Lucy Beaumont calls out comedy clubs that STILL have all-male bills

Lucy Beaumont has highlighted the ongoing gender imbalance in comedy clubs by calling out clubs with all-male line-ups.

She tweeted bills this weekend from from the Comedy Store’s Bierkeller gig in Manchester, Hot Water in Liverpool, the Comedy Lounge in her home town of Hull – asking them all variations on: ‘Where’s all your women?’

Posting out that little had changed in the time she has been in the business, despite various well-meaning initiatives, she said: ‘Basically you can search every city for comedy this month I reckon about 90 percent have either no women or woman on the bill. Some have one woman a month!! Back to 15 years ago and don’t get me started on TV panel shows ! It’s become okay again.

‘Let’s just call "most" of them what they really are - male panel shows that book a woman and male comedy clubs that tolerate women, the banter changes, the atmosphere becomes competitive and women don’t grow or shine or get equal employment.’

Beaumont also pointed out that the gender imbalance would not be corrected unless bookers employed more women, explaining: ‘I’m saying this for newer female comics - a massive amount won’t be working much - how do they learn?

In a lengthy response, Hot Water said there were insufficient women who were good enough to be booked ‘without compromising the overall quality of the show’.

And they said that calling out venues that booked overwhelmingly male comedians ‘hinders progress’ towards greater diversity.

It said: ‘Thank you for raising this important issue. At Hot Water Comedy Club, we are committed to booking the best comedians for our gigs, regardless of gender…. and take pride in booking a diverse range of talent, including many fantastic female comedians.

After listing a number of women they book they added: ‘The reality is that certain professions, including stand-up comedy, naturally have gender imbalances. Based on our own applicants, roughly 85-90% of comedians applying for spots are male, compared to 10-15% female. This is similar to other industries, like nursery teaching, where the vast majority of professionals are women. 

‘While we fully support the push for greater diversity in comedy, the current ratio of male to female comedians on the circuit means that evenly mixed lineups each week can be difficult to achieve without compromising the overall quality of the show - and maintaining high standards is something we'll never compromise on.’

They said their open-mic nights are open to everyone and added  their  management team ‘has also always been predominantly female’ 

They added: ‘It's easy to criticise when you don't book gigs or risk your own investment, and instead point fingers at comedy clubs that are actively doing their best for the industry, while also dealing with targeted attacks from a select few. 

‘Comments like these don't help the industry and only attack those who are part of the solution, rather than the problem. 

‘We are fully committed to promoting diversity in comedy, and we believe these conversations are essential for moving the industry forward. However, targeting venues that are part of the solution only hinders progress. We will continue to support and champion all comedians, regardless of gender, based on talent and merit.’

Published: 12 Sep 2024