Down the Hatch Comedy Club - Queer & Alternative Comedy

Down the Hatch is back at Komedia on Sunday 4 July, the queer and alternative comedy night that's been a Brighton staple for years. It's run by resident MC Lee Peart, and the night has a Chortle Award to its name. The room it fills is the Komedia Basement in the North Laine, which took home Best Comedy Venue in the South at the Chortle Awards 2026 — a space patron Paul Keaveny described as an institution that goes back more years than he cares to think of.

What makes it work is the mix. It's a space for queer stand-ups, character comedians, musical performers, drag acts, ventriloquists and other alternative acts, so you're rarely seeing the same kind of set twice in one night. Allies are welcome and the room is open to over-18s. It's also a bit of a conveyor belt for names that go on to much bigger things: past acts include Alan Carr, James Acaster, Zoe Lyons, Suzi Ruffell and Jessica Fostekew, and cabaret star Mark T Cox has given it his praise. The 2026 charity partner is the Allsorts Youth Project, a local charity supporting young people under 26 who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer or exploring their identity.

It runs on the first Sunday of the month, with the show starting at 19:00 and doors opening at 18:00. Tickets are £8, and the whole thing takes place in the basement of Komedia, 44-47 Gardner Street, BN1 1UN.