Seann Walsh, Stewart Lee and others to hail Downstairs at the King's Head

The maker of the acclaimed documentary about comedian Ian Cognito is working on a new film about the oldest comedy venue in Britain.

Downstairs at The King’s Head in Crouch End, North London, has been running continuously since it started hosting stand-up in 1981.

Several comics who have graced its stage have been interviewed for the film, including Seann Walsh (pictured above at the venue), Miles Jupp, Nick Helm, Phil Nichol and Jenny Collier  – with Roisin Conaty and Stewart Lee also lined up.

Owner Peter Grahame,  who has been booking the club since the start, will also feature. He has famously kept notes on every comedy performance since the club’s inception.

Provisionally titled The Oldest Comedy Club In Britain, the documentary is set to have its premiere at the Leicester Comedy Festival in February.

It is being made by comedian and director Joe Bor, below, who is one of the many stand-ups who performed their first stand-up gig there.

He said: ‘The acts we’ve interviewed explain why it is such an important gig, while Peter explains how the club and the comedy scene has changed over the years.

‘There are some great stories of the unusual acts that have performed there and when performances didn't go to plan, including a particular favourite of mine about a particularly bad ventriloquist.

‘It's all about the club and Peter and how they have impacted on the UK comedy scene. I feel like it's an important film.’

The film will also chart how Downstairs at The King’s Head has struggled in recent years as the comedy scene changes – however it is described as a ‘story of survival’ as well as a ‘nostalgic, hilarious, and heartwarming film’.

Grahame, above in the documentary, told Chortle: ‘Joe approached me a few months ago with a view to a short film about our longevity. It seems to have grown into a larger project with a succession of talking heads reminiscing about their gigs at the club.’

And he joked: Although I haven’t seen any of the footage, I’d guess most of it covers my inappropriate behaviour, general misanthropy and specific hatred of comedians The whole process has relit painful memories and reminded me of people I’d never wanted to think of again, let alone relive some of the awful shows that we are so well known for.

‘The premise is that we could possibly claim to be the oldest "alternative" comedy club still in its original home; which is patently incorrect as the Houses of Parliament are still there.’

Downstairs at The Kings Head  opened two years after the Comedy Store, but that groundbreaking club has changed venue twice over the decades.

Bor has also put out an appeal for any footage or photos from the venue that migth add to the documentary. Send them to him at joe@millerbor.com.

Meanwhile, Ian Cognito: A Life and A Death On Stage (Review) – the film Bor made with fellow comic Danny Ward  – is currently available to watch for free on Amazon’s Freevee service.

» Downstairs at the King’s Head gig listings.

Published: 5 Oct 2022