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Four Day (Two Weekend) Online Advanced Course

Prices £169 / £149 Concessions

Courses in groups via Zoom over 4 days, plus an online graduation show - and then a further live show when we can return to venues

For more in depth learning, we also have a Premium Course Option for £269/£249 - this offers additional training on top of our two day course.


In these unprecedented times comedy has never been more important. Over the covid years we realised online comedy training worked really well, and for our advanced course it worked so we could teach students from a much wider area and to larger numbers - so we are currently running this course online, with graduation shows and gigs in live venues.


How do you take your stand-up comedy performance to the next level?

This course is aimed at performers who have completed our intermediate course, or have been performing for at least two years already and are starting to perform longer sets

If you are a comedian who wants to progress and write longer routines, develop your material and routines into longer sets, and are performing gigs at clubs or online that are progressing onto longer 15-20 minute sets then this course is for you.

In the course we aim to develop the students writing material, and is about creating and generating new material, writing longer routines for longer sets, and developing and extending the students current set and material.

This is an intensive course over 4 sessions where you will develop a 15-20 minutes routine, and from this perform up to 15 minutes at a showcase show to the general public online and in a venue. This course is led by professional comedian Jay Sodagar - click here for more information on the tutor.



What happens on the course?

This teaching is done via a zoom meeting, this lets students from around the country (and sometimes world) take part - and there's an online graduation show on the Monday evening after the end of the course open to friends, relatives and the public. There is then a further showcase in a venue, when covid regulations allow for this to happen.

The Course Covers:

  • Reminder of material and writing skills, with writing exercises
  • Testing material written before the course, and then in homework between each session
  • Watching comics die and why they died
  • Discussing shows performed in and watched - followed by improv exercises
  • Living in the moment exercise on your 10 minute sets to deconstruct your act
  • Learning to improvise in a set: Accepting offers, One word Improv, Topics, etc
  • Discussing assembling 20 minute sets and pacing
  • Learning skills of compering
  • Understanding an audience with different scenarios
  • Industry Q & A - including Edinburgh Fringe
  • How to make a living out of comedy
  • Final Run through of 15-20 minute sets with profiling

The mantra for the course is: “It is not by luck professional comedians are funny”

You can be taught how to be funny, but it’s up to you how funny you want to be. That’s down to the work you put in, but you should know what that work should be.

Comedy can seem a big unfathomable task, and developing longer routines very challenging. But with the right coaching and guidance it will be easier and far more enjoyable.



Previous Students on the Laughing Horse courses include:

  • Lost Voice Guy
  • Daniel Sloss
  • Imran Yusuf
  • Nat Luurtsema

All appearing regularly on TV, National tours, Live DVD's

As well as many working comedians around the circuit both in the UK and in America at all levels from open mic to professional.

Take the right step to develop your stand up career - sign up to the course


""friendly, informative and well-structured. A supportive environment allows wannabe stand-ups to develop material quickly... A no-brainer for anyone interested in the business, and a fun experience "

Paul Doncaster, Course Graduate 


"Jay's courses - the intro through to the advanced - have infused a new vitality and structure into my comedy ethos. I truly believe that had I stumbled onto Jay sooner, I'd have much more to show for my comedy career aspirations."

Stephanie Parker, Course graduate


We've had hundreds of students take our courses over the years, as well as expert comedy reviewers.

Visit our Testimonials Page to see what the reviews have said, and hear from many more students as well.



Premium Course Option - £269/£249

Including everything on our standard four day/two weekend course, plus:

  • A separate four hour one-to-one tuition session with the tutor following the course, to practise your routine and develop further ideas
  • In depth feedback from your graduation show performance
  • Additional help with your performance
  • A gig at a second Laughing Horse show with a further 15 minute feedback session straight afterwards

Booking Information

The dates this course is currently available are below, and can all be booked online.

Prices are £150, or £130 concession. If you would like to pay by bank transfer please contact us on admin@laughinghorse.co.uk. Also drop us an email if you have any more questions. For more information on our tutors - click here


Upcoming Dates - Book Your Course

Online Advanced Course

Main Times are UK Times

October-November 2024

Oct 21, 28; Nov 4, 11 - 4 Evening  ONLINE COURSE - 6.30pm to 10.30pm  each evening

April-May 2025

April 28; May 5, 12, 19  - 4 Evening  ONLINE COURSE - 6.30pm to 10.30pm  each evening

We'll have more Advanced courses scheduled online, roughly every fice-six months.

Our advanced courses are now run online, as we discovered over lockdown the format worked really well so students from a much wider area could attend. You do the course online, have an online graduation show - and then you can come along to a Laughing Horse venue for another gig in-person.


Gift Vouchers are available for our Advanced Courses

If you'd like to give a unique present to someone for their birthday or Christmas who loves stand-up, a comedy course gift voucher is ideal for them! 

Vouchers are valid for two years and are also ideal if you want to do a course yourself but not commit to a specific date yet.


Advanced Course Gift Voucher

Valid for in-person course and Online Course

Choose Your Voucher Type and buy it below:




Cash Value Vouchers

Just want to buy a voucher that someone can use against our course?

Choose how much you would like to buy here: