Comedy in Camden: where to see stand-up in NW1
A 65-seat club above the Camden Head running seven nights a week, £6 for a show and a pint on Kentish Town Road, a 42-seat pub theatre where Bill Bailey warmed up, and a fringe festival every August. Comedy in Camden, sorted by room.
By Only Camden Editorial
Comedy in Camden is a stand-up habit, not a big night out. The rooms are small, upstairs in pubs, and cheap: £6 gets you a show and a pint on Kentish Town Road on a Tuesday, and there is a comedy club on Camden High Street that runs seven nights a week. Here is where to go, what it costs and what to expect when you get there.
Camden Comedy Club, upstairs at the Camden Head
The main event. Camden Comedy Club has run above the Camden Head at 100 Camden High Street, NW1, since 2014, with shows seven nights a week: stand-up, improv, storytelling, work-in-progress nights and full hour shows. The room was a music venue before the comedians took it over, and it seats 65, so you are never more than a few rows from the stage. Recent names through the door include Stephen Merchant, Aisling Bea, Nish Kumar, Desiree Burch and James Acaster, usually trying out new material.
To find it, walk through the pub to the back and up the narrow stairs. Those stairs matter: the club cannot take wheelchair users and there is no accessible toilet, so if that rules you out, see the other rooms below. It is air-conditioned, which in a room this size is not a small thing. The nearest tubes are Camden Town and Mornington Crescent, and Camden Road Overground is a short walk.
Our tip: the work-in-progress nights are where you see a famous comic for the price of a pint. Expect notes on a pad and a few jokes that do not work yet. That is the fun.
Comedy in Your Eye, the Camden Eye
The cheapest good night in Camden. Comedy in Your Eye runs upstairs at the Camden Eye, 2 Kentish Town Road, NW1, every Tuesday and Thursday from 19:00 to 21:00. The headline deal is £6 for entry and a drink, which means a pint of Brixton beer, a glass of house wine or a soft drink. Booking fees go to charity. Line-ups are kept secret and change every night; comics who have played include Felicity Ward, Sam Campbell, Lou Sanders and Viggo Venn. It is strictly 18 and over, so bring ID.
Two hours, done by nine, and you are back on the High Street for a late pint. If you have never been to live stand-up, start here.
Etcetera Theatre, above the Oxford Arms
The smallest room and the longest history. The Etcetera Theatre has been a pub theatre above the Oxford Arms at 265 Camden High Street, NW1, since 1986, with just 42 seats. It is mostly fringe theatre and new writing, but it has always had a soft spot for comedy: work-in-progress nights for new acts, and warm-up shows over the years from Simon Amstell, Bill Bailey, Milton Jones, Russell Howard, Richard Herring and Jerry Sadowitz. Time Out once called it one of the smallest theatres in London, “punching well above its weight”. Look for comedy on its listings and book early, because 42 seats goes fast.
Camden Fringe, every August
If you are in Camden in August, this is the month. The Camden Fringe started in 2006 as an open-access alternative to Edinburgh, and runs through August in rooms across the area, the Etcetera among them. Shows are generally an hour long and the programme takes in stand-up, sketch, improv and cabaret alongside theatre. The Evening Standard called it “the closest thing we have to a London Comedy Festival”, and Time Out says the tickets are “cheap as chips”. It is the best way to see a lot of new comics before they are on the telly; you will also see some who never will be, and that is part of it.
Camden People’s Theatre, Hampstead Road
For something between stand-up and theatre, Camden People’s Theatre at 58 to 60 Hampstead Road, NW1, puts on new work and solo shows. It is not a comedy club, but if you like your laughs with a story attached, check what is on.
Boxpark Camden, Buck Street
The container market on the old Buck Street Market site by Camden Town station opened with a programme that included comedy nights alongside quizzes, live music and DJs. Line-ups change, so check its events page before you head over. It is a good bet if you want food and a show in one building.
How to do comedy in Camden
- Book ahead for the club. 65 seats at the Camden Head fill up at the weekend.
- Go midweek for value. Tuesday and Thursday at the Camden Eye is the best value in NW1.
- Bring ID. Most comedy nights are 18 and over.
- Sit at the front if you are brave. In rooms this small, everyone is in the front row.
- Make a night of it. The Camden Eye show is done by 21:00. Eat on the High Street before, or go on to a gig at the Dublin Castle or a pint at the Good Mixer after.
