Herlarious

Long before television panels, sitcoms and stand-up stages, women were using wit to entertain, provoke and challenge. From Restoration playwrights and music hall stars to silent film pioneers, radio favourites, sitcom legends, alternative comedians and today's viral creators, female humour has been part of our cultural landscape for centuries.

Herlarious celebrates that extraordinarry story. Featuring familiar favourites and forgotten pioneers – from Marie Lloyd, Mae West and Lucille Ball to Hattie Jacques, Victoria Wood, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, Dame Meera Syal and the comedians of today – Gemma Ross explores not only who made us laugh, but what their humour reveals about the changing lives of women in a story that stretches across Britain and America and spans more than three centuries of change.

Funny, fascinating and packed with extraordinary stories, Herlarious is a social history told through laughter – showcasing the women who challenged expectations, broke down barriers and changed comedy forever.