A number of popular UK comedians are set to provide the laughs in the Isle of Man this year as part of the VillaGaiety’s exciting 2026 line-up.

As well as the hugely anticipated arrival of comedy icon Peter Kay in February, other comedians set to perform at both the Villa Marina and the Gaiety Theatre include Chris Ramsey, Josh Widdicombe, Tom Davis, Ed Gamble and Henning Wehn.

It’s Chris Ramsey who is set to get the year’s comedy underway, with his show ‘Here, man!’ at the Villa Marina on Thursday, January 29.

Here, Man! is the hotly anticipated follow-up to Chris’ last sell-out stand-up tour 2020 which saw him perform to over 100,000 people nationwide.

Chris is seen on The Chris & Rosie Ramsey Show, Strictly Come Dancing, and Taskmaster, presenting Children in Need, and co-hosting his weekly mega-hit marital podcast ‘Shagged. Married. Annoyed’.

Peter Kay is then also set to fill the Villa Marina with his show ‘Better Late Than Never...Again!’ a month later.

Two showings will take place on Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21, with the show having sold out on the morning tickets were released.

A spokesperson from the VillaGaiety commented: ‘Overwhelming demand for Peter’s return to stand-up comedy has been phenomenal and fans will now have more opportunity to experience his incredible show live.

‘Peter’s tour, which started in Manchester, December 2022 has already broken records.

‘Remarkably, he completed his 100th show at the Manchester AO Arena breaking all attendance and performance records and, astonishingly, Peter is the first artist in the world to perform a monthly residency at The O2, London, performing 45 shows, the most played by any artist in the venue’s history.’

Peter Kay added: ‘It's been wonderful doing what I love most, stand-up comedy.

‘Laughter is more important than ever in these challenging times and with the cost of living still at an all-time high, ticket prices for the new dates will start from £35.’

Up next on the comedy roster is Josh Widdicombe, who will bring his show ‘Not My Cup of Tea’ to the Gaiety Theatre on Saturday, March 7.

Widdicombe co-hosts the popular podcast ‘Parenting Hell’ with Rob Beckett, for which they undertook a live arena tour in 2023 and released a book which topped the Sunday Times Bestseller Charts.

He’s also co-hosted more than 30 series of the multi-award-winning Channel 4 series The Last Leg.

April’s offering of comedy comes from popular comedian Tom Davis with his show ‘Spudgun’ on April 11.

Offering his perspective of life’s hot topics in his new show, Davis is the co-host of the mega-hit podcast Wolf and Owl with Romesh Ranganathan, star of BAFTA and Royal Television Society award-winning comedy series Murder in Successville and BBC One comedy King Gary.

The routine of one comedian per month will continue with Ed Gamble at the Villa Marina on May 29, followed by German comedian Henning Wehn at the Gaiety Theatre on June 4.

Popular satirical comedian Harry Enfield will also take to the Villa Marina stage later in the year on October 22.