More and more comedians are uploading their improvised encounters with audience members. But do these interactions detract from the craft of standup?

The front row of a comedy club is a scary place to be. Those courageous enough to brave that spot – or any stragglers forced to tentatively perch there – do so knowing that, at any moment, a microphone could be thrust into their face by a comedian asking them what they do for a living. Such unscripted back-and-forths – or “crowd work” in comedy parlance – have always been a part of standup, often seen as a benchmark to separate the good writers or performers from those with truly funny bones. It’s these moments, when tension fizzes and audience members squirm, that attenders regale to their friends with the phrase: “You had to be there.”

But thanks to the internet, you don’t actually have to be in the room to see crowd work. Now, TikTok and Instagram are flooded with footage of standup comics showing off their wit through off-the-cuff interactions where they ask the audience members who they’re here with or what country they’re from, and improvise around the answers. When these clips are posted online, they share the same instantly recognisable template. The dialogue is accompanied by fast-moving subtitles where words are highlighted one by one, both to improve accessibility and hold on to users’ ever-shortening attention spans. Then, they’re packaged up with a caption distilling the exchange in to a single theme or an enticing title to drive engagement: “Heckler can’t handle it” or “Audience member breaks comedians”. It’s pure comedy clickbait, and the latest string to the comedian turned content-creator’s bow.