The line-up for the third series of comedy show Last One Laughing has been revealed, with Katherine Ryan, Harry Hill, Lee Mack and Richard Ayoade starring in the upcoming instalment.
The hit comedy competition, hosted by Jimmy Carr, puts a group of famous comedians together in close quarters for six hours while they attempt to make each other laugh or smile without cracking themselves.
Taking on the challenge for the third series are Lee Mack, Katherine Ryan, Harry Hill, Katherine Parkinson, Michelle de Swarte, Jon Richardson, Morgana Robinson, Josh Jones and Richard Ayoade. Ayoade is returning to the show after starring in the first series.
Show format and hosting shake-up
The upcoming instalment will also feature a shake-up in the hosting control room. Roisin Conaty will leave her position as deputy to host Jimmy Carr to take part as a contestant, while former contestant Mel Giedroyc will step into the deputy hosting role.
Under the rules of the show, the last remaining competitor who manages not to laugh or smile after outlasting everyone else is declared the winner. The new series is set to launch in 2027.
Series 2 recap and finale drama
The line-up announcement follows the conclusion of series two earlier this year, which featured Romesh Ranganathan, Alan Carr, David Mitchell and returning series one winner Bob Mortimer.
Mortimer won the first series of Last One Laughing and returned to defend his title against a new group of fellow comedians.
The final episode of the second series saw Giedroyc, Mortimer, Sam Campbell and Mitchell left battling it out for the Last One Laughing trophy. With the clock ticking down to the last 40 minutes, Carr revealed that the game would enter sudden death, where any laughing or smiling provoked an immediate red card seeing the offending comic eliminated.
Reigning champion Mortimer wiped out Giedroyc in a tense head-to-head that saw them having to make animal noises while looking into one another's eyes. Peep Show star Mitchell then knocked out Mortimer with a joke about re-naming a nighttime toilet trip a "Chadwick," with Mitchell exclaiming: "I was just chadwicking!"
Tie-breaker rules split viewers
The eliminations left Campbell and Mitchell to face off in one final challenge, feeding each other food from a gold tray while looking at each other. Host Carr revealed that if neither of them laughed during the uncomfortable exchange, the winner would be decided by a tie-break based on who had caused the most laughs through the series.
Flashbacks showed Campbell making Mortimer laugh by picking him up off the ground early in the series. However, Mitchell had secured two laughs across the episodes, forcing one from Diane Morgan and another from Mortimer.
Carr crowned Mitchell the winner and brought in the eliminated comedians to hand him the Last One Laughing trophy. Reacting to the victory, Mitchell said: "That was quite insane because I think we disappeared into a place where there was no laughter. I have to say, for all the bleakness at the end, I am delighted to win, and I think that shows a want of character in me, but I was very pleased."
Fan backlash on social media
While Mitchell was overjoyed to take home the win, viewers were left fuming over what they described as a harsh finale twist. Taking to X, fans criticised the tie-breaker ending as anti-climactic and expressed a preference for another head-to-head game.
One fan wrote: "For season 3 they got to think of a better tiebreaker that ending was so anti climatic it stank." Another commented: "Just watched Last One Laughing final and although I love David the correct winner was Sam," while a third added: "Dave smiled SO many times, Sam never broke once."
The first and second series of Last One Laughing UK are currently available to watch on Prime Video.
