Like Paul Smith? 4 UK comedians to see live next

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It always starts the same way. Someone sends me a Paul Smith clip, I watch it on the loo, and forty minutes later I'm still there, legs gone dead, watching him find out far too much about some lad in the front row: his job, his mum, his ex, the lot. I've done this more times than I'd like to admit. At some point I realised I'd spent more hours watching Paul do crowd work than I'd spent in actual comedy clubs that year, which is a bit bleak.

So I went looking for who to see next. Not "comedians with a similar vibe", which is how every algorithm answers the question, but people who'd give me a night out that feels like the clips do. I ended up with four: Dan Nightingale, Adam Rowe, Jamie Hutchinson and Troy Hawke. All UK, all with UK dates coming up, all linked below. We checked every date and booking page on 21 September 2026, so if you're reading this much later, click through before you get your hopes up.

First, who actually is Paul Smith?

If a mate has just sent you a clip and you've got no idea who this bloke is: Paul Smith is a Liverpool comedian and the resident compere at Hot Water Comedy Club in Blackstock Market. The compere is the host. He opens the night, comes back on between acts and spends most of his time talking to the audience. That's where all the clips come from.

You won't have seen him on a panel show, and that's on purpose. He built his audience online, through Hot Water's YouTube channel, the club's TikTok and his own TikTok. When he went on The Comedian's Comedian podcast, he was introduced as "almost certainly the comedian with the most online content in the world", with more than 1,000 clips uploaded from Hot Water. He also talks there about why he's kept away from telly, and it's worth a listen.

What gets me about him is how simple it looks. He asks the most boring question going (what do you do, who are you here with) and then just keeps pulling at it until the answer is the funniest thing anyone in the room has heard all year. He's fast, obviously. But he's also nice about it. The front row is in on the joke, and he's as happy to be the joke as he is to make one. That's the bit most people who try to copy him miss.

Can I just go and see Paul?

You can, but he's not doing little rooms any more. His new show, Happy, is the biggest tour he's ever done. There are arena nights at Manchester AO Arena on 21 and 22 October and London's OVO Arena Wembley on 26 and 27 November, plus a load of theatres. Hot Water says the show runs about two hours 15 minutes.

If you want the thing from the clips, go to his home club. Hot Water has Happy dates in Liverpool on 9 and 15 October and 4 and 12 November. Every Happy date is on the Hot Water tour page. Southampton on 19 November had gone to a waiting list when we looked.

If you want the long version before you spend any money, Joker is his 2023 special, filmed in Amsterdam. Hot Water put the whole thing up for free.

So why bother with anyone else?

Because sitting in row ZZ of an arena is not the same night as the room in the clips, and I wanted that room. And because Paul isn't doing anything magic. When I broke down what I actually love about him, it came to four things: crowd work that turns into a proper conversation, that blunt Northern club energy, stories that go wrong in exactly the right way, and the fun of watching a total stranger react. Each of the four below is best at one of those, and most of them are playing rooms small enough that you might end up being the stranger.

The short version, if you just want dates

• Paul Smith: Happy — Liverpool, 9 October 2026: the man himself, at home at Hot Water. See Happy dates and tickets.
• Dan Nightingale & Friends — Leeds, 25 October 2026: crowd work, new stuff and two guests. Book at The Glee Club.
• Adam Rowe: Fashionism — Bristol, 9 October 2026: a full solo hour at Bristol Beacon. Choose seats at the venue.
• Jamie Hutchinson: Can My Mate Come? He's Sound — Cardiff, 12 October 2026: his new stand-up show at The Glee Club. Book Cardiff tickets.
• Troy Hawke: Never Stop, Never Change! — York, 24 October 2026: his new stage show at York Barbican. Book through the venue.

Dan Nightingale: the one I'd send you to first

If you're a Paul Smith fan and you only book one of these, make it Dan. He's got the same thing Paul has: he's quick, but he's relaxed with it. He'll follow someone's answer somewhere completely stupid, then get himself back into his set without the whole night turning into a string of clips.

He's from Preston. If you know the name but can't place it, it's probably from podcasts. He does Have A Word with Adam Rowe, who's next on this list. His official site has his socials and tour news.

The reason I'd pick Dan Nightingale & Friends specifically is that crowd work is literally in the format. The Glee ClubThe Glee ClubA UK live-comedy and music venue group with direct booking pages for its Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Nottingham shows.Buying guide · View store → says on its show page that the first half is Dan doing crowd work plus his new set, then two guest comics do the second half. For anyone who arrived here via Paul's clips, that's about as close a match as you'll get.

If you want to see him do a longer run first, Smasher is his 2022 special on the Have A Word channel. It's an older show, so don't expect the same material in Leeds.

Leeds, Sunday 25 October 2026, The Glee Club. Rob Mulholland and Mark Nelson are on with him. Doors are at 6.45pm, last entry is 7.15pm, and it's 16+. Book Dan Nightingale & Friends in Leeds. Wheelchair tickets were showing as sold out when we checked, so ring the venue if you need access seating. They may be able to sort something.

He's also doing Glee nights in Birmingham on 22 November and Cardiff on 29 November, with Phil Nichol and Eshaan Akbar. Nottingham on 4 October has already sold out at Gigantic, which is why I've gone with Leeds.

Adam Rowe: for a proper night out

If Have A Word is already on your phone, you've basically got a head start on Adam. He's got Paul's directness, but you're not booking Fashionism for crowd work. You're booking it for a full hour of Adam: personal stories, very strong opinions, and him arguing his way through them.

The premise of the new show is him trying to see things from other people's point of view, including people he can't stand. I like that. It's a better reason to go than "he's also got a Liverpool accent", which is honestly how a lot of these lists pick people. Go for this one when you want to sit down and watch one person carry a whole show.

Juicy, his 2023 special, is the best way to get a feel for how he writes and how he delivers it. Fashionism is a new show, though.

Bristol, Friday 9 October 2026, Bristol Beacon. Doors at 7pm, starts at 7.30pm, reserved seating, 16+. Choose seats for Adam Rowe at Bristol Beacon.

His tour calendar also has Cardiff, Newcastle, Glasgow, Sheffield, Liverpool, York, Manchester, Birmingham and Nottingham. Hackney Empire on 10 October and Liverpool on 13 November are both sold out, so if you're in London or Liverpool, you'll need to travel or pick another date.

Jamie Hutchinson: for when you want it messier

Jamie is who I'd point you at if the bit of the Hot Water world you like is the less polished, slightly unhinged side. His stories are mostly about personal disasters and decisions nobody should have made. Half the fun is working out how he ended up there, and the other half is realising it's about to get worse. Hot Water's profile calls it "dark humour, sharp improvisation and chaotic storytelling", which is about right. He's also a former XS Manchester Comedian of the Year.

One thing to know if you found him through Hot Water's Green Room: Can My Mate Come? He's Sound is a stand-up show. It's Jamie on his own, not the podcast with Tony Carroll. If the podcast is what you're after, Hot Water has live Green Room recordings with the two of them from October to December.

This set is from 2017, when Hot Water first put him online. It's old, so treat it as a taste of what he's like rather than a trailer for the tour.

Cardiff, Monday 12 October 2026, The Glee Club. Simon Wozniak is on the bill too. Doors at 6.45pm, last entry 7.15pm, 18+. Book Jamie Hutchinson in Cardiff.

Grimsby on 7 October had no standard tickets left on See Tickets when we looked, so Cardiff is the one I've linked. If you're hunting other dates through them, our See Tickets pageSee Tickets UKSee Tickets sells tickets for live music, comedy, festivals and other events. Use this guide to check booking details and follow relevant events featured in Vouchernaut articles.Buying guide · View store → explains how their listings and fees work.

Troy Hawke: the same thrill, a completely different route

You've probably seen the Greeters Guild clips: Troy standing outside a shop, being unbearably polite to people who just wanted to get their shopping and go home. He's on this list because he does the thing I love most about Paul: a stranger says something, and that becomes the next joke. It's just that Paul goes straight in, and Troy's over-the-top manners send the conversation off somewhere nobody saw coming.

Never Stop, Never Change! puts that character on stage. It's the one to go for if you love the interactions but fancy something that doesn't feel like club banter. His earlier special below shows the character can carry a whole show, not just a 40-second clip.

York, Saturday 24 October 2026, York Barbican, 7.30pm. It's 14+, so you can bring a teenager who's already watched all the clips. Book Troy Hawke through York Barbican.

Live Nation UKLive Nation UKThe UK arm of the international concert and comedy promoter, linking announced tours to authorised ticket routes.Buying guide · View store → has the rest of the tour: Salford on 18 October, Sheffield on 20 November, Newcastle on 21 November, and more dates in 2027. Leeds on 2 October is sold out.

Going to Bristol? Just stay the night

Adam Rowe's Bristol show is on a Friday, 9 October. If you're coming from any distance, I'd stay over. Once you've had a pint or two and the show's run late, trying to get the last train home is miserable. Book the tickets first, then compare a room for the 9th against what it'd cost you to get home that night.

There's a TravelodgeTravelodgeA UK budget hotel chain with direct property booking pages and room-rate conditions that vary by date and rate type.Buying guide · View store → and a Holiday InnHoliday InnIHG's full-service hotel brand, with direct property pages and rate-specific cancellation conditions.Buying guide · View store → in the comparison, and both links go straight to the hotel. When you compare them, compare the same thing: same number of people, breakfast or no breakfast, and what happens if you need to cancel. If you're planning a night out in another city, our UK club-season guide has more hotels near specific venues.

Right, so which would I actually book?

If you've never seen Paul live, do that first. A Happy night at Hot Water is his home room and the closest you'll get to the clips. Then go further out. Dan Nightingale & Friends is the one most like Paul, because crowd work is built into the night. Adam Rowe is for when you want one person to carry a full hour. Jamie Hutchinson is for messy stories, and Troy Hawke is for someone doing the stranger thing a totally different way.

Before you pay, check the total with fees and look at the seating and access options for your date. If you're buying tickets as a present, our Christmas guide has more ideas. Just make sure they're actually free on the night before you book for them.

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