Leicester Comedy Festival Organizer Collapses — Venues and Performers Left Unpaid

The Big Difference Company, the charity behind the long-running Leicester Comedy Festival, has been declared insolvent and has ceased trading, leaving venues, performers and suppliers out of pocket and the future of the festival uncertain.

Directors of the organisation announced the collapse on Wednesday, saying rising costs, a difficult funding environment and pressures across the live comedy sector made a sustainable future impossible despite attempts to reduce costs and secure more funding.

The festival has taken place for more than three decades [BBC]

Local Impact: Venues and Performers Hit Hard

Alan Merryweather, who runs the Black Horse pub in Aylestone and the Laughter Loft comedy club, described the news as both saddening and infuriating. He told the BBC the festival typically brought about 5,000 people to his pub each year and that The Big Difference Company now owes his business and the acts who performed there more than £9,000. "I'm angry it's come to this for the simple reason that this could have been resolved by communication," he said.

"People want it, people need it and people are prepared to support it if it gets to a critical stage, as long as people are kept in the loop." — Alan Merryweather

Other venues have reported unpaid sums too. Rachael Johnson, managing director of Live at The Lodge, said her family-run business – which hosted festival shows at Lutterworth Town Hall and the Wycliffe Rooms – is owed £615 and first learned of the collapse through media reports rather than direct contact from the company.

Leicester Comedy Festival helped bring 5,000 people to The Black Horse [BBC]

Timeline And Wider Consequences

The organisation submitted a serious incident report to the Charity Commission in recent weeks. The financial problems became public in May after hundreds of comedians reported unpaid fees following the 2026 festival. The Big Difference Company began as a student project at De Montfort University in 1994, registered as a company in 1995 and rebranded in 2009; the festival has run for more than three decades and showcased names such as Harry Hill, Matt Lucas, Graham Norton and Sarah Millican.

Responses And Next Steps

Leicester City Council and the city’s mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, have pledged to work with promoters and venues to ensure an interim festival programme can take place in 2027 and to identify a successor organisation to sustain the event long term. The council said venues outside the city boundary could still be involved in any interim arrangements.

Leicester City Council has said it wants to "ensure the festival goes ahead next year" [Getty Images]

The Live Comedy Association has launched a crowdfunding appeal with an initial target of £30,000 to help individuals, promoters, venues and staff affected by unpaid fees. The association’s director, Jessica Toomey, called the collapse "dreadful" for many members of the grassroots live comedy sector.

Statement From The Directors

In their public statement the directors said they had explored a range of options — including cost reductions, operational changes and seeking additional funding — but ultimately could not secure a viable financial future. They said their immediate focus is meeting legal obligations and engaging with stakeholders during insolvency proceedings, while also expressing a commitment to working with community partners to find a sustainable path for the festival’s future.

Leicester's mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said the festival had "become an important part of Leicester's calendar" [BBC]

What This Means: The collapse highlights ongoing financial fragility in live events and the cultural sector, the need for transparent communication from organisers to suppliers and performers, and the practical consequences for small venues and gig-economy performers who rely on festival income.

Additional reporting credited to Dan Martin and Giles Taylor.