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

• A set is a single performance, at one point in the evening, for an agreed length.
• A host (or MC, or compère) runs the evening: welcomes everyone, keeps things moving, introduces the speeches, awards or other acts, and does comedy throughout.

If a lot is happening on the night, a host is often the better buy.

Shorter than you think. An audience that has been eating and drinking will give a comedian its full attention for a good while, but not forever. Agree the length in advance; the comedian will know what works for the size and mood of the room.

After the food and before the disco. Ideally before the free bar has done its worst. Hungry audiences are grumpy, very merry audiences are chatty, and nobody has ever enjoyed a set while the DJ sound-checks behind it.

Tell the comedian who will be in the room and they will pitch it accordingly: a professional can adapt to a family party or to colleagues who have to face each other on Monday. If there are subjects to avoid (the boss’s divorce, the recent restructure), say so in advance.

• A microphone and a sound system that works, tested before the guests arrive.
• Light on the performer. Comedy in the dark is a séance.
• The audience seated, close together and facing the same way.
• The bar and the kitchen doors away from the stage, or quiet during the set.
• Background music off.

Yes, if the room fits the group. Thirty people in a cosy room can be a brilliant audience; thirty people scattered around a ballroom will feel like thirty strangers. Match the room to the numbers, and fill the front first.

• Who is coming, roughly how many, and what brings them together.
• The running order and timings, including food, speeches and anything else on the bill.
• Any names worth a mention, and any subjects best left alone.
• The venue’s address, parking and when they can get in to see the room.

It depends on the act, the length, the date and the travel, so the only way to know is to ask. December books up early, for obvious reasons.

Through the contact page. Phil works comedy clubs, hosting and compèring, festivals, corporate events, presenting and voice-over, and Breakneck Comedy’s profile of him calls him a sought-after act for corporate events. Tell him the date, the place, the audience and what you have in mind.