
U to host Clash of the Comics
First ever UK television screening for sellout live event
9th October 2025, London: Clash of the Comics, the wild, unpredictable award-winning live event that sees some of the biggest names in comedy wrestling against each other and some of the UK's top professional wrestlers, will air on British TV for the first time next month on U and U&Dave as a special produced by Expectation (1x160'). Having previously appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Just for Laughs London and Melbourne International Comedy Festival as The Wrestling, Clash of the Comics is created by comedians Max & Ivan and its largest event to date was filmed last night at London's Eventim Hammersmith Apollo.
Clash of the Comics features Ed Gamble wrestling against Phil Wang in the headline title match, with James Acaster issuing an open challenge to fight any comedian or wrestler who can handle him, and Maisie Adam up against multi-time champion wrestler Nina Samuels. Other comics taking part include Max Olesker, Ivan Gonzalez, Ania Magliano, Harriet Kemsley, Amy Gledhill, Sarah Keyworth, Abi Clarke, Max Fosh, Mark Silcox, Adam Kay, Rose Matafeo and Rosie Jones. There is commentary in the venue from Greg James, Sara Pascoe and Nish Kumar and backstage reporting from Olga Koch and Matthew Crosby. Ivo Graham isthe event MC and Joe Lycett oversees as Clash of the Comics' CEO.
Max & Ivan's Max Olesker says, The grandest spectacle in the comedy universe at the UK's most iconic comedy venue, and being broadcast thanks to the UK's wisest, most astute and physically attractive comedy commissioners - it's a (wrestling) match made in heaven. For a comedian who was, many years ago, the UK's youngest professional wrestler, this has been the journey of a lifetime.
Ivan Gonzalez says, The line-up's looking packed, Max is looking stacked, and I have repeatedly panic attacked. Let's rock.
Joe Lycett says, After enjoying a crisp Riesling one evening, I awoke the next day to discover I have purchased the world's finest wrestling-and-comedy league - and I have no regrets. Your favourite comedians will be battling for your pleasure and mine, and I, the all-powerful CE-JOE, will have final say. People say immense wealth has changed me, but honestly, I just have those people taken away.
The television rights to Clash of the Comics have been acquired for UKTV by Jason Dawson, commissioning executive and ordered by Gerald Casey, genre general manager, comedy and entertainment, and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning. Clash of the Comics is produced by Expectation and Ben Wicks, Tim Dean and Hannah Layton are executive producers. Clash of the Comics is directed by Ben Hardy, with Marc Shuttle as wrestling consultant and Jo Bucci as head of production.
Jason Dawson says, Clash of the Comics has established itself as one of the most unforgettable live comedy experiences in the last decade, and Max & Ivan and Expectation are pulling out all the stops to make sure this first televised event truly brings all the chaos, hilarity, and violence it's known for.
Gerald Casey says, The lineup for Clash of the Comicsreadslike a who's who of the finest comedians in the country, but viewers can rest assured they're all taking their training incredibly seriously.
Ben Wicks says, We are overjoyed to be working with visionaries Max & Ivan, and the wonderfully passionate people at U&Dave to bring what's been a massive hit at comedy festivals to television. It's the right move to make. With cliff hanger endings, outrageous storylines, and - most importantly - the funniest people in Britain demonstrating an unquenchable thirst physical violence. We see this being a huge hit in every sense - and a bingeable one at that - and we'll fight anyone who says otherwise (providing it's in at least 6 months-time once Max and Ivan have had time to train us properly).
Clash of the Comics will air on U&Dave with an exclusive debut on U. U is UKTV's free streaming service with over 9000 hours of content from UKTV's free-to-air channels U&Dave, U&Drama, U&Yesterday and U&W, as well as programming exclusive to U. U&Dave is UKTV's free-to-air entertainment channel that is home to Will & Ralf Should Know Better, Guy Martin: Proper Jobs, and BAFTA-winning Big Zuu's Big Eats. U&Dave has just announced its first ever scripted drama commission, Hit Point, is coming to the channel next year.
Clash of the Comics will air later this year on U and U&Dave.
*ENDS*
For more information please contact:
Ben Duncan, Consumer publicity manager
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 30 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.
UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UKs most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the worlds leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.
corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
20/09/2026
Piano-playing singer-songwriter competition returns for fourth year
Casio have officially revealed the list of 16 finalists who have earned their place in t...
19/09/2026
Three new rackmount power conditioners introduced
Yorkville Sound have announce the upcoming launch of three new RPC rackmount power conditioners from ART P...
19/09/2026
September 15, 2026
AMSTERDAM, SEPTEMBER 2026 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the Academy and Emmy Award-winning developer of high-performance cinema mastering, ...
18/09/2026
10 new voice models join line-up
The latest expansion for IK Multimedia's AI-powered vocal-modelling software has arrived, delivering a set of 10 new vo...
18/09/2026
A day of hands-on synthesis, sound design & performance
On Saturday 26 September 2026, The Museum of Synthesisers will be hosting a full day of hands-on syn...
18/09/2026
AgileTV has successfully wrapped up its participation at IBC 2026 in Amsterdam, following four days of conversations with customers, partners and industry profe...
18/09/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, invites its shareholders and investors to a Virtual Investor Conference on Tuesday, September 29th, 2026, at 11.00 am.
...
18/09/2026
Friday 18 September 2026
The new iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch ...
17/09/2026
Popular DAW gains free pitch-correction tool
Image-Line have teamed up with Antares to kit their popular DAW software out with a built-in pitch-correction p...
17/09/2026
Promises unprecedented realism, dynamic nuance and clarity
Gibson have teamed up with acoustic pickup experts Baggs, creating a next-generation' pickup...
17/09/2026
Two new libraries join percussion line-up
VSL (Vienna Symphonic Library) have just launched two new libraries that bring some intriguing new instruments int...
17/09/2026
Hardware & plug-in versions gain new features
Arturia have just released a free update that brings some significant new features to their MiniFreak synthesi...
17/09/2026
Calrec brings leading audio solutions and long-term business value to IBC 2026 We're looking forward to meeting up with you all on 11-14th September in Amst...
17/09/2026
New series of Aistear an Amhr in shares extraordinary stories behind Ireland'...
17/09/2026
The Late Late Show is back!
Liam Neeson, Siobh n McSweeney, Caitr ona Balfe a...
17/09/2026
The Neighbours Effect: Gen Z Brings Back Big Hair, Double Denim and 80s soap sty...
17/09/2026
The bold, new legal drama starring Dominic West and Sienna Miller launches on Sky and NOW on 2nd OctThursday 17 September 2026
Official trailer released for Sk...
17/09/2026
Every week we read headlines about new threats from AI. From taking over jobs to disrupting critical infrastructure, spreading misinformation or even destroying...
17/09/2026
Arqiva selected by SANZAAR to deliver global distribution of 2026 international ...
17/09/2026
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA This evening at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, Apple TV...
17/09/2026
RT Statement:
RT is today confirming that its position regarding participation in the Eurovision Song Contest remains unchanged. RT will not participate in...
16/09/2026
Powerful soft synth receives free update
Wavea have just launched a new and improved version of their feature-packed soft synth, kitting it out with over 20...
16/09/2026
Physical-modelling experts launch pipe-based instrument
Modartt are well known for their impressive Pianoteq and Organteq offerings, and now, they've pu...
16/09/2026
Popular DAW gains free pitch-correction tool
Image-Line have teamed up with Antares to kit their popular DAW software out with a built-in pitch-correction p...
16/09/2026
Microwave Factory and Rohde & Schwarz enable automated SAR measurements with CMX...
16/09/2026
Rohde & Schwarz launches new security scanner for large events at Security Expo ...
16/09/2026
Red Seat Ventures Announces Exclusive Partnership with Caleb Hammer's Financ...
16/09/2026
Garda whistleblowers come forward to
RT Investigates from inside the
Garda Pr...
15/09/2026
New Thunderbolt audio interfaces aimed at pro studios
Audient's latest announcement sees the company introduce three new high-end audio interfaces desig...
15/09/2026
Completes core wireless system line-up
The latest addition to Sennheiser's Spectera range is now shipping, completing the core elements of the company...
15/09/2026
High-frequency dynamics plug-in upgraded
Schwabe Digital have just released a major free update for their acclaimed high-frequency dynamics processing plug-...
15/09/2026
DAW update launched alongside all-in-one subscription bundle
The latest version of Universal Audio's DAW software has just arrived, and has been release...
15/09/2026
Three popular hardware units go virtual
Rupert Neve Designs are entering the software market in style, with not one, but three of their sought-after hardwar...
15/09/2026
When longstanding OB specialist Cloudbass made the decision to expand its fleet to accommodate remote production facilities for a leading UK sports broadcaster&...
15/09/2026
LUXEMBOURG and WASHINGTON, September 15, 2026 - SES, a global leader in space so...
15/09/2026
Unveiled at IBC2026 in Amsterdam, the 6388 delivers DPAs signature natural, authentic sound, with outstanding feedback rejection and exceptional speech intellig...
15/09/2026
Red Seat Ventures' Supercast Launches Live Streaming, Bringing Real-Time Vid...
15/09/2026
Arqiva recognised with Armed Forces Covenant Silver AwardPresented to organisations that demonstrate outstanding support for the Armed Forces community
--
Sh...
14/09/2026
Three new models introduced
Sony have just announced the launch of three new pairs of headphones that span their premium, mid-range and entry-level line-ups...
14/09/2026
New flagship Thunderbolt units aimed at pro studios
Audient's latest announcement sees the company introduce three new high-end audio interfaces designe...
14/09/2026
At IBC2026, Ren M rch explains how the N-Series combines DPA's renowned microphone technology with a high-performance wireless platform, offering a wide tu...
14/09/2026
Monday 14 September 2026
Award-winning network Sky Mobile to Offer iPhone Duo, ...
14/09/2026
Apple's latest software updates introduce Siri AI, a more intelligent, knowl...
14/09/2026
RT in association with the BBC today released first look image from the second series of The Walsh Sisters, inspired by the novels of international best-sellin...
13/09/2026
Offers eight audio and CV outputs via USB
Elektron's latest launch offers a convenient way for users to integrate hardware instruments, effects and mixe...
13/09/2026
Luxembourg, September 13, 2026 - SES today announced the successful launch of its eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth O3b mPOWER satellites, further expanding its ...
13/09/2026
Sunday 13 September 2026
Sky releases trailer for Crystal Lake, an A24 produced...