The Comedy Attic. Edinburgh's original gig above a pub stand-up comedy club.
Climb the stairs of the Beehive Inn on the Grassmarket and on the way up you'll pass the original Death Cell Door from Calton Jail, the prison where many of Edinburgh's more unsavoury characters spent their final nights awaiting execution. Carry on up to the attic and you'll find a small, brick-walled room that's been making people laugh for years. The Comedy Attic sits at the top of one of the Old Town's oldest pubs, part of Edinburgh's famous Pub Trail, and runs a stand-up night the way a stand-up night ought to be run. Tight room. Proper lineup. Audience close enough to the stage to make eye contact with whoever's on it.
The show. Doors at 8:00pm, on stage by 8:15. Expect roughly 90 minutes to two hours including a short interval. Long enough to feel you got your money's worth, short enough to leave room for the rest of your evening. A couple of great comedians every night, plus one of the best MCs in the country. The acts come off the UK circuit. Working comedians doing tight ten to twenty minute sets. Some you might recognise from radio panel shows or Live at the Apollo.
Others are the names you'll be hearing in five years' time, and sharper than you'd guess for the price.
Your host. Rick Molland. UK circuit veteran, runs the room himself most nights, and the reason the show keeps its tone. A compère's job is to set the mood and recover the room when something goes sideways. Rick's been doing it long enough to make both look easy.
The room. Around 60 seats. Brick walls, low ceiling, proper Edinburgh atmosphere. There's a bar downstairs in the pub, so grab a drink before the show or at the interval. The intimacy is part of the deal. Comedy plays better when the audience can see each other laughing.
Over-18s only. The material's adult, the kind of swearing and subject matter you'd hear in any UK club, but it isn't aggressively edgy. If you've been to a comedy club anywhere in Britain, you know the room.
Practical. The Beehive Inn, 18 to 20 Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2JU. We're upstairs and there's no lift, so please factor that in. Walkable from the Royal Mile, Princes Street, and most central hotels.
Booking through reserves your seat, and you can cancel up to the morning of the show if your plans change.
See you in the attic.
Cancellation Policy: A customer can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. You will always receive a full refund if the cancellation is due to force majeure.
