Top 10 Richest Comedians In the United Kingdom [2024]

The British comedy industry is one of the most profitable sector  of the United Kingdom entertainment industry. It is also known for its consistently peculiar characters, plots, and settings.  The Industry has produced some of the world’s most renowned comedians and personalities. These individuals are not just popular around the globe but have also amassed a huge amount of fortune to their name, thanks to comedy. We have however compiled a list of the top 10 richest comedians in the United Kingdom, including their net worth and little of their history.

1. Rowan Atkinson

Rowan Atkinson is the richest comedian in the United Kingdom, with an estimated net worth of $150 Million. He  first came to prominence in the BBC sketch comedy show Not the Nine O’Clock News (1979–1982), receiving the 1981 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance.

He attained global prominence, for his protayal of  Mr. Bean in the film adaptations Bean (1997) and Mr. Bean’s Holiday In 2007. His other film work includes the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983), Johnny English (2003–2018),  and voicing the red-billed hornbill Zazu in The Lion King (1994), among others.

Atkinson is revered by many, as one of the most funny british comedian ever. He received an Olivier Award for his 1981 West End theatre performance in Rowan Atkinson in Revue. He  was also appointed a CBE in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity.

2. Sacha Baron Chen

Sacha Baron Cohen is an English actor,  producer and one of the richest Comedians in the United Kingdom, with an estimated net worth of $145 MIllion. He is best known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral General Aladeen.

Baron Cohen has produced and/or performed in  numerous comedic films such as Ali G Indahouse (2002), Borat (2006), TBrüno (2009), and The Dictator (2012), among others. He adopts a variety of accents and guises for his characters and interacts with unsuspecting subjects who do not realise they have been set up.

At the 2012 British Comedy Awards, he received the Outstanding Achievement Award and accepted the award in-character as Ali G. In 2013, he received the BAFTA Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy. The Times Magazine named him among the 30 best living comedians in 2018.

3. Ricky Gervais

With an estimated net worth of $140 Million, Ricky Gervais, takes third place among the richest comedians in the United Kingdom. Ricky who doubles as an Actor and Scriptwriter is best known as a co-creator and actor  in the British television sitcoms The Office (2001–2003).

Gervais began his stand-up career in the late 1990s. He has performed five multi-national stand-up comedy tours, and he wrote the Flanimals book series. Following the success of The Office, he has written and acted in numerous other sitcoms such as Extras (2005–2007), and An Idiot Abroad (2010–2012) Derek (2012–2014), and After Life (2019–2022).

Rciky has has won seven BAFTA Awards, five British Comedy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the Rose d’Or twice (2006 and 2019). He was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest performers in British comedy in 2003.

4. Michael McIntyre

Michael McIntyre, with an estimated networth of $80 Million takes the fourth place among the richest comedians in the United Kingdom. He was  was the highest-grossing stand-up comedian in the world in 2012 bringing in around £21m. He is also highest selling artist in the history of the O2 Arena, selling over 400,000 tickets for over 28 shows.

In addition to stand-up comedy, McIntyre has hosted his own BBC One comedy programme Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, has featured in three episodes of Live at the Apollo and, in 2011, was a judge on Britain’s Got Talent. Hecurrently presents his own Saturday night series, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, and the game show, The Wheel, on BBC One.

5. Peter Kay

49-year-old Stand-up Comedian, Peter Kay, with an estimated net worth of $70 joins the list of the richest comedians in the United Kingdom. Although Peter is prominent for his stand up comedy, he has written, produced and acted in several television and film projects.

He began his career, working part-time as a stand-up comedian, whilst studying media performance at the University of Salford. He won the the North West Comedian of the Year award in the same year. In 1997 he won Channel 4’s So You Think You’re Funny contest and was nominated for a Perrier Award the following year.

His 2010–2011 stand-up comedy tour was officially inaugurated into the Guinness World Records as the most successful ever selling over 1.2 million tickets.  In 2016 Kay won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Male Comedy Performance, the BAFTA TV Award for Best Scripted Comedy and the National Television Award for Best Comedy for …Car Share. He also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Salford.

6. Eric Idle

Eric Idle is a former member of the British surreal comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band The Rutles, and one of the richest comedians in the United Kingdom, with an estimated net worth of $70 Million. He is known  for his elaborate wordplay and musical numbers.

Idle is also music writer and performer. He performed many of Python’s songs, including “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” and the “Galaxy Song”.After Monty Python’s Flying Circus, he hosted Saturday Night Live in the US four times in the first five seasons and guest-starred on The Simpsons.

Following the success of the broadway musical Spamalot (which won the Tony Award for Best Musical), he also wrote Not the Messiah, an oratorio derived from the Life of Brian.

7. Stephen Fry

Multi-talented comedian Stephen fry takesd the seventh place among the richest comedians in the United Kingdom, with an estimated net worth of  $40 Million.  He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in a few TV series.

Over the years, stephen has played several characters and made numerous apperance in movies such as Wilde (1997),  Gosford Park (2001) and  Love & Friendship (2016), among others. He hosted the British Academy Film Awards 12 times, from 2001 to 2017.

Fry is also known for his work in theatre. In 1984 he adapted Me and My Girl for the West End where it ran for eight years and received two Laurence Olivier Awards. After it transferred to Broadway he received a Tony Award nomination. He has also written and presented several documentary series, including the Emmy Award-winning Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, which saw him explore his bipolar disorder.

8. Stephen Merchant

Stephen merchant an English actor, presenter, writer and one of the richest comedians in the United Kingdom, with an estimated net worth of $40 Million. He alongside  Ricky Gervais, wrote and direct the British TV comedy series The Office (2001–2003),  Extras (2005–2007) and Life’s Too Short (2011–2013).

Merchant has also performed as a stand-up comedian, which led to him writing and starring in the HBO series Hello Ladies (2013–2014), which was based on his stand-up material. He has starred in numeous play and movies  including the 2017 superhero film Logan.

He has received numerous accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, three BAFTA Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four British Comedy Awards.

9. Jimmy Carr

British irish comedian, Jimmy Carr, takes the ninth place among the richest comedians in the United Kingdom, with an estimated net worth of $35 Million. He is known for his deadpan delivery of controversial one-liners, for which he has been both praised and criticised.

Jimmy carr began his comedy career in 1997, and he has regularly appeared on television as the host of Channel 4 panel shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year. He performs stand-up tours continuously over most of the course of the year, taking only five weeks off between them.

In 2003, he was listed in the Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. He won the 2006 British Comedy Award for “Best Live Stand-Up” and is considered by many one of Greatest Stand-Ups in history.

10. Michael Palin

Concluding the list of the richest comedians in the United Kingdom, is Sir Michael Palin, with an estimted net worth of $25 Million. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group and wrote most of his comedic material with fellow Python member Terry Jones.

Before Monty Python, they had worked on other shows including the Ken Dodd Show, The Frost Report, and Do Not Adjust Your Set. Palin appeared in some of the most famous Python sketches, including “Argument Clinic”, “The Lumberjack Song”, “Bicycle Repair Man” and “The Fish-Slapping Dance”, among others.

In the 1980, Palin began a new career as a travel writer and travel documentarian in programmes broadcast on the BBC.  He was appointed a CBE for services to television in the 2000 New Year Honours. Palin also received a knighthood in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to travel, culture and geography.

Summary of the Richest British Comedian

Here is a  table summary of the richest comedians in the United Kingdom

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