Not everyone wants horror on Halloween. For viewers who would rather spend the evening laughing than hiding behind a cushion, Prime Video has a cheerful alternative: a special Halloween edition of Last One Laughing, hosted once again by Jimmy Carr.
The idea behind the show is wonderfully simple and slightly cruel. A group of professional comedians spends hours together in one room, each trying to make the others laugh while keeping a straight face themselves. Anyone who cracks is out. It sounds easy until you watch seasoned performers biting their lips, staring at the ceiling and fighting back giggles at the silliest moments.
This time the line-up mixes familiar faces with newcomers. Daisy May Cooper and Lou Sanders return, while Jack Dee, Phil Wang, Reece Shearsmith, Harriet Dyer and Tom Allen join the game. Each brings a different style, from bone-dry deadpan to quick, playful wit, which promises plenty of collisions. The Halloween theme adds costumes, props and guest surprises, giving the contestants fresh weapons to ambush each other.
The format began in Japan and has travelled to many countries since then, and its staying power is easy to explain. It reverses the usual rules of comedy. Instead of judging how hard a comedian can make the audience laugh, the show rewards the people who can resist. Viewers at home, of course, can laugh as much as they like.
A closer look at the cast, the host and the spooky surprises is available in the full Last One Laughing Halloween special article, which explains what to expect from the episode.
For our directory, this is the ideal pick for a relaxed Halloween night on the sofa. It is light, quick to enjoy and practically guaranteed to leave at least one famous comedian in tears, which is exactly what makes it so much fun to watch.
