Comedy is not treated equally and could be overlooked for arts bailout, campaigners warn

Comedy is not considered “equal to other art forms” by Arts Council England, performers have claimed as they fear being excluded from a government bailout package.

Arts Council England (ACE) has not traditionally offered financial support to stand-up comedy in the same way it has backed theatre, music, or dance, and campaigners fear it will be overlooked for the £1.57 billion of Covid-19 support announced by culture minister Oliver Dowden.

The Live Comedy Association (LCA) was founded to lobby for government funding during the Covid-19, and its campaign pleading for government support has been backed by acts including Tim Vine and Romesh Ranganathan.

When financial support for the virus-ravaged sector was announced on July 5, live comedy was not mentioned among the arts earmarked for aid, and LCA chairwoman Brid Kirby believes the pattern of funding bodies ignoring the art form could continue when the rescue package is distributed.

It is understood that despite pressure to include comedy from thousands of campaigners, ACE will continue to fund the arts it has traditionally supported, while discussions continue over how the £1.57 billion will be shared.

Ms Mirby said:  “Our concern is that Live comedy has a long history of not being viewed as being equal to other art forms by funding bodies across the UK -  the same funding bodies responsible for distributing this week's £1.57 billion support package.”

“Not seeing comedy referenced within the announcement of the rescue package is therefore cause for concern.”

An open letter drafted by the LCA calling for comedy to be induced in the bailout has attracted 28,000 signatures, and endorsement from top UK comedians, but ACE is understood to be sticking to its original funding plans which have not directly backed stand-up in the past.

The Department of Digital Culture Media and Sport has indicated that a final decision has yet been made on how the funds will be allocated, but it is aware of the fears for comedy raised by the LCA.

Spokeswoman said: This week we announced the biggest ever one-off investment in UK culture to help the industry through the coronavirus pandemic.  "This funding will provide targeted support to organisations and venues across a range of sectors and detailed eligibility criteria will be set out in the coming weeks."