‘Last One Laughing UK’ Is Absurdly Funny

The premise of Last One Laughing UK is simple and diabolical: stick a bunch of professionally funny people in a room together for six hours and forbid them from laughing. Crack once and you get a warning, break a second time and you’re out.

The first season was an unexpected hit on Amazon Prime last year, largely on the strength of eventual champion Bob Mortimer, who can deliver a phrase like “meats and cheeses, always pleases” in a way that will still make you laugh when you think about it days or weeks later. Mortimer is back for Season 2, which premiered on March 19, ostensibly as a ringer, although the cast this year is so stacked that it doesn’t feel unfair.

Even if you don’t happen to have subscriptions to both Britbox and BBC Select (what can I say, I love watching sardonic detectives solve murders in various damp locales), you’ll probably recognize a few faces. They run the gamut of unflappability from stone-cold deadpan queen Diane Morgan, better known as Philomena Cunk, to Alan Carr, a man so flappable he giggles about as often as he breathes. Also in the mix are comedian Romesh Ranganathan, former Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc, Taskmaster standout Maisie Adam, and a handful of other people who all contribute to the robust entertainment economy of British chat shows.