First time at Hot Water Comedy Club? Your questions answered

At Blackstock Market on Blackstock Street, Liverpool L3 6ER. The club has been going since 2010 and moved to Blackstock Market in 2024; its old Hardman Street venue is closed.

It is a big place. The club describes a 60,000 square foot venue with three theatres and seats for more than 1,000 people at any one show time, and bills it as the largest regular comedy venue in the world. There are food traders and four bars on site, so you can eat before the show.

Lots, most days of the week. The nights Phil is on this autumn give a good idea of the range:

• Triple Headline Show: three headline acts, on Friday and Saturday evenings (doors 5.30pm, show 7pm).
• Double Headline Show: Saturday afternoons (doors 2.30pm, show 4pm).
• Laughs At Lunch: Saturday lunchtimes (doors 11.30am, show 1pm).
• 3 Minutes Of Fame on Thursdays and New Act Night on Sundays: nights for newer comedians.
• Christmas Comedy Specials: throughout December. See Phil’s festive dates.

The club asks you to arrive no later than 15 minutes before the show starts, to leave time for the bar and to find your seat. Seating is theatre-style and, unless you chose seats when you booked, unreserved, so arriving together (and early) is how you sit together. Coming for food first? Give yourself plenty of time.

The club says most weekday and Triple Headline shows run for about an hour and a half, depending on breaks and comedians.

Not beyond being dressed, which the club does specifically ask for, and nothing that blocks the view of the people behind you. The one firm rule: no fancy dress in the performance room, and you will be turned away if you arrive in it. The stag-do banana suit waits in the car.

Over-16s can come to shows that finish before 10pm, as long as they are with an adult. The venue is child-friendly until 10pm, but under-18s have to leave after that. For younger children, the club runs separate kids’ shows.

Phones go on silent for the whole show; if you need to take a call, the club asks you to step out into the main hall. Filming is out altogether: recording by any customer “is strictly prohibited and will result in you being asked to leave by security without warning.”

The club films most shows itself, and booking a ticket means agreeing to appear in its footage. Wave.

The club’s answer is a masterpiece of politeness: “We kindly ask that if you plan to heckle or talk whilst the acts are on stage that you do this at another comedy club, or even better at home.” We would only add that the comedian has the microphone. More in should you heckle a comedian?

Chatted to, maybe. Picked on, no: the club says friendly banter may be part of the night, but it does not book acts who would specifically pick on an audience member. The front row survival guide has the details.

Some shows offer both. The club says a free ticket guarantees entry for the first 50% of free ticket holders on the night, from when the doors open, while a guaranteed ticket holds your place right up to the start of the show. If you might be running late, get the guarantee.

The club says it is wheelchair accessible, subject to availability: book online as usual first, then let the club know so it can reserve your space. Its accessibility page (opens in a new tab) has the details, including its essential companion ticket policy.

The club’s event pages list each night’s line-up, and some name the MC: its 3 Minutes Of Fame pages, for example, list “resident MCs Danny McLoughlin and Phil Chapman”. Its profile of Phil calls him “a regular host at the world famous Hot Water Comedy Club”. His upcoming Hot Water dates are on the Live page.

Phil is hardly neutral, but for the record, here is his verdict from a 2025 Liverpool Echo interview (opens in a new tab): “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bad show at Hot Water. There might be the odd moody audience member, but ultimately, you’re going to see some world-class comedians, and me.”

Yes. The club runs two nights a week for new comedians, on Thursdays and Sundays. At 3 Minutes Of Fame, every Thursday at 7pm, anyone can sign up on the night and take the mic. Phil is one of its resident MCs, so he may well be the one introducing you. No pressure.