The Comedy Store

 

COMEDY STORE

 

VO: If you’re looking for laughs in London then the comedy store just off Leicester square is waiting to make you chuckle. Playing host to the world’s finest comedians this 400 seat venue is open most days of the week and guarantees a giggle for anyone staying in the capital…

 

Paul Thorne, Comedian

I would say it’s probably the best comedy venue in the world in fact, not just in Britain

 

Basically you go to a lot of comedy clubs in Britain where there’s a chicken in the basket, a bit of dancing afterwards and a disco and all that kind  of thing where as if you come to the comedy store, comedy is the focus of the evening

 

It’s the perfect design for a comedy club really. It’s got a low ceiling, the audience is right in front of you, it’s in the round, Everything is focused on the stage which for a comic is a real joy

 

The theme of tonight is, I suppose it’s an amateur night really so anyone that thinks that they’re funny can get up and try and tell some jokes. If they last five minutes without being gonged off then basically they might get a paid gig.

 

VO: If you can’t get in at the comedy store then fear not because London has a wealth of smaller laugh-a-minute venues.

 

Well you’ve got a comedy club in every street in London and I think that’s the difference. If you go to Birmingham there’s a couple, if you go to Leeds there’s one or two, if you go to Cardiff there’s a couple whereas in London there’s certainly one in every borough if not every street corner but you’ve got a nice mixture of big venues like this and then rooms above pubs…and then horrible places that you really should never go to but I won’t mention those.

 

Audiences are a bit more gentle, they’ll give you a chance, not like tonight of course where it’s meant to be ruthless.

 

They are a bit more demanding than if you go up to Yorkshire or Lancashire where they see comedy once a month and they are a bit less spoilt, but it’s good for us because it keeps you on your toes…

 

Britain is famous for it’s comedy and for it’s stand up I suppose. It’s famous for its quirky sense of humour all over the world and I think this venue is the best venue in the city if not the country.