Comedy / The Gaffe Comedy Club
Behind the scenes at The Gaffe: Bristol’s new home of live comedy
There is a new home for live comedy taking root in the heart of Bristol City Centre.
Nestled beneath Dareshack on Wine Street, The Gaffe Comedy Club is a dedicated space for standup in all its forms, welcoming touring comics, established acts and emerging talent on multiple nights of the week.
The project has been a long time coming. Led by Bristol standup Harry Allmark and his team, its origins date back to 2020 when regular comedy nights were held in The Room Above, the tiny space above The White Bear pub on St Michael’s Hill (also the former home to The Wardrobe Theatre before it moved to Old Market in 2015).
Jamali Maddix at The Gaffe Comedy Club
At that time, Allmark was unable to find anywhere to live and spent months sleeping at the back of the venue. But, despite those early obstacles, he remained undaunted in what he wanted, eventually, to achieve.
“Since then, it’s been about figuring out what we want the comedy scene in Bristol to grow into,” he says, “and how we can create something that supports the local community while giving audiences a chance to see huge stars alongside homegrown talent.”
There have been many bumps in the road since, not least of which the news in 2024 that The Room Above had to close.
The team had to find new homes for their shows in pop-ups across the city. “It was a huge challenge,” recalls Allmark, “but our audience stayed loyal and kept supporting us. I’m so grateful for that.”
The Gaffe Comedy Club audience
Typically, the search for a permanent venue concluded mid-way through the team’s relaunch of the Bristol Comedy Festival, which took place over a fortnight in January 2025.
“Renovating a new club while running 10 shows a day – it was pure chaos!” Allmark admits, citing the “phenomenal effort” of a team investing so much of their time, passion and energy to bring their collective vision to life.
Rosie Jones at The Gaffe Comedy Club
So far, their enthusiasm has proved justified, matched by keen audiences and a growing list of celebrity fans, including Paul Whitehouse, Mark Watson and Bristol’s own Jayde Adams.
Recently, The Gaffe has held numerous weekday and weekend comedy nights, hosted standup stars including Rosie Jones, Jamali Maddix and Sara Barron, and run plenty of late-night specials including a Valentine’s dating game and a comedy lock-in.
As for their future wishlist? “We’ve already got so many great names lined up,” smiles Allmark, “but for me, I remember staying up late to watch Russell Howard’s Good News – it would be great to have such a Bristol legend perform on our stage.
The Gaffe Comedy Club audience
“There’s so many incredible comedians working at the moment, many of whom we’ve had the pleasure of working with, and the list is too long to ever have them all on one club night.
“And actually, I think the best nights happen when it’s a mix of big names and new talent.
“That blend creates such a magical environment where both comedians and audiences are excited to experience a true one-off night that is special for everyone who’s come to that show.”
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To find out what’s on and purchase tickets to all events at The Gaffe and its sister venues, Basement 45 and The Robin Hood, follow @thegaffecomedy or visit www.tickettailor.com/events/thegaffecomedyclub.
All photos: The Gaffe Comedy Club
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