The Glee Club is a chain of independent live

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...

and

live music A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

venues in the UK. The first Glee Club was opened by Mark Tughan in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

Chinese Quarter Birmingham Chinatown in Birmingham, England is located in the city centre's Southside, Birmingham, Southside. It is an area with a predominantly China, Chinese influence as a result of a concentration of Chinese owned businesses, organisations and ...

in 1994,Doors will open on an improved Glee club
Birmingham Post, 25 October 2001 the first dedicated comedy club to open in the United Kingdom outside

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

.Brum loses out in comedy stakes
Evening Mail, 8 October 2003 A second branch opened in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

in 2001 with a third club opening in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

in April 2010 and a fourth, two room club debuted in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

in September 2010. The latest club to come online is The Glee Club

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

which opened in February 2019. A number of major names cut their teeth playing at The Glee, including

Jack Dee James Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee (born 24 September 1961) is an English stand-up comedian, actor, presenter, and writer known for his sarcasm, irony, and deadpan humour. He wrote and starred in the sitcom '' Lead Balloon'' and hosts the panel show ...

Peter Kay Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. Born and raised in Farnworth, Kay studied media performance at the University of Salford and later began working part-time as a stand-up comedian. In 199 ...

Lee Mack Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...

and

Ross Noble Ross Markham Noble (born 6 June 1976) is an English stand-up comedian and actor. Noble rose to mainstream popularity through making appearances on British television, particularly interviews and on panel shows such as '' Have I Got News for You' ...

.Laws, Roz
"Birmingham's first comedy club The Glee Club celebrates 20 years of jokes"
''

Birmingham Post The ''Birmingham Post'' is a weekly printed newspaper based in Birmingham, England, with distribution throughout the West Midlands. First published under the name the ''Birmingham Daily Post'' in 1857, it has had a succession of distinguished ...

'', Birmingham, 5 September 2014. Retrieved on 28 October 2005. The brand has been directly involved with numerous urban comedy festivals in their host cities, and also presented stand-up stages at major outdoor events, including

V Festival V Festival, often referred to as V Fest or simply V, was an annual music festival held in the United Kingdom during the third weekend in August. The event was held at two parks simultaneously which shared the same bill; artists performed at one ...

from 2012-2017. The Glee Club Comedy Tent at V welcomed appearances from

Sean Lock Sean Lock (22 April 1963 – 16 August 2021) was an English comedian and actor. He began his comedy career as a stand-up comedian and in 2000, he won the British Comedy Award, in the category of Best Live Comic, and was nominated fo ...

(V2012),

Eddie Izzard Suzy Eddie Izzard ( ; born Edward John Izzard, 7 February 1962) is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomi ...

and

Josh Widdicombe Joshua Michael Widdicombe (; born 8 April 1983) is an English comedian, presenter and actor. He is best known for his appearances on ''The Last Leg'' (2012–present), '' Fighting Talk'' (2014–2016), '' Insert Name Here'' (2016–2019), ''Moc ...

(V2013),

Alan Carr Alan Graham Carr (born 14 June 1976) is an English comedian, broadcaster, and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the '' City Life'' Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards. In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeo ...

(V2014),

Frankie Boyle Francis Martin Patrick Boyle (born 16 August 1972) is a Scottish comedian and writer. Boyle first gained widespread recognition as a regular panellist on the comedy show '' Mock the Week'' from 2005 until 2009. He then created and starred in t ...

and

Russell Kane Russell Kane (born Russell David Anthony Grineau; 19 August 1975) is an English writer, comedian, and actor. He has four times been nominated at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, winning the Best Comedy Show award in 2010. Although known mainly for ...

(V2016), and

Joe Lycett Joe Harry Lycett (born 1988), also known by the self-given moniker "Mummy", and officially self-renamed briefly as Hugo Boss in 2020, is a British comedian, television presenter, and painter. He has appeared on many TV shows, including '' Live ...

(V2017).

Comedy show

The Glee's regular comedy show consists of three acts from the UK and international comedy circuits introduced by a compère. The Saturday shows are often followed by a disco in some venues. All clubs also host tour shows by more established acts. Unlike many other comedy clubs, the seating for all comedy gigs is arranged in a theatre style and the clubs' bars close during the performances. Professional comedians enjoy appearing at the clubs; as

Tom Allen Thomas Allen may refer to: Clergy * Thomas Allen (nonconformist) (1608–1673), Anglican/nonconformist priest in England and New England *Thomas Allen (dean of Chester) (died 1732) *Thomas Allen (scholar) (1681–1755), Anglican priest in England ...

reported: "The Glee Club people are excellent at creating an environment where people can enjoy themselves. There's a science to getting the venue and night out right and they are great at attention to detail, everything from the welcome at the door to getting the lighting right. In the past comedy could be quite a macho environment and the Glee Clubs have been great at tackling that and making sure their bills feature diverse performers."Hughes, Tim
"Much Glee: TV funnyman Tom Allen launches comedy club in new Oxford home"
''

Oxford Mail ''Oxford Mail'' is a daily tabloid newspaper in Oxford, England, owned by Newsquest. It is published six days a week. It is a sister paper to the weekly tabloid ''The Oxford Times''. History The ''Oxford Mail'' was founded in 1928 by MP Fra ...

'', Oxford, 12 January 2017. Retrieved on 22 February 2019. Many professional acts also opt to play secret or low-key tour warm-up shows at The Glee. Among those who've previewed largescale theatre and arena shows, and test out new material, are

John Bishop John Bishop (born 30 November 1966) is an English comedian, presenter, actor and former semi pro footballer. His first television appearance was in 2007 on the RTÉ topical-comedy show '' The Panel'', where he was a regular panelist until 20 ...

, Lee Evans,

Michael McIntyre Michael Hazen James McIntyre (born 21 February 1976) is a British comedian, writer, and television presenter. In 2012, he was the highest-grossing stand-up comedian in the world. He currently presents the variety and stand-up comedy show '' Mic ...

Sarah Millican Sarah Jane Millican (' King; born 29 May 1975) is an English comedian. Millican won the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, comedy award for Best Newcomer at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In February 2013 she was listed as one of the 100 most powerf ...

and

Jack Whitehall Jack Peter Benedict Whitehall (born 7 July 1988) is an English comedian, actor, writer and television personality. He is known for his roles as JP in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series '' Fresh Meat'' (2011–2016) and as Alfie Wickers in the BBC ...

Live music

The Glee Clubs have presented live music since April 2001, and presently host gigs in Birmingham, Nottingham, Cardiff and Glasgow. Among the acts who have appeared include

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...

and

Mumford and Sons Mumford may refer to: Places ;In the United States *Mumford, Missouri, an unincorporated community *Mumford, New York, a hamlet in the town of Wheatland, New York *Mumford, Texas, an unincorporated community *Mumford High School in Detroit, Michi ...

. Music was initially brought to the Glee Club by promoter Markus Sargeant.

The Glee Birmingham

Situated in

Southside, Birmingham Southside is a new name for the district in the city centre of Birmingham, England. It contains the Chinese Quarter, the city's Gay Village, The Arcadian and the Hippodrome Theatre. At the end of May 2009, the Birmingham City Council approved pl ...

, The Glee's original home opened in leisure development The Arcadian on 10 September 1994, and was the first dedicated comedy club to open in the UK outside

. The 20th anniversary show, in 2014, was compered by

. The venue is home to several unique nights including ''Comedy Carousel'' and ''Rough Works''. Hosted and created by comedian Andy Robinson, ''Comedy Carousel'' has won several awards including multiple What's On Readers' Awards for Best Comedy Club Night and a Chortle Award for Best Comedy Club Show 2015, while actress and comedian Jo Enight's ''Rough Works'' provides a platform for new and established acts try out new material. Also taking place at the club is ''The

Birmingham Comedy Festival Birmingham Comedy Festival is an annual arts festival in the city of Birmingham. The festival takes place throughout the city for 10 days during October. While primarily focused on stand-up comedy, it also includes films, theatre, cabaret, visual ...

Breaking Talent Award'', which recognises new and emerging talent from the West Midlands. Many local comics have graced the Glee's stage, including

Jasper Carrott Robert Norman Davis (born 14 March 1945), known by his stage name, Jasper Carrott, is an English comedian, writer, actor, singer and television presenter. His credits include '' An Audience With Jasper Carrott'' (1978), '' The Secret Policeman ...

Lenny Henry Sir Lenworth George Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a British Jamaicans, British-Jamaican comedian, actor and writer. He gained success as a Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in ' ...

and Guz Khan.

The Glee Cardiff

A second branch opened in

in 2001 and is located in the Mermaid Quay development in

Cardiff Bay Cardiff Bay (; colloquially "The Bay") is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it is the river mouth of the River Taff and River Ely, Ely. The body of water was converted into a lake as part ...

. The opening night line-up included

Mark Lamarr Mark Lamarr (born Mark Jones; 7 January 1967) is an English comedian, radio disc jockey and television presenter. He was a team captain on ''Shooting Stars (1993 TV series), Shooting Stars'' from 1995 to 1997, and hosted ''Never Mind the Buzzcock ...

and was "an instant hit" with audiences."Interview with Glee Comedy Owner Mark Tughan"
''

British Comedy Guide British Comedy Guide or BCG (formerly the British Sitcom Guide or BSG) is a Great Britain, British website covering British comedy, British comedies. BCG publishes guides to TV and radio situation comedy, sketch shows, comedy dramas, satire, va ...

'', 25 January. Retrieved on 22 February 2019. The venue has a seated capacity of 440 and a standing capacity of 600.

ITV Wales ITV Cymru Wales is the ITV franchise for Wales. The new separate licence began on 1 January 2014, replacing the long-serving dual franchise region ITV Wales & West serving Wales and the West of England, which had previously used the branding "I ...

broadcast a series of eight stand up shows from the venue in 2006. It won the

Chortle Award The Chortle Awards were set up in 2002 by the comedy website Chortle to honour the best of established stand-up comics currently working in the UK. A panel of reviewers draw up a shortlist, which is presented for public vote at the Chortle webs ...

for Best Venue (Wales and West) 10 times between 2002-2017.

The Glee Oxford

The third Glee Club opened in Hythe Bridge Street,

in April 2010 with a one-off appearance from

Shappi Khorsandi Shaparak Khorsandi (, ; born 8 June 1973), who previously performed as Shappi Khorsandi, is an Iranian-born British comedian and author. She is the daughter of the Iranian political satirist and poet Hadi Khorsandi. Her family left Iran for ...

and Angelos Epithemiou, and went on to host appearances from

and

. Due to redevelopment of the area, the club relocated to The Bullingdon in Cowley Road, Oxford, on 14 January 2017. Appearing on opening night were

and

Ellie Taylor Eleanor Jane Taylor is an English comedian, television personality, actress, and writer. After appearing as a contestant on '' Show Me the Funny'' in 2011, Taylor has appeared on numerous television shows, including '' 8 Out of 10 Cats'' (2011 ...

. Tom described appearing as "a big honour."

The Glee Nottingham

A fourth, two room club debuted in

on 15 September 2010.Whiter, Tom
"Glee Club aims to 'break some new ground' in Nottingham"
''

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

'', Nottingham, 17 August 2010. Retrieved on 22 February 2019. Situated in the British Waterways Building, on The Waterfront development, the venue programmes comedy, music and special events. Hollywood actor and Academy Award winner

Tim Robbins Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film '' The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and Jacob Singer in '' Jacob's Ladder'' (1990), as well as winning an Academy ...

and his Rogues Gallery Band was the venue's first music show, while a pre-fame

Jake Bugg Jake Bugg (born Jake Edwin Charles Kennedy on 28 February 1994) is an English singer-songwriter. His self-titled debut album, ''Jake Bugg (album), Jake Bugg'', some of which was co-written with songwriter Iain Archer, was released in October 20 ...

had a residency here in 2011,.Atkinson, Mike
"The gig venue guide: The Glee Club, Nottingham"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', London, 31 March 2015. Retrieved on 28 October 2005. The club also hosts regular

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

and

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

nights hosted by The Gilded Merkin.

The Glee Glasgow

The Glee Club

opened on 1 February 2019 in Renfrew Street, and featured a rare club appearance by

, plus Gary Little,

Geoff Norcott Geoffrey Frank Norcott (born 16 December 1976) is an English comedian, writer and political commentator. He first performed in 2001 and has appeared on ''Mock the Week'', '' Live at the Apollo'' and '' Question Time'', and written for ''The Dai ...

and MC Jay Lafferty. The club was planned for several years, and is open for regular mixed bill comedy nights on Fridays and Saturdays, with touring shows at other times. A mural in the entrance/ bar area depicts Scottish comedians

Kevin Bridges Kevin Andrew Bridges (born 13 November 1986) is a Scottish stand-up comedian. His 2012 television series ''Kevin Bridges: What's the Story?'' was based on his stand-up routines. He has appeared on many television panel shows, including '' Woul ...

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, musician, television presenter, artist and retired stand-up comedian. He is sometimes known by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his idiosyncratic and of ...

and

by local artist Michael Scott.

Awards

Chortle Awards The Chortle Awards were set up in 2002 by the comedy website Chortle to honour the best of established stand-up comics currently working in the UK. A panel of reviewers draw up a shortlist, which is presented for public vote at the Chortle webs ...

2002: Best Venue - Midlands Runner-Up (Birmingham); West/Wales Winner (Cardiff) * Chortle Awards 2003: Best Venue West/Wales (Cardiff) * Chortle Awards 2004: Best Venue East/West Midlands (Birmingham) * Chortle Awards 2005: Best Venue West/Wales (Cardiff) * Chortle Awards 2006: Best Venue West/Wales (Cardiff) * Chortle Awards 2007: Best Venue West/Wales (Cardiff) * Chortle Awards 2008: Best Venue West/Wales (Cardiff) * Chortle Awards 2009: Best Venue Midlands/East (Birmingham); West/Wales (Cardiff) * Chortle Awards 2010: Best Venue Midlands/East (Birmingham) * Chortle Awards 2011: Best Venue Midlands/East (Birmingham); West/Wales (Cardiff) * Chortle Awards 2012: Best Venue Midlands/East (Birmingham) * Chortle Awards 2013: Best Venue Midlands/East (Birmingham) *

Midlands Comedy Awards The Midlands Comedy Awards are an annual awards ceremony for live comedy performers and comedy clubs based in The Midlands region of England. It also recognises achievement in online comedy. They were founded in 2014 and give out awards in eleven ca ...

2014: Best Comedy Club - Runner-up''

'' * Chortle Awards 2014: Best Venue Midlands/East (Birmingham); West/Wales (Cardiff) * Chortle Awards 2015: Best Club Night Midlands/East - Comedy Carousel (Birmingham); Best Venue Midlands/East (Birmingham) * Midlands Comedy Awards 2016: Best Comedy Club - Runner-up * Chortle Awards 2016: Best Venue Midlands/East (Birmingham) * Midlands Comedy Awards 2017: Best Comedy Club * Chortle Awards 2017: Best Venue Midlands/East (Birmingham); West/Wales Winner (Cardiff) * What's On Readers' Awards 2017: Best Midlands Comedy Night - Comedy Carousel (Birmingham) * Midlands Comedy Awards 2018: Best Comedy Club * What's On Readers' Awards 2018: Best Midlands Comedy Night - Comedy Carousel (Birmingham) * Chortle Awards 2019: Best Venue Midlands (Birmingham); Wales and The West Winner (Cardiff) * What's On Readers' Awards 2019: Best Midlands Comedy Night - Comedy Carousel (Birmingham) * Midlands Comedy Awards 2019: Best Comedy Club * Chortle Awards 2020: Best Venue Midlands & East Winner (Birmingham); Best Venue Wales Winner (Cardiff) * What's On Readers' Awards 2020: Best Midlands Comedy Night - Comedy Carousel (Birmingham) * Midlands Comedy Awards 2022: Best Comedy Club (Birmingham) * Chortle Awards 2023: Best Venue Midlands, West and Wales (Birmingham)"Chortle Awards 2023 Which are the best comedy venues of 2023?"
''

Chortle (website) Chortle is a British comedy website launched in 2000 by Steve Bennett. The site is a major source of comedy news in the UK. It also reviews comedy shows nationwide, including extensively at the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and presents the C ...

References

External links

Glee.co.uk
Official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Glee Club Comedy clubs in the United Kingdom Performing arts in Birmingham, West Midlands Entertainment venues in England