Brendan Dodds has left award-winning sketch group Pappy’s Fun Club in what’s been described as a ‘business decision’.

The comic said he was ‘very sad’ to be leaving the quartet he helped set up after six years.

He posted a message on his Twitter page: ‘The other three decided that they would like to refine the formula and continue as a three-man. A business decision.’

Ben Clark, Matthew Crosby and Tom Parry will now use the abbreviated name Pappy’s, as they tour a rejigged version of their Edinburgh hit 200 Sketches In An Hour from January.

A brief message on their website reads: ‘We have parted ways with Brendan. We wish him all the best for the future. Tom, Ben and Matthew are continuing to work as a three-man group under the new name Pappy’s and will be touring a revised version of the 200 Sketches show in 2010.’

Their publicist said the group were ‘evolving’ and that they had ‘decided to move forward as a trio’.

Pappy’s Fun Club were named best sketch, variety or music act at last year’s Chortle Awards and were nominated for the if.comedy award at Edinburgh in 2007. They also recorded a Radio 4 show that went out last year.

Coincidentally, the new slimmed-down Pappy’s presented the movie The 3 Amigos at a London cinema – an irony Dodds pointed to on his Twitter feed.

Click here for their upcoming dates.