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blue plaque · Manchester

Frog and Bucket Comedy Club

Placeholder for Frog and Bucket Comedy Club blue plaque

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club in Manchester is commemorated by a blue plaque, acknowledging its establishment in 1994. This plaque serves as a remembrance for all comedians who have performed and, in a metaphorical sense, 'died on stage' at this venue. It points to the club's long-standing role in the comedy scene and the memorable, and sometimes challenging, experiences performers have had there. The club has been a significant platform for emerging talent, including comedians like Ola Labib, highlighting its contribution to the arts.

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club's plaque, established in 1994, is a part of Manchester's tradition of recognising cultural landmarks and the contributions of performing arts venues. Comedy clubs often serve as crucibles for talent, where new acts are honed and established performers refine their material. The reference to comedians 'dying on stage' humorously acknowledges the risks inherent in live stand-up comedy, where audience reception can be unpredictable. Such venues are vital to the cultural fabric of a city, providing spaces for entertainment and artistic expression.

This blue plaque is located at The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, situated in Manchester's vibrant Northern Quarter. Visitors to the area will find the club at this well-known address. The Northern Quarter is a lively district, easily accessible and rich in cultural attractions. The plaque is positioned on the exterior of the club, making it publicly visible to anyone passing by or attending a show. Respectful viewing is encouraged while enjoying the atmosphere of this historic comedy venue.

Inscription

“Frog and Bucket Comedy Club est 1994 In memory of all the comedians who died on stage”
Transcribed from the blue plaque at The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club.

Background

Ola Labib (Arabic: علا لبيب) is a Sudanese comedian. Born in Portsmouth, she became a pharmacist after failing to get into medical school, and spent more than seven years working in the National Health Service (NHS). An incident in which she administered the wrong medication to a patient prompted her to reconsider her career, and she became a comedian after a chat with her brothers. She was a finalist during the 2019 Beat the Frog World Series and at the 2021 Funny Women awards, and performed at the UK's first socially distanced comedy show in July 2020. Her stand-up regularly discusses her experiences as a hijab-wearing Muslim of Sudanese descent. Labib has also presented the 2024 London Eid in the Square festival.

Source: Open Plaques. Geographic data via OpenStreetMap.

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Data sources

Location records are drawn from open, licence-clean datasets, kept here with attribution and gratitude to the people who maintain them.

  • Open Plaques, dedicated to the public domain (CC0). See openplaques.org.
  • Wikidata, available under the CC0 1.0 Universal dedication.
  • © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence.
  • Historic England, National Heritage List for England, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. War memorial records are drawn from open community datasets (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, NHLE) - never from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which is excluded.

Editorial descriptions, photography and tribute links are original TributeLegacy work, layered on top of the open data.

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