Heard the one about the comedian who earns more than most Premier League footballers?
Well, luckily for some of Britain’s funniest performers, it's no joke.
Leading comedians such as Peter Kay are now pocketing up to £20million per tour, comfortably outearning more than the average top-flight football stars.
The new rock and roll: Peter Kay made over £20m from his most recent stand-up tour, more than David and Victoria Beckham's 2011 earnings
Comedy royalty: Michael McIntyre, pictured performing at the Help The Heroes Concert in 2010, is another high-earning stand-up star
The extraordinary sums mark a shift towards a new breed of super stand-ups, who can fill the country’s largest stadiums just like major pop stars.
Bolton-born Kay topped the list of estimated earnings from ticket and DVD sales in 2011 with £20.34million – the same amount that David and Victoria Beckham made in 2011.
His total includes profits from £1.04million ticket sales and £1.02million spin-off DVDs. Slapstick comedian Lee Evans earned £12.9million, while Alan Carr collected £5.99million and John Bishop, who quit his job in sales and marketing to pursue stand-up, made £4.98million.
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The list was compiled using industry experts' estimate that comedians keep up to half of the box office takings and a third of the retail price from the spin-off DVDs.
This does not include profits made from non-DVD merchandising, quiz show appearances, autobiographies, corporate gigs, brand endorsement or media fees.
It is a far cry from the days when comedians played small theatres and pub backrooms. Today Kay, 38, boasts sell-out performances at the O2 Arena and a show finale that includes pyrotechnics.
Income: Slapstick comic Lee Evans has raked in over £19m from touring Comedienne Sarah Millican objected to a fan recording part of her stand-up show to show to a relativeBecause it covers only tours and spin-off DVDs from 2011, notable omissions on the list are Michael McIntyre, who is expected to earn up to £20million from his forthcoming 57-date tour, Ricky Gervais and Jimmy Carr.
Ian Corbin, an executive at events promoter Live Nation, said comedians attracted millions to gigs because humour, unlike a lot of music, can appeal across several generations.
He said: 'At gigs these days you can see three generations.
'With someone like Peter Kay, however, you can reach out even further. At his gigs there's 16-year-olds and 76-year-olds.'
The prospect of high profits has tempted many comedians back out on to the road.
Kay's recent tour followed a seven-year gap and Bishop claimed last May that he would be taking two years off, only to announce a new tour five months later.
Veteran comedian John Cleese, 72, also embarked on a two-month Alimony Tour after his £12.5million divorce settlement took a chunk out of his fortune.
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