About Us
The North East has a long tradition of producing fantastic comedy talent, from the early days of Bobby Thompson and Viz to Ross Noble and winner of the Edinburgh Festival Newcomer 2008 Sarah Millican.
‘The Grinning Idiot’ is a new comedy brand in Newcastle and invites you and your friends to join us at one of our forthcoming gigs – see the events page for details. ‘The Grinning Idiot’ intends to build a reputation as the best comedy nights in Newcastle and amongst the best in the country, nights of comedy that are enjoyed by both the audience and the comedians. Evenings where the atmosphere is intimate and the focus is on funny, not on how much food and drink is sold, thereby giving Newcastle comedy nights it can be proud of.
‘The Grinning Idiot’ aims to showcase the hottest local talent along with the best National / International Headliners while providing a platform to support the region’s newest up and coming comedians (of which there are plenty).
For newcomers to Live Stand-Up Comedy ‘The Grinning Idiot’ is a fantastic way to spend your evenings, nights you’ll be talking about for days afterwards, one's where you can drink, chat and laugh yourself silly. You might even be lucky enough to see some TV stars and you’ll definitely see the hottest new talent performing in the UK – and you can say you saw them here first.
Not only will we be giving the best value for money live entertainment in Newcastle (3 professional comedians plus MC per show) but the bars also serve quality drinks at affordable prices.
Currently Newcastle only has a small comedy scene but has spawned some of the hottest comedy talent currently performing in the UK;
Sarah Millican – Edinburgh Comedy festival 2008 Best Newcomer.
Jason Cook - Best International Comedy Show, New Zealand 2008.
Seymour Mace - North West Comedian of the year and Star of Johnny Vegas’s Ideal.
Gavin Webster, Barry Dodds, John Fothergill, Mark Maier, Dave Johns, Alfie Joey, Anvil Springsteen, Lee Fenwick, Mickey Hutton, Dan Willis, John Smith, Steffen Peddie, Mike Milligan, Josh Daniels, Christian Steel, Callum Cramb, Kai Humphries and many more.
Unfortunately as many of these acts have developed there has quite often been a need to move away from the region to areas with a larger existing comedy scene (typically London or Manchester) in order to make a living from comedy more economically viable.
To bring these acts back to the area in conjunction with other top headliners ‘The Grinning Idiot Comedy Clubs’ will be running regular nights of comedy at a number of venues.