Fighting cancer with comedy? Teenage Cancer Trust’s comic night is back

The Royal Albert Hall is no stranger to iconic performances, but few events matter as much as Teenage Cancer Trust’s annual comedy night. Last night’s lineup — featuring comedy big dogs like Romesh Ranganathan and Katherine Ryan — wasn’t just an evening of laughter — it was about using humour as a weapon against one of life’s toughest battles. No one, perhaps, embodied that spirit more than Aiden Cowie, who the Teenage Cancer Trust supported during his own treatment, and who headed up that theme with a set that was funny and moving in equal measure. If comedy is about finding light in the dark, Cowie’s quips about losing an eye (and the resulting jumpscares that ensue amongst the general public) hit the mark. 

Before Cowie, though, the night kicked off with “working-class boy done good”, Micky Flanagan, who brought his characteristic East End charm. “I could just do this all night,” he said — and, honestly, no one would’ve complained if he had. His set was characterised by witty one-liners, cheeky humour and a few moments that got kind of weird (one particular joke involving Robert De Niro and “jizz” springs to mind). Flanagan was then followed up by Scott Bennett, who fittingly supported the former on tour back in 2023, and whose shtick centred around the absurdities of family life. His mum’s classic line, “Remember, son, no one’s there to see you”, became a running joke throughout the night (maybe a ‘had to be there’ moment?) Another of his gags compared his son’s post-stretcher earlobe to a vessel capable of holding pasta — at least that’s pretty visual.

Then, Jack Skipper, carpet fitter turned internet sensation, came on in a way that suggested he still can’t quite believe he’s a professional comic. He joked about being “the fourteenth best carpet fitter in Croydon”, before diving into stories about dodgy trade work, hungover parenting and questionable club attire. Zoe Lyons, on the other hand, centred her set around an ongoing midlife crisis — namely a newfound obsession with drawstring trousers, a sports car purchase and a colonoscopy (we’re not sure if that’s characteristic of age or just having messed up bowels, though). Continuing on the car theme, Josh Widdicombe took over in his usual exasperated way to recount a tale about cloned number plates. Maybe another example of how life’s most frustrating moments can be the funniest?

After Cowie’s set, he handed the mic over to Finlay Christie. The youngest act on the bill, Christie tackled generational divides and joked about how people always mistake him for a Finnish backpacker (honestly, really accurate). Unlike a Finnish backpacker, though, Katherine Ryan followed up adorned in sparkles and effortlessly slammed the entire male population. She threw a playful jab at her husband’s golf obsession before declaring her next home upgrade — a ‘Live, Laugh, Settle’ sign for her kitchen. It was Romesh Ranganathan, though, who closed out the night. “Long fucking night,” he muttered, surveying the stage before launching into a routine that was simultaneously grumpy and brilliant. He casually mentioned running the London Marathon for Teenage Cancer Trust, pointing out that others only gave up twelve minutes of their time, while he had “skin in the game”. There were plenty of ‘your mum’ jokes, too.

So, while each comedian may have only had twelve minutes, by the end of the night, the Royal Albert Hall had swapped its usual grandeur for intimacy and post-belly laugh lightness. The deeper message surrounding Teenage Cancer Trust’s work wasn’t lost, though. Their annual comedy night highlighted the genuine impact of nights like these — a packed house, a standing ovation, maybe even enough laughter to keep us going until next year? That’s how you do comedy with purpose.