy’s agent (Merchant) and his best friend Maggie (Jensen) add layers of awkwardness and heart.
Extras won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Gervais), two BAFTA Awards including Best Comedy Performance.
Tim’s Take: Maybe a controversial opinion, but I think Extras is funnier than The Office. I think it’s because of the exaggerated celebrity cameos like Sir Patrick Stewart, Daniel Radliffe, David Bowie and Kate Winslet. Also the world of acting lends itself to humour situations vs an office.
Colin from Accounts
Created by: Patrick Brammall (No Activity), Harriet Dyer (The Invisible Man)
Stars: Patrick Brammall (Glitch, Upper Middle Bogan), Harriet Dyer (The InBetween, Love Child)
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5
Colin from Accounts is a refreshingly offbeat romantic comedy about two flawed but endearing people who are thrown together by a car accident involving a stray dog. Ashley, a medical student, and Gordon, a brewery owner, meet when she jokingly flashes him while crossing the street, causing him to accidentally hit the dog. They end up co-parenting the injured animal—whom they name Colin—and gradually become entangled in each other’s messy lives.
The series earned multiple nominations at the AACTA Awards, including Best Comedy Series and Best Actor/Actress.
Tim’s Take: Maybe one of the least renown comedy series on this list, but it deserves so much more recognition. Brammall and Dyer (who are a real-life couple) are excellent as a rom com duo, poking fun at each other at every opportunity. There are a ton of awkward situations that made me laugh out loud and cringe.
What We Do in the Shadows
Created by: Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords), based on the film by Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) and Jemaine Clement
Stars: Kayvan Novak (Fonejacker), Matt Berry (Toast of London), Natasia Demetriou (Stath Lets Flats), Harvey Guillén (Reacher)
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5
What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary comedy series that follows the daily lives of four vampire roommates—Nandor, Laszlo, Nadja, and energy vampire Colin Robinson—living in Staten Island. Despite being centuries old and powerful, they’re hilariously out of touch with the modern world. From attending local council meetings to throwing blood-soaked house parties, their attempts at dominance usually end in petty squabbles and slapstick failure.
The show has received critical acclaim and multiple Emmy nominations, including for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Tim’s Take: I loved the film and love this TV spin off just as much. It offers different qualities vs the film with an outstanding comedy cast. The TV series also allows the characters to grow whilst developing the strange vampire world. While the TV series has slowly begun to wane with every season, it’s still very much worth watching.
Search Party
Created by: Sarah-Violet Bliss (Fort Tilden), Charles Rogers (Fort Tilden), Michael Showalter (Wet Hot American Summer)
Stars: Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), John Early (The Afterparty), Meredith Hagner (Palm Springs), John Reynolds (Stranger Things)
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5
Search Party begins as a darkly comic mystery about Dory, a disillusioned Brooklyn millennial who becomes obsessed with the disappearance of a college acquaintance, Chantal. Dragging her apathetic boyfriend and self-absorbed friends into a half-hearted investigation, Dory’s good intentions quickly spiral into morally murky territory. The show evolves dramatically across five seasons, transitioning from a missing persons case to a murder trial, a media circus, a kidnapping, and finally a dystopian tech satire.
Tim’s Take: Search Party is a little similar to Atlanta in that it gets more farcical with every season. This allows the series to step outside of the typical murder mystery and weave comedic situations. The casting of the four friends is perfect.
The Office
Created by: Ricky Gervais (Extras), Stephen Merchant (Extras)
Stars: Ricky Gervais (After Life), Martin Freeman (Sherlock, The Hobbit), Mackenzie Crook (Detectorists)
WYALAN Rating: 4/5
The Office is a pioneering mockumentary sitcom set in the mundane confines of a paper company in Slough. It follows office manager David Brent, whose desperate need to be loved and admired results in cringe-inducing behaviour that straddles the line between hilarious and tragic.
It won two Golden Globes (Best Comedy Series, Best Actor for Gervais), three BAFTAs, and became a landmark in British television for its authenticity, emotional depth, and minimalist brilliance.
Tim’s Take: Less over the top than the US version, The Office is similar to Seinfeld in that it features banal conversations, but on a higher scale due to the work environment. That description doesn’t scream comedy, but it will make you at the very least cringe and grab the nearest pillow to hide behind.
The Thick of It
Created by: Armando Iannucci (Veep, The Day Today)
Stars: Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who), Chris Addison (In the Loop), Rebecca Front (Nighty Night)
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5
The Thick of It is a fiercely satirical look inside the chaotic world of British politics, focusing on a fictional Department of Social Affairs and the constant blunders, cover-ups, and damage control that plague its ministers and advisors. At the center is Malcolm Tucker, a ruthless and foul-mouthed spin doctor whose primary job is to keep the party’s image intact, often through bullying, manipulation, and a torrent of inventive insults.
It won multiple BAFTAs and British Comedy Awards, and its 2009 spinoff film In the Loop was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Tim’s Take: The Thick of It is what The West Wing would be if it were set in the UK and was a comedy. At the time, the situation seemed a little far-fetched and comedic, but today is all too familiar with the increase of click-bait media and social media capturing every mistake. It’s worth watching for Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker alone.
Fleabag
Created by: Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Killing Eve)
Stars: Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Sian Clifford (Quiz), Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5
Fleabag is a searing, darkly funny portrait of a young woman grappling with grief, guilt, and fractured relationships in contemporary London. The titular character, known only as Fleabag, breaks the fourth wall throughout the series, sharing her raw, self-deprecating inner thoughts directly with the audience.
In Season 1, she’s navigating the recent death of her best friend, a failing business, and casual relationships, while avoiding emotional vulnerability. Season 2 introduces a deeper spiritual conflict as she meets the “Hot Priest,” triggering a crisis of connection and meaning.
The show won 6 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress, and Outstanding Writing, and it also received multiple BAFTAs and Golden Globe nominations.
Ghosts
Created by: Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, Ben Willbond (Horrible Histories)
Stars: Charlotte Ritchie (Feel Good), Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Stath Lets Flats), Jim Howick (Sex Education)
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5
Ghosts is a warm and whimsical sitcom centered on Alison and Mike, a young couple who inherit a crumbling country mansion, Button House. Their dream of converting it into a hotel is complicated when Alison suffers a near-death experience and gains the ability to see its many eccentric ghostly residents.
These spectral housemates, who span centuries—from a pompous Edwardian politician to a caveman and a 1980s scout leader—each bring unique personalities, grievances, and comic quirks. As Alison adjusts to her new supernatural reality, the ghosts must also learn to coexist with the living and each other.
Ghosts has received BAFTA nominations and won the Rose d’Or for Best Comedy.
Tim’s Take: A wonderful plot, Ghosts is an easy and feel good watch. It did a terrific job of developing all ghosts’ stories, making you care about the ensemble.
Cunk on Earth / Cunk on Life
Created by: Charlie Brooker (Black Mirror)
Stars: Diane Morgan (After Life, Motherland)
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5
In Cunk on Earth and its earlier iterations like Cunk on Life, Diane Morgan stars as Philomena Cunk, an utterly clueless yet oddly confident presenter delivering absurd, misinformed takes on history, science, and civilisation. Structured like a traditional BBC documentary, the show parodies factual programming with pitch-perfect sincerity.
Cunk interviews real academics who are often baffled by her surreal questions—such as whether early humans regretted inventing fire or how Beyoncé fits into the Enlightenment. The humor stems from the contrast between Cunk’s deadpan delivery and the increasingly exasperated experts.
The show skewers both documentary conventions and the public’s tendency to absorb oversimplified history.
Cunk on Earth in particular was met with critical acclaim and won the BAFTA for Comedy Entertainment Programme.
Tim’s Take: There are several topics on iPlayer Cunk tackles, but on Earth and Life are good places to start. Behind the absurd questions and opinions of Philomena Cunk is absolute stellar comedic writing from Brooker. I think If you liked Ali G, you’ll like Cunk.
David Mitchell’s Outsiders
Created by: David Mitchell (Peep Show, Would I Lie to You?)
Stars: David Mitchell (Upstart Crow, Peep Show), with rotating comedians including Ed Gamble (Taskmaster), Jessica Knappett (Drifters), and Lou Sanders (QI)
WYALAN Rating: 4/5
David Mitchell’s Outsiders is a comedy panel show with a twist: teams of comedians are taken to a remote campsite and challenged to complete various survival-themed tasks. The idea is to determine whether any of them could plausibly start a new society if civilization collapsed.
Set against the backdrop of the British countryside, the challenges are as absurd as they are loosely practical—ranging from building shelters and hunting (with rubber chickens) to creating flags and writing national anthems. Mitchell presides as judge and observer, offering sardonic commentary and evaluating their progress.
Tim’s Take: Ever wondered what it would be like if Taskmaster was set in the countryside? Probably not. But you should watch David Mitchell’s Outsiders if you like Taskmaster, because that’s exactly what it is. And it’s not a bad copy either, there’s just enough here to keep it separate from Taskmaster (even if many of the guests have appeared on both shows).
Ludwig
Created by: Mark Brotherhood (Father Brown, Mount Pleasant)
Stars: David Mitchell (Peep Show, Upstart Crow), Anna Maxwell Martin (Line of Duty, Motherland), Dipo Ola (We Hunt Together), Izuka Hoyle (Mary Queen of Scots), Ralph Ineson (The Witch)
WYALAN Rating: 4/5
Ludwig is a six-part BBC comedy-drama that follows John Taylor, a reclusive crossword puzzle creator who writes under the pseudonym “Ludwig.” John’s orderly life is disrupted when his identical twin brother, DCI James Taylor, mysteriously disappears. Persuaded by his sister-in-law Lucy, John assumes James’s identity to infiltrate the Cambridge police force and investigate his brother’s disappearance. Despite his social anxiety and lack of investigative experience, John’s analytical mind and puzzle-solving skills prove surprisingly effective in solving complex cases.
It won Best Comedy Programme at the Broadcast Awards 2025 and was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy at the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards.
Tim’s Take: A fun take on the murder mystery, Ludwig is definitely worth watching if you’re a fan of the genre. No wonder Mitchell plays the lead, I can’t see anyone else in this role of a smart yet slightly awkward character trying to keep all the plates spinning. Looking forward to the second season.
Amandaland
Created by: Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe, Bad Sisters), Barunka O’Shaughnessy (Motherland), Helen Serafinowicz (Look Around You), Holly Walsh (The Other One, Motherland)
Stars: Lucy Punch (Motherland, Bad Teacher), Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous, The New Avengers)
WYALAN Rating: 3.5/5
Amandaland is a British comedy series centered on Amanda, a glamorous but deluded woman navigating midlife with denial, chaos, and audacity. Set in a fictional English town, the show follows Amanda’s increasingly bizarre attempts to reclaim relevance, success, and admiration, despite being wildly out of touch with modern life.
Lucy Punch brings her signature comedic flair to the title role, portraying Amanda as both maddeningly self-absorbed and oddly sympathetic. Joanna Lumley co-stars as her effortlessly elegant and cuttingly honest mother, providing a sharp generational foil and dry wit that elevates the show’s social satire.
Still Game
Created by: Ford Kiernan (Chewin’ the Fat), Greg Hemphill (Chewin’ the Fat)
Stars: Ford Kiernan (Dear Green Place), Greg Hemphill (Rab C. Nesbitt), Paul Riley (Legit)
WYALAN Rating: 4/5
Still Game follows lifelong friends Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade, two irreverent pensioners living in the fictional Glaswegian district of Craiglang. Together, they navigate the realities of old age with sharp tongues, stubborn pride, and a healthy appetite for mischief.
Tim’s Take: I’ve added a couple of Scottish comedies from my childhood, but I’m not sure if the humour is too Scottish so I’ve added them at the bottom of the list.
Chewin’ the Fat
Created by: Ford Kiernan (Still Game), Greg Hemphill (Still Game)
Stars: Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill, Karen Dunbar (The Karen Dunbar Show), Paul Riley
WYALAN Rating: 4/5
Chewin’ the Fat is a Scottish sketch comedy series featuring recurring characters, absurd one-liners, and regional humour that celebrates—and pokes fun at—Scottish identity. Its fast-paced format and broad range of characters made it a hit with audiences in the late ’90s and early 2000s.
The show’s sketches ranged from crude pub humour to surreal parody, and it introduced many of the characters who would go on to star in Still Game. It became a touchstone for Scottish viewers, filled with catchphrases and skits that have entered the cultural lexicon.
You might be interested in my other best comedy lists: