It was threatened with closure but a public outcry saved the day. Bath’s Comedy Cavern’s survived – at least for the time being. Steve Wright gives three cheers.

It looks as though we are saved now. The public support has been brilliant – things were looking very dodgy, but the response to the plans to close us was enormous.” Geoff Whiting (pictured) has compered the Sunday stand-up nights at Bath’s Comedy Cavern since 1997, and also books the Cavern’s two weekly acts via his Bath-based company Mirth Control.

A stone-walled basement underneath the Porter on George Street, the Cavern is rightly loved by audiences and comics alike as an extraordinarily intimate basement venue that can generate a uniquely communal atmosphere – acts like Russell Howard, Stephen Merchant and the two Carrs, Jimmy and Alan, have cut their comic teeth there down the years. Nonetheless, earlier this spring the Cavern looked in serious danger of closure. Owner Phil Andrews had sold neighbouring Moles back in 2009, and was now looking at selling the Porter on too. Prospective new owners Datchina planned to run the place as a vegan restaurant, and had no plans to keep the comedy going in the basement. It looked like the game was up for the Cavern after 14 brilliant years.

But, as Geoff explains, a big groundswell of support from Bath’s comedy-goers helped to change Andrews’s mind. He decided against the sale, got the comedy up and running again (it had been winding down in preparation for sale) and the future looks fairly rosy.

“We were getting 25 people in some nights, although others were busier,” Geoff recalls. “Phil was looking at closing the Cavern – partly because he was thinking of selling the pub as a whole, but partly because the comedy nights weren’t doing well. But when it looked like we might not continue, Facebook and Twitter helped to get the message out and there was a sharp rise in numbers. There were letters sent to the Porter complaining at the plans for closure, and people coming in asking to speak to the manager. The public saved us.”

And indeed, the months ahead are looking busy. Ever Sunday in June is fully booked, including sets from top-notch Gallic comic and bon viveur Marcel Lucont (5 June), amiable Glos-hailing raconteur James Dowdeswell (19 June) and bone-dry Scot Alan Francis (26 June). July, meanwhile, will be given over to the (always-popular) Edinburgh Festival preview shows by big acts wanting to try out material before taking it North.

Back in April, though, things did not look so good. “After the gig on 10 April, I got up on stage and said, ‘Thanks, it’s been a great night, but it looks as though next Sunday may be our last.’” Survival was, initially, on a week-by-week basis. “Numbers were good at that show, so Phil agreed to programme until the end of April. Then I pointed out that the first Sunday of May would be a Bank Holiday weekend, when we always get good crowds in because people don’t have to get up the next day, so we programmed that. That got a good crowd, and we’d already booked the 15 May, so there seemed no point in having a gap on the 8th. The 22nd was a touring show we’d booked a while before, and the 29th was a Bank Holiday. Then I said to Phil, ‘OK, June is empty, if you want good acts you’ve got to book now,’ and we’ve gone on from there. Phil’s still got his eye on the figures every week, but I don’t think, after the public reaction, that he will close it.”

The arrival across town of comedy/music venue Komedia has, says Geoff, been a tough storm to weather. “They have hammered us. Their plan was to only run on Friday and Saturday nights, but they have programmed a lot of Sunday evening shows. Russell Howard, ironically a big supporter of the Cavern, did five successive Sundays there. And we can’t compete with their marketing. Anyone visiting Bath, or not knowing the comedy scene here, will find out about Komedia a lot quicker than us. It’s been survival against the odds.”

“I was planning to sell the pub, but then decided against it,” Phil confirms. “The potential new owner didn’t plan to continue with the comedy at the Cavern. We did look at taking the nights down to Chapel Arts, but it’s just not got the same intimacy.”

There will be a few subtle tweaks from now on. A stronger link with Bath Spa University means that BSU Performing Arts students will get short stand-up slots every Sunday; the rather uninspiring website will also be much-revamped, with interactivity and improved ticketing; and meal deals will make an appearance soon. But the essential format – A-list comic, B-list support, new act and compere – will remain. “We need to sell drinks to make the nights pay, so having the three sections works really well,” Phil explains. “And we need to be running at or near capacity every week – once we drop below 60 or 70 it doesn’t really work.

“I think we have a better product than Komedia – of course that’s a nice venue but ours is more intimate, and comics feel much more connected to the audience. We haven’t been promoting ourselves well, but the recent developments have given us more impetus both for the pub and the Cavern in particular. I feel hopeful about our future.”

COMEDY CAVERN 15 GEORGE ST, BATH, BA1 2EN. FFI: 01225 424104 OR WWW.COMEDYCAVERN.CO.UK

Copyright Steve Wright 2011