John Kearns
Who John Kearns is
John Kearns is a stand-up comedian who has won the Edinburgh Comedy Award twice, for Best Newcomer with Sight Gags for Perverts and for Best Show with Shtick, and has been nominated three times at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. His fifth solo hour, The Varnishing Days, directed by Jon Brittain, played more than a hundred dates, won Best Show at the Chortle Awards in 2024 and came out as a stand-up special on Sky and Now TV that August, and his live album Double Take & Fade Away was recorded at Monkey Barrel Comedy in Edinburgh in August 2019.
On television he was a standout of Taskmaster series 14, co-hosted Guessable on Comedy Central, played the lead in BBC Three's Top Coppers and has appeared on Live at the Apollo, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Never Mind the Buzzcocks; on BBC Radio 4 he co-wrote and starred in Lasties with Tim Key and wrote and performed The John Kearns Show. He also plays in the double act Ball & Boe with Adam Riches, and in the 2025 Christmas season played Inspector Lestrade at Birmingham Rep.
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At a glance
- Stand-up specials
- The Varnishing Days
- Albums
- Double Take & Fade Away
- Podcasts and radio
- Lasties, The John Kearns Show and A Very John Kearns Christmas
- On screen
- Taskmaster, Live at the Apollo, Guessable and 7 more
- Official site
- johnkearnscomedy.co.uk ↗
Is John Kearns on tour?
No upcoming dates on record No upcoming dates are on record right now. That doesn't mean John Kearns has stopped touring; their own site is the place to look for new dates: johnkearnscomedy.co.uk ↗.
Last checked 11 October 2026.
Is John Kearns coming to my town?
No dates are on record right now (checked 11 October 2026), so no town is confirmed yet. Follow John Kearns and your town to hear when one is booked.
Want John Kearns in your town?
Name your town and how many of you would come: the towns fans ask for show here, with how many asked.
Lineups belong to the rooms and the comedians, and can change; each listing has the last word. Their nights on the Comedy Calendar →
Specials, shows and podcasts
Stand-up specials
- The Varnishing Days Sky and Now TV, 2024
Albums
- Double Take & Fade Away Monkey Barrel Records; recorded live August 2019
On screen
- Taskmaster series 14, Channel 4
- Live at the Apollo BBC
- Guessable co-host, Comedy Central
- Top Coppers lead, BBC Three
- 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
- Never Mind the Buzzcocks
- Richard Osman's House of Games
- Drunk History
- Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled
- Harry Hill's Stars In Their Eyes
Podcasts and radio
- Lasties co-writer and star, with Tim Key, BBC Radio 4
- The John Kearns Show BBC Radio 4
- A Very John Kearns Christmas BBC Radio 4, 2019
Comedians like John Kearns
Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.
- Darren Harriott also in Guessable
- Sophie Duker also in 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
- Archie Maddocks also in Guessable
- David O'Doherty also in 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
- Phill Jupitus also in Never Mind the Buzzcocks
- Rachel Fairburn also in Richard Osman's House of Games
- Sara Barron also in Richard Osman's House of Games
- Amy Gledhill also in 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Career timeline
- 2019Double Take & Fade Away (Monkey Barrel Records; recorded live August 2019) Album
- 2019A Very John Kearns Christmas (BBC Radio 4, 2019) Podcast or book
- 2024The Varnishing Days (Sky and Now TV, 2024) Special
Questions and answers
Where is John Kearns performing next?
No date is on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now; their own site has their dates: johnkearnscomedy.co.uk ↗.
What stand-up specials have they released?
The Varnishing Days.
What podcasts and radio shows have they been on?
Lasties, The John Kearns Show and A Very John Kearns Christmas.
What TV shows and films are they in?
Taskmaster (series 14, Channel 4), Live at the Apollo (BBC), Guessable (co-host, Comedy Central), Top Coppers (lead, BBC Three), 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Never Mind the Buzzcocks, among 10 credits.
What is their official website?
Who are some comedians like them?
Darren Harriott (also in Guessable), Sophie Duker (also in 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown), Archie Maddocks (also in Guessable), David O'Doherty (also in 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown) and Phill Jupitus (also in Never Mind the Buzzcocks).
Are you John Kearns?
This page can be your website, free. Send your bio in your own words, your links, your clips, who books you, a line said about you and your weekly show, and they go on this page beside the dates D.O.C. already keeps. Fans follow you here and get your news in the D.O.C. letter.
Your short address, for your bio: disciplesofcomedy.com/john-kearns
The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to add them to your D.O.C., your twelve.
Sources
- Official site (About) ↗ The Edinburgh Comedy Award for both Best Show (Shtick) and Best Newcomer (Sight Gags for Perverts); three Melbourne International Comedy Festival nominations; Best Show at the Chortle Awards 2024 for The Varnishing Days, his fifth solo hour, directed by Jon Brittain, released on Sky and Now TV in August 2024; Ball &…
- Official site (Tour) ↗ Tilting at Windmills, his new stand-up show, a tour extended into 2027; Taskmaster (Channel 4), Live at the Apollo (BBC) and the Sky stand-up special The Varnishing Days (as of 11 October 2026)
- Monkey Barrel Records — Double Take & Fade Away ↗ A stand-up LP recorded live in August 2019 at Monkey Barrel Comedy in Edinburgh; the only two-time Edinburgh Comedy Award winner (as of 11 October 2026)
Updated 11 October 2026 · the record checked 11 October 2026