One of the UK's oldest comedy clubs to close

London’s Banana Cabaret comedy club – one of the oldest in the UK and the place where Eddie Izzard first performed stand-up – is to close after 43 years.

The club was set up in the impressive club room of the The Bedford pub in Balham in 1983 by comics including Paul Merton, Mark Steel and Nick Revell – whose flatmate and old schoolfriend Andy Waring, initially ran it.

Now its promoter Dave Vickers has announced he is retiring bringing the curtain down on the Banana Cabaret with a final gig on May 30.

He joined the original team in the 1980s to set up a second space in the venue for full-length solo shows and became the Banana’s act booker in the 1990s as Waring, the great-nephew of legendary rugby commentator Eddie Waring, took more of a back seat.

Vickers, pictured, took over completely in around 2000 and in 2010 he and comedian John Moloney set up the Balham Comedy Festival in the same venue, which has become an annual fixture.

Vickers – who originally planned to lend a hand for just a few months between jobs as a theatre production manager – told Chortle today: ‘I simply want to retire as I’ve just reached state pension age and can hopefully afford to. I want to spend some weekends with my wife and have just had a granddaughter. 

‘I’ve absolutely loved it but after four decades I want to stop as it’s the sort of job where you can never close the door behind you and go on holiday, for example. I’ve been seen running across campsites trying to get reception as someone has pulled a gig at short notice.’

He added that ‘being at the vanguard of a new movement that was quite underground and dynamic’ was the highlight of his career. ‘If you wanted to see a comic you had to come to one of the handful of clubs. There was no one on TV or touring in the early days. 

‘Other highlights were seeing Ian Cognito for the first time, and seeing colleagues become household names. There have been so many amazing gigs it’s hard to pick particular ones out.’ 

Those who have played the unique venue - a round, two-storey space – include Lee Evans, Michael McIntyre, Jo Brand, Catherine Tate, Jack Dee, Rob Brydon and Sarah Millican.

Announcing the news to its email list, the club said: ‘Dave Vickers, comedy promoter and the beating heart of Banana Cabaret, has decided to have the Last Laugh and retire. After more than forty years, our beloved Banana Cabaret  will take a final bow, at the end of May.

‘Opening in 1983, Banana Cabaret comedy club was at the vanguard of the new alternative comedy movement, and continued to be a shining light through the golden age of live stand-up, playing a vital role in weaving this exciting and unique art form into the fabric of British culture.

‘As owner and promoter, Dave Vickers has offered a supportive and friendly atmosphere, creating one of the best places to nurture new talent, with most household names having graced the Banana Cabaret stage over the years. The club gained iconic status in the industry, garnering loyalty and affection, and the cream of comedy has consistently enjoyed the opportunity to play in a unique, intimate venue to a discerning audience.’

Revell told Chortle how the club was first set up, also with aid of comic John Irwin, a friend of Merton’s

He said: ‘We all used to to drink in the Bedford as we all lived locally. One night, Andy discovered that function room when he got lost on the way back from the gents’. We’d been drinking there for a year or so. We all went and had a look, and decided to give it a go.

‘We all used to suggest acts, and would perform for free so we could guarantee £50 to the headliner. I think the first paid one was John Hegley. But in the autumn late winter of 1983, the first few gigs certainly featured Brave New Comedy, which was Paul, Arnold Brown, Norman Lovett and me. We toured for about 18 months. 

‘Not sure why we didn’t have a compere - Andy just used to announce the acts, and that format continues, I think. Probably because there came a point where none of the founder acts could be there regularly. Or maybe because the first night might have been Brave New Comedy and we never used a compere. 

‘Paul and I came up with the name. I suggested Bananas, then Paul suggested making it singular, as it stressed more that it was the slang word for a comedian in vaudeville and music-hall.

‘I suppose not having a compere does make it unique. And I don’t know why it works. I guess it relies on trusting the audience to be grown-ups and be responsible themselves for focussing on the stage.

‘Strange having a circular balcony; again, maybe the shape of the room gives it a particular vibe. And also, because everyone involved at the beginning was really more interested in providing a quality night than making huge profits. 

‘Of course, the other really important thing is having consistently committed front of house staff. Andy and Dave have always been really good on that. It’s crucial, because the audience’s mood and relationship with the gig starts not when the show starts, but from the moment they enter the building and get taken through the door. That’s not unique to Banana, of course, but it has always something they care about a lot. 

‘Not wanting to dilute the quality was also why we rejected the idea of trying to be a chain. This was before Jongleurs did it; we anticipated the comedy boom, and I thought we could probably get backing from a brewery to open a few rooms. Andy was dead against it as he reckoned we’d not be able to keep proper quality control over acts, front of house and everything. I took his point. there was for a time a Banana in Acton, but doing two clubs was entirely viable once Dave was also on board.’

The original club opened just four years after the Comedy Store became a focus for the emerging  alternative comedy scene following its first night in May 1979. Downstairs At The Kings’ Head followed in 1981 and is the UK’s oldest club continually operating in the same venue. The Banana and Jongleurs in Battersea followed in 1983 and  the Bearcat, in Twickenham, the following year. 

In a 2009 interview with fellow comic Simon Amstell, Izzard said: ‘I was fairly shit as a stand-up [to begin with].There were 18 months between my first and second gig. My first gig was at the Banana Cabaret; and the first gag was: ‘St Paul’s Letter To The Corinthians, Chapter 12, Verses 1 To 17: Dear Corinthians…’ which got a laugh, but the next five minutes was silence. I probably was not that good. I was pretty good with an audience but I couldn’t write. I’d been through street performing and sketches. I do fuck up a lot before I get good.’

During May, the Banana will stage a Farewell Festival series for acts to return to play one final gig.

• Have you got a memory of the Banana Cabaret, as an act or audience member? Email feedback@chortle.co.uk and we’ll publish the best stories in tribute.

Published: 29 Jan 2026