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 read
Every comedy night has one person who is on stage more than anyone else and gets the least credit: the host. They are the first voice you hear, the one who introduces every act, and the reason the room is warm when the headliner walks on.
Phil is a regular host at Hot Water Comedy Club, so this one is close to home.
Host, MC or compère: what is the difference?
None, really: three names for the same job. Compère is the traditional British word, borrowed from French; MC (master of ceremonies) and host mean the same thing. Hot Water’s own listings, for instance, name Phil among the club’s “resident MCs”.
What does the host do before the first act?
Turns a room full of strangers into an audience. That usually means:
- getting everyone laughing together, often with crowd work;
- finding out who is in: the birthday, the stag do, the couple on a first date;
- setting the house rules, such as phones on silent and no heckling;
- setting the tone, so the first act walks into a warm room rather than a cold one.
When the blog A Young(ish) Perspective reviewed a night at Hot Water in 2022, it described Phil doing exactly that: “Phil gave us hilarious audience banter and a run down of the show laying down the ground rules: no heckling, phones on silent and no talking”.
Why does warming up the room matter so much?
Because an act is only as good as the room they walk into. A cold audience is quiet, careful and slow to laugh; a warm one is on the comedian’s side from the first line. The host takes that first risk so the acts don’t have to.
What happens between the acts?
The host brings the energy back up after each act, introduces the next one, gets everyone back from the bar after the interval and keeps the show to time. They also deal with whatever has happened in the meantime: a latecomer, a heckler, or someone who has chosen the middle of a set to go to the toilet.
Is hosting harder than doing a set?
It is a different kind of hard. An act can polish the same set for months; a host is back on stage every twenty minutes with nothing but the room to work with, and has to be ready for anything. Breakneck Comedy’s profile of Phil calls him “a strong compere who has proven himself to be resilient whether compering a crowd of 15 or 500”.
Does the host do their own material?
Usually a mix: some prepared jokes, and a lot of chat with the audience between the acts. The balance changes every night, because it depends on who is in.
Who hosts at Hot Water?
Line-ups change every night, and Phil is one of the club’s regular hosts: its profile of him calls him “a regular host at the world famous Hot Water Comedy Club”, and its 3 Minutes Of Fame listings name “resident MCs Danny McLoughlin and Phil Chapman”. His upcoming dates are here.
Can I book a host for my own event?
Yes. A host is often a better fit for a party or corporate night than a single set, because they hold the whole evening together. Get in touch about booking Phil, or read what to ask when booking a comedian.
