"It's usually funny and, when it's not, it's barbed and beautiful." So says the host of a cutting edge comedy night that has been splitting the sides of audiences at one North London pub every Wednesday night for 11 years.
The Enterprise, near Camden, has found success with Express Excess, which its host and organiser Paul Lyalls describes as "a spoken word night, a mixture of stand-up comedy, poetry and story telling."
Express Excess counts superstars of the art John Hegley and John Cooper Clarke on its roster. Both regularly perform at the Enterprise and the night could be brought to your pub too, according to Paul. "We are open to non-laughable offers," he says.
Express Excess attracts around 80 to 100 people to the Enterprise each week. It differs from conventional stand-up in, according to Paul, in that "you get a much more thoughtful, friendly crowd. It can really make the headlines because of its distinctive nature."
The Enterprise, though, has also hosted another comedy night that may represent more of a budget route to offering comedy. In the pub's upstairs room, comedy group Amused Moose has staged showcases of graduates from its beginners comedy course, which helps aspiring comics develop short routines.
By agreeing to host the training and the Sundayshowcases free of charge the Enterprise pulled in drinkers it wouldn't otherwise have had on quiet nights, according to its manager Katriona Campbell.
"It's always hard on a Sunday night because people have work the next day and don't want to stay out," she says. "Comedy has been very valuable in that respect. Everyone likes to laugh, and Amused Moose has always been good calibre. Despite them being new comics, it's never cringe-worthy."
One of Amused Moose's graduates also recommends the nights to other pubs. The comic - who goes by the stage name Richey Nash - says: "Most of the comedians just want the space, a room that they can use to put something on.
"From a pub's perspective, if you have an empty room on a Wednesday night, surely it's better to have 20 or 30 people in there who will pay for beer. It's one way of filling that resource and having people drinking at the bar. And all you need is a mic and a few overturned boxes to use as temporary stage."