Frog and Bucket comedy club

What Frog and Bucket comedy club does

Frog and Bucket Comedy Club is a single-venue live comedy operator founded in 1994 by David Perkin in Manchester, United Kingdom, operating from 102 Oldham Street in the city centre. The venue's core product is Beat the Frog, a weekly comedy competition format that serves as both entertainment and a talent discovery platform, supported by a programme of touring shows featuring established comedians. Additional revenue streams include table-service food and beverage (pizzas, burgers, sharing platters, real ales), venue hire for private and corporate events, group bookings for up to 30 people, a comedy course for aspiring performers launched in 2016, gift vouchers, and online streaming shows introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer model with tickets sold through the venue's website via the TicketSolve platform (advance booking at lower prices) and at the door (higher prices). Distribution is single-country domestic, with the venue serving local audiences, comedy tourists, corporate groups, and emerging northern comedy talent. Marketing relies on the venue's website, Instagram (@frogandbucketcomedy), email newsletter, and earned media coverage from outlets including BBC, Manchester Evening News, Chortle, and The Guardian.

The venue has accumulated 30+ industry awards spanning 2006-2025, including multiple Chortle Awards for Best Northern Comedy Venue and Best Open Mic Night, and is documented as an early-career performance venue for major UK comedians including Peter Kay, John Bishop, Sarah Millican, Steve Coogan, and Caroline Aherne. Technology infrastructure is non-proprietary, relying on third-party ticketing rather than in-house platforms. The company is privately held with no disclosed ownership, funding, or headcount data.

Name

Frog and Bucket comedy club

Legal name

Frog and Bucket Comedy Club

Website

https://frogandbucket.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Frog and Bucket Comedy Club is a single-venue live comedy operator in Manchester, UK, founded in 1994. It runs weekly shows including the Beat the Frog competition, touring acts, a comedy course, venue hire, food and beverage service, and group bookings for adult entertainment audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Comedy Entertainment

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Comedy Clubs (Nightlife Venues) (MPAGAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stand-Up Comedy Shows (MPAGACAA), Comedy Club & Showcase Nights (MPAGACAE), Comedy Shows & Spoken-Word Events (THAJAFAC)

Keywords

• Live comedy venue
• Stand-up comedy shows
• Comedy club entertainment
• Open mic nights
• Comedy talent development

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from selling tickets to comedy shows. Advance booking available online with lower prices; door sales at higher prices. Group bookings available.
2. Food and Beverage: Table service for drinks and food including burgers, pizzas, sharing platters, and real ales during shows.
3. Venue Hire: The venue is available for private hire events.
4. Comedy Course: Educational program teaching aspiring comedians the craft of stand-up comedy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Frog and Bucket operates a single physical comedy venue in Manchester city centre that hosts weekly live stand-up comedy programming, anchored by its signature "Beat the Frog" competition show and supplemented by touring comedian performances, an in-house comedy training course, online streaming of shows, private venue hire, and on-site food and beverage table service during performances. Tickets are sold direct-to-consumer through its own website (powered by TicketSolve) and at the door, with the venue also accommodating group bookings of up to 30 people for corporate and private events.

Product overview

Frog and Bucket Comedy Club operates as a single venue offering live stand-up comedy entertainment. The core offering is Beat the Frog, a weekly comedy competition show. Additional products include a Comedy Course for aspiring comedians, Tour Shows featuring established performers, Stream Shows for online viewing, Venue Hire for private events, and food/beverage service. The club has operated for over 30 years in Manchester city centre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Beat the Frog: The club's signature comedy competition show and open mic night format
• Comedy Course
• LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year

Products and services

• Beat the Frog Weekly comedy competition show where multiple comedians perform and compete at the venue; the longest-running show format at the venue, featuring a mix of established acts and emerging talent, and serving as a launchpad for new comedy careers.
• Comedy Course Paid educational program run by the club to teach aspiring comedians the craft of stand-up comedy, covering development of material and performance skills.
• Tour Shows Ticketed stand-up comedy shows featuring established touring comedians performing at the venue as a tour stop.
• Stream Shows Online streaming of live comedy performances, allowing remote audiences to view the venue's shows.
• Venue Hire Private hire of the comedy club venue for corporate events, Christmas parties, and group celebrations, with capacity for up to 30 people.
• Food and Beverage Service Table-service bar and kitchen offering burgers, pizzas, sharing platters, and real ales to patrons during comedy shows.
• Gift Vouchers Pre-purchased gift vouchers for comedy show tickets, sold through the venue's online ticketing system.

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TicketSolvecoreTechnology or IntegrationTicketSolve provides the ticketing platform for the Frog and Bucket website, enabling online ticket sales, gift voucher purchases, and event management.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Chortle: UK's leading comedy industry publication and award-giving body. Adjacent ecosystem participant — Chortle's Best Northern Comedy Venue award is the venue's primary industry recognition, and Chortle provides the booking/marketing infrastructure that frames the UK comedy circuit.

Direct peers

• Komedia: Multi-city UK comedy and entertainment venue operator (Brighton, Bath, Liverpool) offering live comedy programming alongside other performance arts. Comparable as a dedicated comedy venue operator with F&B and touring shows.
• The Stand Comedy Club: Independent comedy club chain with venues in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, and Leeds. Comparable as a dedicated comedy venue operator with food and drink service and touring show programming.
• Up the Creek: Long-running London-based dedicated comedy club known for launching UK comedy talent. Comparable as a single-venue, founder-led comedy club with an intimate scale and similar artist-development reputation.
• The Glee Club: Multi-city UK comedy club chain (Birmingham, Glasgow, Nottingham, Oxford) operating dedicated comedy venues with table service, food, and ticketed touring shows. Closely comparable business model and audience to Frog and Bucket.
• Hot Water Comedy Club: Liverpool-based dedicated comedy club with similar format (multiple weekly shows, F&B, talent development). Comparable as a regional dedicated comedy venue in Northern England with a comparable tier of programming.
• The Comedy Store: Iconic UK comedy club chain operating venues in Manchester and London. Directly comparable as a long-running dedicated comedy venue with table service, multiple weekly shows, and a reputation for launching major comedy careers (e.g., comedy clubs of similar size and operation model).

Broad incumbents

• Jongleurs: Established UK comedy club chain historically operating multiple venues. Comparable in core category (dedicated comedy venue with F&B) but as a larger, multi-site incumbent rather than a single independent venue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/frogandbucketcomedy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rossbranch-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Frog and Bucket comedy club