The Frog & Bucket

With more of a local pub feel than the classy stage sets of venues like The Comedy Store, The Frog & Bucket offers cabaret style seating in a bar setting, with a stage at the front. There's also a balcony area above.

It's a brilliant venue. Manchester's original and longest running comedy club, it's been serving up laughs since 1993. There's a warm and welcoming feel to it, laid back and fun, with an independent spirit that makes it feel like much more than just part of the comedy circuit.

And the people who have appeared in the past display fine pedigree, including Peter Kay, Sarah Millican and Johnny Vegas, so you never know who you're going to see before they hit the big time. Many of them started at one of the Frog's fantastic amateur nights, Beat The Frog. You can still catch well-established acts like Richard Herring here too, who's not only a regular but a huge Frog & Bucket fan too, if his tweets are anything to go by.

As you'd expect, the bar and catering facilities are good, so that you can enjoy a pizza or burger with your ticket, and there's party catering available too for larger groups.

Famously, this is the venue where a young John Bishop had gone as a punter, attending The Frog & Bucket to watch an open mic evening. Out of nowhere, he got on stage and told the one joke he had. Now look at him. Thanks, Frog and Bucket. Thanks a lot...