Live at Jongleurs – Nostalgia Central

1 9 9 7 – 2 0 0 0 (UK)
30 minute episodes

Debuting in June 1997 and airing late at night on ITV (heavily repeated later on the Paramount Comedy Channel), stand-up comedy showcase Live at Jongleurs captured the raw, raucous energy of the 1990s British alternative comedy boom.

Filmed live in front of real, drinking weekend audiences at the flagship Jongleurs Comedy Club at Camden Lock, London, the show was compered by Prog Rock legend and former Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman.

The show functioned as an important stepping stone for emerging British and international comedy talent.

Comedians who appeared on the show included Peter Kay, Dylan Moran, Phil Jupitus, Graham Norton, Ed Byrne, Hattie Hayridge, Omid Djalili, Rhona Cameron, Stephen K. Amos, Ronni Ancona, Andy Parsons, Kevin Day, Marcus Brigstocke, and Australians Adam Hills, Carl Barron, Bruno Lucia, Greg Fleet and Judith Lucy,

Comedy acts from the US and Canada also featured regularly.

The success of the show directly paved the way for the later BBC hit series Live at the Apollo, which copied the exact blueprint of filming established club comedians in front of a live theatre crowd.

Host
Rick Wakeman

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