The Comedy Experiment

The Comedy Experiment is back at The Caroline of Brunswick on Saturday 17 October, starting at 4pm. It's a regular afternoon club that runs on the first, second and fourth Saturday of every month, and it wraps up by 6:30pm, so you're out well before the evening really kicks off.

The whole point of the club is the mix. You'll get brand-new acts on the same bill as seasoned professionals road-testing new material in front of a supportive crowd of comedy lovers. It's that specific kind of room where a comedian might be trying out a joke for the first time, and the next person on stage is a household name working through a new set. The club positions itself as the cheapest place to see top acts, including TV headliners, as a live alternative to what you'd get on Netflix.

That TV connection runs deep. The Comedy Experiment claims to have been the first testing ground for jokes that later aired on Live At The Apollo, and the venue has hosted names like Rhod Gilbert, Jon Richardson, Josie Long, Richard Herring, Sara Pascoe, Romesh Ranganathan, Isy Suttie, Katherine Ryan and Josh Widdicombe. It's a place where big names come to workshop their latest bits before they end up on a special or a series.

On the practical side, it's a pay-what-you-can donation on your way out, with free tickets available, so you can give what you can afford. The show starts at 4pm at The Caroline of Brunswick, 39 Ditchling Road, Brighton, BN1 4SB, and finishes by 6:30pm.