New comedy club to open in Durham

Plans to open a new comedy venue in the North East have moved a step closer after it was granted a premises licence.

Kayvan Khazaee hopes to run comedy nights at The Jumping Bean on Neville Street, Durham, after he was given permission to sell alcohol inside the soon-to-be café.

Khazaee, who performs stand-up himself and has previously organised shows in Newcastle, is now applying to change the use of the premises to enable him to host stand-up comedy shows.

Objections had initially been lodged against the plans as local residents feared that – if the venture was not successful – they would be left with a licence that could be exploited.

Bu Khazaee secured the permission after he agreed to only serve alcohol between 5pm and 11pm, while no more than 60 people will be allowed in the premises at a time.

The venue – which used to be a takeaway – is just a five minute walk from the Durham Gala Theatre, which stages touring stand-up shows as well as club nights for Funny Bones and The Comedy Store.