Live Review: Laughterama at Castlefield Bowl

Since its launch in 2022, Laughterama has become Manchester's biggest comedy festival, returning in 2025 for five days of open-air comedy in Castlefield Bowl. With headliners such as Ed Gamble, Phil Wang, Fern Brady, and Frankie Boyle, the stars of the line-ups are coupled with sets from newer comics to provide a night of belly-laughing under the September skies.

On 6 September 2025, The Mancunion headed down to Castlefield Bowl to catch Sam Campbell, Rhys James, Fin Taylor, and Molly McGuinness in action, with the evening of comedy hosted by Catherine Bohart.

Credit: Elli Duke @ The Mancunion

With the sun setting over Deansgate, Saturday night at Laughterama began with the warm energy of Catherine Bohart, whose crowd-work helped the audience warm up with a few giggles. No one was safe from this eagle-eyed comic, who must have been making sure that audience members would never be late to a comedy show again for fear of being picked on. Alongside a few anecdotes from her own stand-up, Bohart's compering provided the perfect start to the evening with her own excitement and joy impossible to escape.

Rhys James was the first act to be welcomed on stage, with a set full of quips on modern life, AI, and waiting for GP appointments. It was a fantastic example of great, quintessentially British stand-up - clever storytelling packed with laughs that made your stomach hurt. James' witty, observational comedy was the perfect, accessible set to open with. If you've ever lived in Britain, it's impossible not to laugh as James perfectly sums up the pain of living in the UK today.

Making her Laughterama debut, Mancunian comic Molly McGuinness took to the stage next, replacing a last-minute drop-out from Sharon Wanjohi. Whilst McGuinness may not have been on the original bill, she certainly did not look out of place, commanding the stage with her hilarious personality and absurd anecdotes about The Millstone, oral sex, and working as a 'bean-lady' at a local hotel.

It is moments like these, when a newer comic is given the chance to shine, that you can understand the importance of comedy festivals like Laughterama: mixed bills give a range of comics the opportunity to perform in front of a huge audience, and give the audience the opportunity to watch a great variety of acts. Whilst the audience might not've come to see McGuinness,  they certainly left with her name in mind.

Molly McGuinness performing at Laughterama Comedy Festival. Credit: Elli Duke @ The Mancunion

After a short interval and a mandatory hot-dog from one of the many food vans at the venue, Fin Taylor performed the least funny and laziest set of the festival, with some disappointing gags and an overall lack of cohesion. Taylor commented several times that he doesn't "perform to be liked", which seemed like an unoriginal excuse to make some frankly unfunny jokes at the expense of disabled and trans people. His set was certainly the most divisive, with some cheers suggesting that he was one of the highlights for much of the audience.

It was a heavy-handed change of pace from the delightful warmth of Catherine Bohart's compering and Molly McGuinness' hilarity. Nevertheless, therein lies the risk of a comedy festival mixed bill.

However, headliner Sam Campbell easily lifted the mood of the more disappointed audience members, with his absurd and messy set that had us laughing from the get-go. With Campbell's comedy, it's hard to tell where 'the act' begins and the Australian comic's personality ends, making his stand-up all the more hilarious. Dubbed the funniest Taskmaster contestant of all time, Campbell certainly did not disappoint as the headliner: jumping from subject to subject, leaping off of the stage to kiss a bald man's head, and refusing to leave the stage at the end, Campbell provided the perfect end to a mostly fantastic night of comedy.

Sam Campbell performing at Laughterama Comedy Festival. Credit: Elli Duke @ The Mancunion

With tickets at just £27.50, Laughterama is certainly a bargain if you're a comedy fan, especially as dynamic pricing can leave your pockets empty when trying to attend a gig. Whilst food and drinks at the event might err on the pricier side, the value-for-money tickets undoubtedly make Laughterama a joy to attend.