Comedian Hire in England

Comedy In A Van have been running comedy nights for twenty years and supply comedy night packages to theatres, sports clubs, art centres, pubs, and festivals. They can also supply sound, lights, staging on the night at extremely competitive prices plus posters, promotional materials and online ticketing to make your night a sell-out success.

What do you need to know from an organiser in order to provide a comprehensive quote?

We don't give quotes, just a fixed price. For this, we need your location, an idea of how many guests you will have attending and whether your comedy event is open to paying guests or a corporate engagement. We are always happy to chat about future work without any obligation.

What advice would you give to a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

Many people ask a comedian to book and produce their comedy event but this can be problematic! Just like good footballers don't necessarily make good managers, a good comedian won't necessarily do a good job of booking your show.
They will often book comedians because they are close friends or because they will offer them work in return. This won't help you get the best comedians for your audience.

Do they run their own, regular shows in addition to offering the service to others and, if not, why not?

What experience does your comedy event planner have? If they have just been going a couple of years the chances are they will have cancelled more gigs than they have had go ahead due to Covid.
What industry awards have they won or been nominated for?
Do they offer a genuine all in one solution? Can they supply stage, sound, light etc? Do they have PLI and PAT tested equipment?
Can they show you how to market your show?
If they don't think your venue is suitable for a successful comedy show will they tell you or just take the money anyway?
What industry awards have they won?
If the answers to all the above are favourable then the chances are you are using us already but, if not, we would be more than happy to speak to you.

Please tell us a little bit about how and why you started the business.

21 years ago I was a budding comedian supplementing my performer's fees with bar work. I was amazed at how badly set up and run some of the gigs I performed at were. After running a monthly night of my own (Off The Rails Comedy Club, Saddleworth) for a couple of years I decided to offer a full service to others. I had the relevant experience and raised the money setting up a series of work in progress gigs for John Bishop prior to his first TV series - Bishop's Britain. I still think of him every time I plug a PA in.

Please tell us about a booking you've had through Add to Event, how did it go? Would you recommend us to others?

I have put on shows to audiences as large as 1500 people but an audience of 12 was a new one to me! This was a corporate event for a recruitment company held in Pontypridd. Due to Covid, it was also outdoor so weather and fading light were both a consideration. My main concern was that tiny audience though - high levels of energy were going to be the order of the day. Canadian comic Phil Nichol was the perfect choice. A consummate performer with decades of experience suited the client and his employees perfectly and I was delighted to help.