Hitchin's Mostly Comedy club closes with forthcoming shows cancelled

A combination of the cost of living crisis, increased running costs, and the pandemic has forced organisers to pull the plug on their "14-year labour of love".

Hitchin Mostly Comedy's David Ephgrave and Glyn Doggett on stage. (Image: Supplied by Hitchin Mostly Comedy)

Doggett & Ephgrave announced the decision today (Tuesday, April 26), with this week's planned show at Hitchin Town Hall on Thursday and the gig scheduled for May 26 both cancelled.

A statement posted on the Mostly Comedy website by David Ephgrave, on behalf of Doggett & Ephgrave, said: "We're sad to announce that Hitchin Mostly Comedy is closing its doors immediately as the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis has made the club unviable.

"Consequently, our advertised shows on 28th April and 26th May have also been cancelled.

"It’s no secret that we’ve been struggling to stay open since the pandemic hit.

"Whenever we postponed a show, most of our running costs continued with less income spread thinly across fewer dates. Add to this the fact that our tech costs have tripled since 2020, and you wind up with a perfect storm for closure.

"While we hoped this Thursday’s advertised show and 26th May could still go ahead, neither date was close to breaking even, and a business as small as ours couldn’t afford to swallow the loss."

Ticket holders will have their tickets refunded.

"We’re so sorry for any disappointment," the statement continued.

"And we haven’t taken this decision lightly. We can’t thank our audience enough for the ongoing support and so many generous donations via JustGiving (and the kind words that accompanied them) that have provided a lifeline to the club since 2020; if it weren’t for you, we would have folded long ago.

Mostly Comedy's Doggett & Ephgrave with Lucy Porter. Picture: Doggett & Ephgrave (Image: Doggett & Ephgrave)

"What a ride these fourteen years have been. Glyn and I never expected it. The hundreds of shows and interviews come with a host of happy memories. We’ll miss it and you."