[Review]
Last One Laughing – Here’s Why You Need to Binge It
If you haven’t yet experienced the sheer, palm-sweating agony of watching professional comedians try and fail to keep a straight face, this is your sign to start.
All episodes of LOL: Last One Laughing UK are available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, with Series 1 and Series 2 both ready for a binge-watch. Better still, a third series has already been confirmed, so this isn’t one of those shows you discover just as the fun stops.
The setup is beautifully simple. Ten comedians are shut in a room for six hours. If they laugh, they get a warning. If they laugh again, they’re out. The last person standing wins £50,000 for their chosen charity.
Hosted by Jimmy Carr, who gets to enjoy the meltdown from a safe distance, it’s one of the smartest silly shows on TV. The idea is basic. The execution is chaos.
Looking Back at Series 1
The first run arrived in 2025 and quickly found its audience on Prime Video. The Series 1 contestants were:
- Bob Mortimer
- Daisy May Cooper
- Joe Lycett
- Judi Love
- Rob Beckett
- Sara Pascoe
- Lou Sanders
- Joe Wilkinson
- Harriet Kemsley
- Richard Ayoade
Keeping this spoiler-light, there are a couple of moments that are already part of the show’s legend. Joe Wilkinson’s bizarre RNLI speech is exactly the sort of deadpan nonsense this format thrives on, while Bob Mortimer’s props bring a level of disorder that somehow feels both planned and completely reckless.
Reviewers were quick to latch onto that tone early. The Series 1 premiere, “Shake Your Tush,” was widely praised, with critics calling the opening episode funny, daft and immediately addictive. Fair enough, really.
Series 2 Brings a Fresh Batch of Chaos
Series 2 has just wrapped, and the recent finale gave viewers a fitting winner in David Mitchell, whose tightly wound, barely-holding-it-together style turned out to be perfect for the format.
The Series 2 contestants were:
- David Mitchell
- Sam Campbell
- Bob Mortimer
- Diane Morgan
- Romesh Ranganathan
- Amy Gledhill
- Maisie Adam
- Mel Giedroyc
- Alan Carr
- Gbemisola Ikumelo
The joy of the second run is watching completely different comedy styles bounce off each other. David Mitchell brings that tightly wound exasperation. Sam Campbell turns up with the energy of someone who has wandered in from another planet. Alan Carr and Mel Giedroyc feel built for the room. Diane Morgan, meanwhile, has the rare gift of being funny while barely seeming to do anything at all.
That mix is what keeps the format working. Nobody needs a big set-piece every minute. Sometimes the funniest bit is just watching one comic realise the room is about to go off the rails.
The Diane Morgan Factor
Diane Morgan deserves her own mention because she understands one of the key rules of LOL: you do not always need to go big to be devastating. A blank stare, a strange question and the right timing can be more dangerous than any costume box.
That’s part of what makes the show so watchable. It’s not just about punchlines. It’s about pressure, eye contact, timing and the slow collapse of professional composure.
Why It Works (and Why It’s So Stressful)
You might think watching people not laugh sounds boring. It’s actually the opposite. Because the comedians can’t laugh, they have to channel that energy into being even more ridiculous. They bring props, they wear costumes, and they perform “bits” that would never work on a traditional stand-up stage because they are too weird or too long.
As a viewer, you end up in a “sympathy laugh” loop. You’re laughing at them, then you’re laughing because they’re trying not to laugh, and then you’re stressed because you want your favourite to win. It triggers that primal, stupidly uncontrollable laughter we all remember from being kids.
What’s Next
If you make it through both existing runs in one weekend, there is more to come. Series 3 is officially on the way, although the cast has not been announced yet.
That alone makes the show an easy recommendation. You can catch up now on Prime Video, get the full run of Series 1 and Series 2, and know there is another chapter coming.
Should You Watch It?
Absolutely. Whether you follow the UK comedy circuit closely or you just want something sharp and reliably funny on a rainy night in Macclesfield, this is an easy recommendation.
It’s quick, silly and surprisingly tense. More importantly, it understands something a lot of modern entertainment forgets: watching funny people mess with each other in a room is still hard to beat.
Just be warned: once Bob Mortimer starts reaching for the props box, your own chances of keeping a straight face are basically gone.
You can watch Series 1 and Series 2 now, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
Sources:
- Amazon About UK: “Watch the trailer for ‘Last One Laughing UK’ now streaming on Prime Video”
- Amazon MGM Studios Press: “Brand-new comedy line-up revealed for second series of Prime Video’s LOL: Last One Laughing UK”
- Prime Video: “LOL: Last One Laughing UK” Series 1 page
- Prime Video: “LOL: Last One Laughing UK” Series 2 page
- The Guardian: “Last One Laughing UK review – the funniest TV show of the year”
- Radio Times: “Last One Laughing UK cast: Which comedians feature in season 2?”
- British Comedy Guide: “Last One Laughing UK participants revealed”
