Waterloo Comedy Club

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The is the brainchild of Chris Underwood, thought up after watching his stand up mates suffer and share the stage with some very questionable acts at open mic nights. After acts such as Pig Man - don't ask - and mostly unfunny drunks and chancers, Chris had the idea that good quality but fairly unknown acts needed a better platform to highlight their talents, so he started his own club, based at The Horse, in Waterloo.



The last few years it has gone from strength to strength offering established and new professional comedians a stage, away from the crazies of the open mic circuit, to showcase their diverse talents in front of an intimate audience. They run about 15 shows a year, always fresh and evolving and securing bigger and better names each time, whilst always championing the lesser know acts too.

I personally have always avoided stand up nights as I usually find them very hit and miss and if I am honest, mostly not funny. But the shows that I have seen at The have been hilarious, and I have not stopped laughing. They are all very different, but complimentary acts that appear on one night, so even though they can be worlds apart with their approach and style, it totally works and flows. That has to do with Chris and his team selecting the right acts and understanding what their audience needs, and also largely down to the regular MC Ben Harrington, who is a natural at moving things along and keeping the energy levels up.



Not only that, unlike most money making ventures this is actually all for charity, how it works is that they offer the acts the cheapest price they can for the night, and then donate the rest of the ticket money to a charity of their choice. Tickets are just £15 and groups over five can get further discounts - so just ask.

Through this worthwhile approach they are able to get some big names in comedy for a small fee, and raise often substantial amounts of money for some excellent charities from the Princes Trust to a small regional hospice to a feeding programme in South Africa.

Chris says he will never book an act without seeing them first, it really is quality over quantity, it's not about just selling tickets it's about providing an excellent night out and showcasing really talented people.

The established on the comedy circuit acts that have played at include Paul Foot, Andi Osho, Miles Jupp, Isy Suttie, Lucy Porter and Mitch Benn.



Some of the lesser known, but actually my personal favourites who have performed are Tim Shishodia, Tom Bell, McNeil and Pamphilon and Tiff Mason.



The biggest act to play was Father Ted legend Ardal O'Hanlon - aka Father Dougal - who was just awesome, and they actually had to turn people away from the door for that show.

I personally felt really comfortable there, it's a great venue and a really welcoming environment and you just feel really looked after, like it's just you and a bunch of mates watching some very funny people.

So not only do you get a brilliant night of high-quality comedy, in a great club, but you also know that you have giving to some wonderful causes. It's a great night out and I would recommend to anyone who is looking for something a little different on a rainy London evening, who wants a laugh and a fun, affordable night out with mates.

Chris says it makes all the hard work worthwhile when the show is in full swing and he watches from the sidelines these fab acts making it look so effortless - it's not of course - and the laughing faces of the sellout crowd.



Coming up are two Christmas shows on Wednesday 12 December with comedy legend Simon Munnery headlining and Wednesday 19 December with headliner Hal Cruttenden. Other acts for theses two shows are all big names on TV, radio or have won one of the big national comedy awards, or even all three. They include Joe Wilkinson, Diane Morgan, Marcel Lucont, Matthew Osborne, Milo McCabe and David Mills.

It is really not to be missed - visit the Website for more details and to find out how to book. You will laugh your socks off and give to charity - what could be better than that. The nearest tube stations are Waterloo and Lambeth North.

Like or follow them on Facebook and Twitter to get updates, news and more information.

They also do custom made events for private functions. Perhaps a works Christmas party with a difference?

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#charity
#nightlife
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