Articles

Questions, answered

Light-hearted answers to the questions people ask about comedy nights, from surviving the front row to booking a comedian for the office party.

Liverpool comedy history
The chance meeting that got Paul Smith back on stage
Paul Smith told the Liverpool Echo he had quit stand-up until a chance encounter with Phil Chapman sent him to Hot Water Comedy Club. The story, in Paul’s own words.
7 questions, 3 min readRead
Comedy club know-how
The front row survival guide
Sitting at the front of a comedy club? What really happens, what the comedian will ask, how to answer, and why it is the best seat in the house. A light-hearted Q&A.
8 questions, 4 min readRead
Comedy explained
What is crowd work? Comedy’s unscripted bit, explained
What crowd work is, why comedians do it, why it is all over your feed, and how to be a good sport when it is your turn. A light-hearted Q&A.
8 questions, 3 min readRead
Liverpool comedy guide
First time at Hot Water Comedy Club? Your questions answered
Where Hot Water Comedy Club is, what the nights are, when to arrive, age rules, phones, filming and heckling: a first-timer’s Q&A, checked against the club’s own pages.
13 questions, 5 min readRead
Comedy etiquette
Should you heckle a comedian? A short answer and a longer one
The short answer is no. The longer answer covers what counts as heckling, what clubs say about it, what happens to hecklers, and when shouting out is actually fine.
8 questions, 3 min readRead
Comedy explained
What does a comedy host actually do?
Host, MC or compère: what the person with the microphone between the acts is really doing, why it is one of the hardest jobs in comedy, and how a great host makes the whole night work.
8 questions, 3 min readRead
Booking guide
Booking a comedian for a party or work do: the questions to ask
Booking a comedian for a Christmas party, corporate event, birthday or wedding? What kind of act you need, how long, when in the evening, what the room needs and what to tell them.
9 questions, 3 min readRead
Comedy writing
From headline to punchline: how topical comedy gets written
What topical comedy is, how BBC radio’s Newsjack and The News Quiz use writers, what “additional material” means on a credit, and Phil’s own writing credits.
8 questions, 3 min readRead
What’s on
Christmas comedy in Liverpool 2026: Phil’s festive dates at Hot Water
Phil Chapman is on the line-up for 25 Christmas Comedy Specials at Hot Water Comedy Club in December 2026. Dates, times, tickets and festive know-how.
7 questions, 2 min readRead

All articles

The chance meeting that got Paul Smith back on stage

The front row survival guide

What is crowd work? Comedy’s unscripted bit, explained

First time at Hot Water Comedy Club? Your questions answered

Should you heckle a comedian? A short answer and a longer one

What does a comedy host actually do?

Booking a comedian for a party or work do: the questions to ask

From headline to punchline: how topical comedy gets written

Christmas comedy in Liverpool 2026: Phil’s festive dates at Hot Water