London club closes after 20 years

The Red Rose in Finsbury Park has hosted comedy for more than 20 years, with acts such as Eddie Izzard, Jimmy Carr, Russell Brand and Ardal O’Hanlon taking to its stage.

But a new manager took over the pub in September – and decided to close the back room to live entertainment. As well as comedy, it has also hosted music, salsa dancing and even fetish nights.

Comic Ivor Dembina started the comedy club in 1987, and in the last three years it has been run by Jon Briley.

He said: ‘After 20 years of live stand-up comedy at the Red Rose, it’s such a shame that the room will no longer be there.

‘While it is a huge disappointment for myself and the other promoters who use the venue, it’s not much of a surprise. I will be looking for a new venue in North London, with a view to moving there as soon as possible.’

The news comes at a difficult time for venues. Only weeks ago, Lee Hurst decided to pull the plug on his Backyard Comedy Club in East London, while Windsor Arts Centre and Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree also closed before Christmas because of funding difficulties.

Meanwhile, Jongleurs owner Regent Inns continues to be squeezed by the stock market. Its shares closed at 18.5p today, another 20 per cent down since the price collapsed on December 3 following a profit warning. It means the company is now worth about £24million – just three months ago, it was worth £97million.

The last night of comedy at the Red Rose will be January 19.

Published: 3 Jan 2008