A new book on how to write jokes and master comic timing, that will be coming out October 2026. This page is where you can find the latest info.
On Jokes (or, why everything you know about comedy is wrong): The Secret Science of Making People Laugh
Authors
- Jimmy Carr – International comedian (stating the obvious, here)
- Amanda Baker – Comedy Director
- Abi Grant – Comedy Writer
Hardback, Kindle and Audible release date: October 22nd 2026
- 400 pages
- ISBN 10 – 1529454239
- ISBN 13 – 978-1529454239
On Jokes: The Hidden Mechanics of Funny
Or, why everything you know about comedy is wrong
What Is This About?
Back in 2023 Jimmy started talking about working on something that he said could be a book, could be a comedy course (see back ground here).
He referred to it with a kind of code name of the Rosetta Stone of Comedy and now the officially titled book, On Jokes, is due out in the autumn of 2026.
This is his 3rd book – the first been The Naked Jape / Only Joking in 2006 (here). For anyone that is even vaguely interested in comedy this is a history of the joke and joke telling, sprinkled with jokes throughout (both Jimmy’s and other peoples).
The second was Before and Laughter in 2021 (here) which is part autobiography and part self-help.
This third tome is for aspiring comedians, comedians that want to improve their style (or technique) or just those of us that love the art of comedy and would like to see under the hood. To learn about the different types of joke and how they are assembled. The equivalent of a magician showing you how the tricks work, so that you could have a go yourself.
The areas covered will be: top 50 joke types and their components; timing; routine structure and live stage performance
- Part One: Jokes – A Field Guide
- Part Two: Jokes – Assembly Instructions
- Part Three: Jokes – A User’s Manual
Official Book blurb
The Big Bang
Natural Selection
E = mc2
All pretty decent theories, that beg one question: why has no-one discovered a fully unified theory for what makes jokes funny?
Well, comedy director Amanda Baker, comedy writer Abi Grant and stand-up comedian Jimmy Carr have done just that. In this book, in case that’s not obvious. From how to identify the families of jokes, to decoding the building blocks of comedy, to the real – and brand new – secret to comic timing, On Jokes does for comedy what decoding the genome did for designer babies.
The essential manual for any aspiring comedian, this book can make anyone funny. Even you.
‘I hear something I forget it, I read something I remember it, I teach something I know it. I’m no grifter – I wouldn’t sell something I wouldn’t buy. This is the book I was desperately searching for when I started out in comedy. This industry has given me so much – On Jokes is an attempt to pay it back or rather forward – to the next generation of comics.
Comedy is a language & On Jokes is an attempt to codify the grammar. This is a scaffold it’s up to comedians to decide what they’ll build.
I think there’s too much magical thinking in comedy. It’s not alchemy it’s chemistry. And you can learn chemistry.’ – Jimmy Carr
Audible version
The Audible version (read by all 3 of the co-authors) was completed on September 4th (see here). It started to appear as a pre-order version shortly after.
Narrated in English it is 7 hours and 56 minutes long.
Pre-order from
I’ve listed some of the big online book sellers – but, if your country is not listed here, you may be able to find it in a local chain.
- Amazon UK – here
- Amazon US – here
- Amazon Australia – here
- Amazon Austria (ships from Germany)
- Amazon Belgium – here
- Amazon Bulgaria (ship from UK or US)
- Amazon Canada – here
- Amazon Denmark (ships from Germany)
- Amazon Finland (ships from US or UK)
- Amazon Germany – here
- Amazon Greece (ships from US or UK)
- Amazon Hong Kong (ships from US)
- Amazon Iceland (ships from US or UK)
- Amazon Indonesia (ships from US)
- Amazon Ireland – here
- Amazon Israel (ships from US)
- Amazon Japan – here
- Amazon Netherlands – here
- Amazon New Zealand (ships from Australia)
- Amazon Norway – here
- Amazon Poland – here
- Amazon Portugal (ships from Spain)
- Amazon Romania (ships from Germany)
- Amazon Serbia (ships from US or UK)
- Amazon Singapore – here
- Amazon South Africa – here
- Amazon Spain – here
- Amazon Sweden – here
- Amazon Switzerland (ships from Germany)
- Amazon Thailand (ships from US)
- Waterstones – here
- Hachette UK – here
- Foyles UK – here
- The Times bookshop – here
Images below from Amanda’s Instagram account – see post here.
Timeline
It’s probably worth throwing in that, while working on this book / course material Jimmy never let up on his 300 gigs a year, still recorded new TV shows and also managed to work on Fackham Hall. And then getting Fackham over the finish line generated a slew of radio / podcast appearances to promote it. Hardest working man in comedy!
Most recent at top:
2026 October 7th
Update post noting Audible cover image (above) and length of audio file. See here.
2026 October 2nd
On the 7th Amanda and Abi will be hosting a final run through of part of the comedy course they have been working on, with Jimmy. Details here.
2026 September 20th
Hardback signed copies on pre-order (UK), all 3 authors feature on Audible and latest Amazon charts info. See here.
2026 September 5th
Podcast clip published as a promotional video. As we get closer to the release date, I’m sure there will be more of these. See here.
2026 September 4th
Jimmy has finished recording the book for Amazon Audible. Images here.
2026 August 29th
Another update on how the book is doing on the Amazon charts (pre-orders). See here.
2026 August 16th
The promo video (of the 11th) has had a huge impact on the Amazon pre-order charts. See here.
2026 August 11th
Promo video released – inserted above. Announcement post here.
2026 August 10th
This episode (here) of the Modern Wisdom podcast was recorded July 17th and Jimmy discusses (1 hour 14) how he thinks you can teach someone to be a comedian. He refers to the upcoming book release and that they are working on a follow up course.
2026 August 3rd
Another post here re the book appearing on more Amazon charts. It’s Top 10 in charts (of some categorisation or other) in 6 countries…but also has some weird ones defined. Pretty sure the book won’t be about “Juggling”…
2026 July 28th
Although still only on pre-order the book is appearing on some of the Amazon charts. See post here.
2026 July 28th
On July 13th Jimmy had filmed a 6th Kill Tony (here). Tony gave a shout out to the book, said he was reading it and this has garnered some pre-orders, judging by the comments.
2026 July 23rd
Cover image added above. Note the text is slightly different to the initial advertised sub-title text. Will have to see whether cover details change.
2026 July 9th
This page was set up today to capture all the information available, as it trickles out. The book’s details appeared on Amazon UK, Waterstones, Hachette’s etc.
2026 April 2nd
Jimmy appeared on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place and briefly referred to this project – here.
2025 December 15th
This project has not been mentioned in a while as everything has been focussed on Fackham Hall. But a brief mention in this BBC R4 The Comedy Club (part 3 of 4 – here) that he’s “working on a book about it“.
2025 April 2nd
On 2nd April 2025, Jimmy appeared on The Project (Australian TV) and talked about how his book/course project was taking a “long time”.
2024 October
In October 2024 Stella Graham posted on X about a course that Amanda and Abi Grant were running called Stage Craft: The Secrets to Comic Timing (also at The Top Secret Comedy Club).
It was described as a 4-week course that was again described as a “preview to the online launch with Jimmy Carr early next year
2024 May
Amanda Baker’s course (at The Top-Secret Comedy Club in London) ran in May 2024, across 4 afternoons (1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd). Led by her and Abi the promotion said “It is a preview to the online launch with Jimmy Carr later in the year.”
2024 April 16th
Jimmy appeared on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show and talked about the Rosetta Stone of Comedy. This was the “codename” he had started using for his idea of a book / course on comedy writing.
2023, Q4
Hard to confirm that this happened but Jimmy had said that, around late 2023, course material try-outs were happening at Joe Rogan’s Comedy Mothership club (Austin, Texas). In this November 2023 Chrissy Chaos podcast Jimmy mentioned running the course for a month at Joe’s Club. He said it would be between “thanksgiving and Christmas”.
2023 October 8th
Jimmy appears on Modern Wisdom and says he’s working on something, he’s not yet sure whether it’s a book or a course, to teach comedy. See video at 1 hour 11 – here.
2023 September
Amanda and Abi were quietly teaching bits of a new course, around London.
