I’ll start with a confession: I don’t like watching TV that much. I’ve never caught an episode of Severance, didn’t get around to finishing Succession, and I would much rather rewatch an episode of one of my comfort shows than put myself through a pacy thriller or hard-hitting drama. However, on occasion, I can be convinced to stray away from reruns of New Girl, Peep Show or It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia to branch out into something different – providing that it’s not too dark and doesn’t last more than an hour. 

One such occasion came last night when I gave in to my husband’s insistence that we watch something different for once and pressed play on Prime Video’s new comedy series Last One Laughing.

Hosted by Jimmy Carr and Roisin Conaty, the premise is delightfully simple: 10 professional comedians compete to make the other contestants laugh without laughing themselves. Across six 30-minute episodes, comedy heavyweights, including Daisy May Cooper, Joe Lycett, Sara Pascoe and Judi Love, go head-to-head in a series of bizarre and hilarious challenges with just one rule: if you laugh, you lose.

Within the first five minutes, I knew we would be in for a treat, but watching some of the funniest people on telly trying their hardest not to giggle was the tonic I didn’t know I needed. The phrase ‘feel-good TV’ is thrown around quite a lot, but it’s truly what this show is. 

From national treasures Bob Mortimer and Richard Ayoade ‘speed dating’ to Joe Wilkinson performing a hilariously dry Royal National Lifeboat Institution lecture (before being splattered with paint), it’s no wonder that Last One Laughing has reportedly already broken records to become one of Prime Video’s biggest UK launches ever.

The clashing of so many different styles of comedy, the surprise guests and the genuinely warm relationships between the contestants make it a joy to watch. Keeping a straight face is a near-impossible task, for both them and us. 

Last One Laughing is joyous, funny and lighthearted TV that proves once again that laughing a little can do a lot to help make the world feel like a better place.

Last One Laughing is available to watch now on Prime Video.

Images: Prime Video