Free TV audience tickets: how to get them and what to expect
Studio audience tickets cost nothing. Here's how applying works, why a ticket isn't always a seat, and what to expect on the night.
TOSE isn't paid for the listings in this article.
There's a particular pleasure in watching a programme you love being made in front of you, and in hearing a laugh you were part of make it into the finished show. A studio recording is also that increasingly rare thing: a proper night out that can cost nothing at all, because the tickets are free. Getting them is mostly a matter of knowing how the system works and what to expect once you're through the door.
Free audience tickets for The Last Leg
Friday evenings at Television Centre, White City, London. Ages 18 and over.
Why free TV audience tickets are worth knowing about
The tickets we feature currently come from SRO Audiences, short for Standing Room Only, which has been filling television studio audiences for more than 25 years, from The Vicar of Dibley to The Graham Norton Show. Its shows range from comedy and quiz shows to live sport and live TV, and there's no charge to apply or to join its mailing list.
That makes a recording an easy plan for a date night or an evening with friends. Some shows admit audiences from 16, so it can also be a first studio visit with an older teenager. All of the open shows are on SRO Audiences' page.
How do applications actually work?
You apply online for the show and the dates you'd like. SRO's show pages say successful applicants are selected at random from everyone who applies, and tickets arrive by email. Applying more than once for the same date won't improve your chances, because extra applications are ignored.
SRO also says it works to give every production the right audience for its show, which is why the application asks for more information than an ordinary ticket booking would: your full address, daytime and evening phone numbers, your age and, for some shows, your profession. Some shows ask every guest for their own details, and for some the names on the tickets can't be changed afterwards.
If you aren't picked first time, you aren't necessarily out. Everyone else stays on a waiting list, and when ticket holders say they can't go, those returns are drawn at random too. It's also why unsuccessful applicants aren't usually told: a ticket can still arrive later.
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Join freeWhy a ticket doesn't always guarantee entry
This is the part that surprises people. Shows issue more tickets than there are seats, because some people always fail to turn up. SRO bases the number on how many tickets are usually used at similar shows, so a ticket gives you a chance of a place rather than a promise of one.
Tickets are free and stay that way. They can't be passed on to someone else, and anyone found buying or selling them won't be let in.
What to expect on the day
In our experience, recordings are wonderfully well run. The queues can be long, but they're well organised and move quickly. It pays to arrive a little early: because more tickets are issued than there are seats, being nearer the front of the queue gives you the best chance of getting in.
Bring ID, as you may be asked for it on arrival. Some shows need photo ID for everyone in your party, matching the names on the tickets. The application page for each show gives the door times and how long to allow, and the range is wider than you might expect, from a two-hour evening to most of a morning or afternoon.
Longer recordings have breaks, much like a theatre interval, with time for a drink and a quick snack, unless the show says otherwise. Inside, the studio often looks smaller than it does on screen, and a warm-up act often keeps the room going between takes.
Despite the Standing Room Only name, most audiences are seated, and any show where the audience stands says so on its application form. Recordings can include material that's cut before the programme airs, which is why each production sets its own minimum age. For a few shows, the production team gets in touch before the recording. If anyone in your party has access needs, the ticket itself explains what to do.
Before you apply
There's no way to tip the draw, but a little preparation avoids the obvious problems. Choose dates you can genuinely make, check the age limit before applying on anyone's behalf, and make sure everyone whose details are needed is happy to provide them. Once a date's tickets have been given out, it moves to waiting list only, so it helps to apply soon after a date opens. If you're given tickets and plans change, let SRO know, so your seat goes to someone on the waiting list.
Shows you can apply to see now
The line-up changes as series start and finish, so think of this as a snapshot. Most recordings are in London, with one in Salford. Each card shows when applications close, and once a show ends its card points you to what's open instead.
The Last Leg
Channel 4's satirical look at the week's news, with Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker joined by guests from comedy, entertainment and politics. It's one of the better choices for a group, as you can ask for up to six tickets. It records on Friday evenings at Television Centre in White City, west London, a short walk from White City and Wood Lane tube stations, and finishes at around 11pm. It's for over-18s, and SRO lists each week's guests on its application page as they're announced.
Free audience tickets for The Last Leg
Friday evenings at Television Centre, White City, London. Ages 18 and over.
The Martin Lewis Money Show Live
Made by ITV Studios, this one is particularly appealing if there's a question you've always wanted to put to Martin Lewis, as ticket holders get the chance to ask one during the show. It records in the evening at MultiStory Studios in Covent Garden, central London, close to Covent Garden tube. You can ask for up to two tickets, and each person gets their own, linked to their own email address and phone number. The names you give can't be changed later, and everyone needs photo ID that matches their ticket. The production asks audiences not to come more than once, so more people get their turn, and it contacts ticket holders before the show; occasionally it cancels tickets to make room for other contributors. Most of the audience is seated, though some may stand.
Free audience tickets for The Martin Lewis Money Show Live
MultiStory Studios, Covent Garden, London. Ages 18 and over, photo ID needed.
One Person Found This Helpful
A BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game hosted by Frank Skinner, built around the strangest online reviews, so it's one for anyone who has ever lost an evening reading them. As a radio recording, it's one to listen back to rather than watch. At 16 and over, it has the lowest age limit here, which makes it a good first studio night with an older teenager. It records in the evening at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington, north London, near Caledonian Road on the Piccadilly line, and finishes at around 10pm, and up to four of you can apply together.
Free audience tickets for One Person Found This Helpful
Evening recordings at the Pleasance Theatre, Islington, London. Ages 16 and over.
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Channel 4's comedy mash-up of the panel show and the classic words-and-numbers quiz, hosted by Jimmy Carr. It's the northern option, recorded at Dock10 in MediaCity, Salford, next to the MediaCityUK Metrolink stop, with Broadway stop a five-minute walk away. There are two recordings a day, an early-evening one and a later one, each lasting about two and a half hours. Audiences must be 18 or over, and you can ask for up to four tickets.
Free audience tickets for 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Dock10, MediaCity, Salford. Around two and a half hours. Ages 18 and over.
NFL Big Game Night on 5
Channel 5's Sunday-night American football show, and one for a sports fan who doesn't mind a late finish. Dermot O'Leary, Sam Quek and Osi Umenyiora break down the action, and a celebrity guest joins each week to take part in games, sometimes playing for a prize for the studio audience. It records at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, west London, near Hammersmith tube, and can run to around half past midnight, depending on when the game ends. It's open to over-18s, and groups of up to four can apply together.
Free audience tickets for NFL Big Game Night on 5
Sunday nights at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London. Ages 18 and over.
Trivial Pursuit
The classic board game supersized for television, as SRO puts it, hosted by LeVar Burton of Star Trek: The Next Generation and recorded in London for a US network. It's one for a pair rather than a crowd, as applications are limited to two tickets. There are morning and afternoon recordings, each lasting around four hours, at Garden Studios in Harlesden, north west London, five to ten minutes' walk from Harlesden station on the Bakerloo and Lioness lines. It's for over-18s.
Free audience tickets for Trivial Pursuit
Garden Studios, Harlesden, London. Around four hours. Ages 18 and over.
Call Yourself a Fan?
A football quiz in which three die-hard supporters take on a team of football legends and famous fans; its first series was hosted by Alex Brooker of The Last Leg. It has the strictest age limit of the lot, 25 and over, but suits a bigger group, with up to six tickets per application. There are two recordings a day, one in the early afternoon and one in the early evening, each lasting around two hours, at Mammoth Film Studios in south east London, near Surrey Quays on the Windrush line.
Free audience tickets for Call Yourself a Fan?
Mammoth Film Studios, south east London. Around two hours. Ages 25 and over.
Hearing about new shows first
Fresh dates open as new series are recorded. You can join SRO's general mailing list, or the list for a particular show to hear when booking opens. New SRO shows also appear on SRO Audiences' page on TOSE once our editors have checked them.
A very good night out for the price of a little patience
Few evenings out ask so little of you: no ticket price, no booking fee, just a form and a little patience. SRO asks for nothing in return, though if you enjoyed the night it suggests an entirely optional donation to Comic Relief. Pick a show you would genuinely enjoy seeing, apply when a suitable date opens and, with a little luck, you may find yourself in the audience the next time it airs.
Common questions
Apply on the audience company's site for the show and dates you want. Successful applicants are chosen at random and receive their tickets by email.
