The Frog & Bucket Comedy Club will be launching in October 2009 on the site of what was Coda and The Venue, near the Bus Station in Preston.

The legendary Manchester comedy club has decided to branch out and has secured a strong line-up for its first show on Friday 2nd October 2009.

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Preston-born Dan Nightingdale is on the bill, along with Smug Roberts (star of Phoenix Nights), Steve Shanyaski and MC Jason Cook.

This is followed on Saturday 3rd October 2009 with a Dan Nightingdale compered show with Anvil Springstien, David Longley and a very special guest on the bill.

The Friday show is £10 or £6 for concessions, the Saturday show is £12 or £6 for concessions. Tickets are available by calling 0161 236 9805.

On Wednesdays they also bring their ‘Beat The Frog’ open mic comedy night to the venue, where the audience decides how long you stay on the stage. It’s free entry on the night, or £3 to reserve.

So, in a recession why open a brand new comedy club? We asked a few questions to the owners of the new club.

Why did you choose Preston to open the club?

Preston is a vibrant city with a great mix of people; where better to open a comedy club? There is a big gap for a dedicated comedy club alongside the smaller clubs which operate in Preston, and we are happy to bridge that gap. We hope to help build up the comedy scene in Preston by supporting local, flegling talent at our Beat The Frog nights, as well as professional comedians from the national and international circuit at our flagship Barrel of Laughs show.

What attracted you to the site? Why did you choose the site?

It’s a lovely, intimate feeling club which we think will be perfect for comedy. The fact that it is right in the city centre, over the road from the bus depot and ten minutes away from the train station doesn’t hurt either. The added bonus is the ‘Greenroom’, which is our external bar that will be open 7 days a week serving a great selection of food and drink, whether the comedy club is open or not.

How are you hoping to make your night different from other comedy nights in Preston?

The Frog and Bucket has experience of running live comedy venues since 1993. We’re passionate about comedy and are comepletely committed to making this venture work. We have a roster of great shows coming up, and we’re especially looking forward to launching Beat The Frog which is our infamous gong show, where the audience gets to decide who stays on stage and who goes. It sounds cruel, but it’s a lot of fun. We can’t wait to help build up the growing comedy scene along with the other clubs here in Preston.

Image credit to Tony Worrall