The Cheltenham Comedy Festival has been taking place this week, with some of the leading comedians in the country performing at venues across the town centre.

The Exmouth Arms will be hosting local comedian Jon Wagstaffe tonight, as the popular ‘Scallywags Comedy Club’ returns for another evening of top-class stand-up comedy.

Jon said: “Tonight’s show is billed as a ‘new material new acts’ night. We’ve got a tremendous mix of performers who are new to stand-up comedy that are performing in public for the first time as well as more established comedians performing new material. I’m MCing the event, it’s going to be a lot of fun, they always are.

“The gigs are great for up-and-coming comedians because our venues aren’t massive so there’s not that panic of walking out onto a huge stage. I know how hard it is for comedians who are starting out, so to be able to give them opportunities to perform is really rewarding.

“Our events are free or charge. We do run a bucket collection at the end of the night for people who have enjoyed themselves to throw a few quid in. It’s a tough industry for people who are just starting out, any donations help pay for a bit of petrol money or whatever.

“I’ve been running Scallywags Comedy for six years now. We started off in The Strand in Cheltenham town centre and have expanded to The Exmouth and The Beehive. With comedy it’s hard to please everyone. You’re never going to get a show that every single person enjoys so I try and ensure there’s a broad range of comedic styles represented.”

Tonight’s show features acclaimed comedian Cerys Nelmes who spoke to The Local Answer earlier in the week. Cerys will be followed on stage by Aaron Levene and Riordan DJ who won the 2017 Chortle Student Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Jon knows more than most how hard it is to breakthrough in the comedy scene. In 2012 he performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, his performances earning widespread praise that gave him the inspiration for launching the Scallywags Comedy Club.

He continued: “My comedy career started when I entered a comedy competition a few years ago. I ended up winning which was a bit of a surprise.

“I then went up to perform at The Fringe in Edinburgh which was a lot of fun. I specialise in observational comedy, I like getting on stage and bringing a high-energy show. It’s great to be involved in the local comedy scene, there’s a load of really talented comedians in Gloucestershire.”