XS Malarkey is a not for profit

comedy club A comedy club is a venue—typically a nightclub, bar, hotel, casino, or restaurant—where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, impressionists, magicians, ventriloquist ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. It is promoted and compered by the comedian and actor

Toby Hadoke Toby is a popular, usually male, name in many English speaking countries. The name is from the Middle English vernacular form of Tobias. Tobias itself is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew טוביה ''Toviah'', which translates to ''Good i ...

,Metro Life - Sully O'Sullivan tops an intriguing bill
/ref> and runs every Tuesday night. In 2007, a Guardian article described XS Malarkey as a "great example of how a club should be run".Guardian Theatre Blog - How to run the perfect comedy club
/ref> It began life in 1997 at Scruffy Murphys (now Sir Joseph Whitworth) in Fallowfield, before moving down the road to Bar XS on 25 September 2001, where the headline acts were

Toby Foster Toby Foster (born 13 August 1969) is a British comedian, actor, radio presenter, promoter and festival producer. He went to the Barnburgh Junior School, followed by Lacewood Primary School, Dearneside Comprehensive and Wath Comprehensive ...

and

Jimmy Carr James Anthony Patrick Carr (born 15 September 1972) is a British-Irish comedian, presenter, writer, and actor. He is known for his deadpan delivery of controversial one-liners and distinctive laugh, for which he has been both praised and criti ...

. In 2010, it moved once again to The Queen of Hearts (Now 256 Wilmslow Road), before moving to Platt Chapel 186 Wilmslow Road in 2011. During 2013, XS Malarkey was resident at the now defunct Jabez Clegg Beer Hall. In January 2014, XS Malarkey moved to the Pub/Zoo on Grosvenor Street, which was rebranded as the Bread Shed behind the Flour and Flagon in August 2017. During 2020, the club was forced to move its weekly show to an online-only platform due to UK COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. During this time the club also offered regular Sunday "Malarchive" interviews with established comedians. The online shows have been reinforced by audience contributions, including a recurring Marmalade Fandango fashion review, offering a balanced assessment of the compere's neckwear attire. The piano player Jay provides piano music pre show each week to entertain and warm up the audience before the comedy begins. The club has won Best Comedy Club (North) nine times at the

Chortle Awards The Chortle Awards were set up in 2002 by the comedy website Chortle to honour the best of established stand-up comics currently working in the UK. A panel of reviewers draw up a shortlist, which is presented for public vote at the Chortle websit ...

, and Best Comedy Club twice at the North West Comedy Awards.North West Comedy Awards - the winners!
/ref>

also won 'Best Off-Stage Contribution' at the 2008 Chortle Awards.Time Out - Manchester's best comedy clubs
Comedians whose began their careers at XS Malarkey include

Jason Manford Jason John Manford (born 26 May 1981) is an English comedian, presenter, actor and singer. Manford was a team captain on the Channel 4 panel show ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' from 2007 until 2010 and has presented numerous television shows for the BBC a ...

Alan Carr Alan Graham Carr (born 14 June 1976) is an English comedian, broadcaster and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the '' City Life'' Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards. In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeon ...

, and

Justin Moorhouse Justin Moorhouse (born 15 May 1970) is an English stand-up comedian, radio DJ and actor from Manchester. He appeared in '' Phoenix Nights'', '' Looking for Eric'' and Guess The Attendance. Moorhouse has also appeared as a guest on the Dave TV s ...

. The club has also featured appearances from

Stewart Lee Stewart Graham Lee (born 5 April 1968) is an English comedian, screenwriter, and television director. His stand-up routine is characterised by repetition, internal reference, deadpan delivery, and consistent breaking of the fourth wall. Lee b ...

Peter Kay Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English actor, comedy writer and stand-up comedian. He has written, produced and acted in several television and film projects, and has written three books. Born and brought up in Bolton, Kay studied ...

, Mick Miller, Shazia Mirza,

Chris Addison Christopher David Addison (born 5 November 1971) is a British comedian, writer, actor, and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as a regular panellist on ''Mock the Week''. He is also known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of ...

Dave Spikey Dave Spikey (born David Gordon Bramwell, 6 October 1951) is an English comedian, actor, writer and film producer. He is best known for his stand-up comedy, writing and starring in the British comedy programme ''Phoenix Nights'', presenting ''B ...

, Reginald D Hunter,

Russell Howard Russell Joseph Howard (born 23 March 1980) is an English comedian, television presenter, radio presenter, and actor. He was known for his television show ''Russell Howard's Good News'' and is currently doing ''The Russell Howard Hour'', and his ...

, Jo Caulfield and

Junior Simpson Junior Simpson is a British stand-up comedian of Jamaican descent. He was born in Leagrave, a suburb of Luton, and was educated at Beechwood Primary School and Challney High School for Boys. Simpson headlines at clubs across Britain as well as p ...

.Guardian - Preview
/ref>

References

External links

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{{coord, 53.4468, -2.2187, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Culture in Manchester Comedy clubs in the United Kingdom Entertainment venues in England