Glee Club Leeds: Inside legendary comedy venue now open in city centre known for finding 'next big thing'
It may have taken more than a decade to find the perfect venue in Leeds, but comedy fans will be thrilled to hear that one of the UK’s most successful chains has finally opened a venue in the city.
The Glee Club has spent the last 30 years helping to shape the country’s stand-up circuit, with locations in Birmingham, Cardiff, Nottingham, Oxford and Glasgow.
Mark Tughan, the Belfast-born founder and CEO of the brand, explained why Leeds was the obvious next choice as he opened the new club on Albion Street.
“I’d been looking at sites here for more than 10 years and had made multiple offers,” the 57-year-old said.
The Glee Club’s arrival in Leeds represents more than just another night out - it’s a vote of confidence in the city’s cultural scene. Mark has long been drawn to large, vibrant cities with significant student populations - and the Yorkshire city fit the bill perfectly.
His own journey into the comedy business started at The Comedy Store in London, where he fell in love with the art form.
“A crowd of us started drunkenly speculating about whether anything similar was happening outside of London,” he recalled.
In 1994, that speculation became reality with the opening of the first Glee Club in Birmingham - the first dedicated comedy club outside the capital. Cardiff followed in 2001, then Nottingham and Oxford in 2010. Glasgow came next in 2019.
Through it all, the brand has maintained a strong identity as a venue that exists outside of the capital’s comedy bubble, as Mark explained: “The Glee has become defined by the fact it’s never been in London.
“We are essentially now the market leader. We are also one of the biggest - if not the biggest - backer of comic circuit talent. We’ve got four acts in each club every weekend.”
For many comedians, The Glee Club has been a launchpad. Michael McIntyre, now a household name, was once a rising star within the brand.
“We booked him quite a few times when not many people knew him,” recalled Mark. “He was someone that we could see was special.”
And that ability to spot talent remains a crucial part of The Glee Club’s success. Mark continued: “In these days of WhatsApp, my phone sometimes lights up over the course of a weekend with messages from people asking if I’ve seen so-and-so – and we all have a bit of a debate about it.
“Usually, we all agree that this this person is going to become quite big - and we’ll make sure to keep booking them.”
Despite changes in the industry, The Glee Club has continued to thrive. The secret? “I think it helps that fundamentally it’s run by a group of people that bloody love the art form,” said Mark. “We're also prepared to take a chance on something if we think it could be bigger later down the line.”
The brand’s model has evolved over the last few years to include cabaret, talks, music and drag performances - and Mark said that the Leeds club will reflect that diverse range of entertainment, although comedy will remain the focus.
He added: “I’ve got a really good feeling about this club. It has the potential to be the nicest in terms of place and sound. Watch this space.”