As venues across the region prepare to open their doors once more, one city centre venue is preparing to have a laugh about it all.

Norwich’s The Walnut Tree Shades, which has undergone something of a transformation during the most recent lockdown, is all set to bring live entertainment back to its regulars – with TreeHouse Comedy Club being among the first to tread the new-look boards.

Pub owner Claire Brookes said: “We have given the whole place a lick of paint – inside and out – and now we can’t wait to have people back at the bar appreciating our efforts.

“We’ve always been known for our music and comedy nights, and now we can have people back inside we can’t wait for TreeHouse Comedy to start making us all laugh again. “Plus we have a new menu and some great meal deal offers, so people can get something to eat before the show.”

TreeHouse Comedy has been the regular comedy night at The Walnut Tree Shades for the past three years, organised and run by Norwich comedian Kahn Johnson.

He said: “It’s been really tough over the past year. Obviously we’ve all struggled and we’ve all had to do our bit to fight the pandemic – but to go from being out three or four nights a week to never leaving the house was something of a culture shock.

“My cat was quite happy, but I – and all my comedy friends – have really missed standing in a room saying silly things.”

The first night is on May 24th, when comedians Kathryn Mather and Tom Clutterbuck will be on the bill. Tom – who runs Altered Feast at Norwich Arts Centre – is well known on the city’s comedy circuit, and Kathryn is making her return to TreeHouse after headlining in 2019.

Kahn said: “I’ve been wanting to book Tom for ages, and as soon as we agreed on the return date Kathryn was the first act I thought of. It’s going to be an amazing night.”

Tickets are £5 in advance and are available on EventBrite or TreeHouse’s Facebook page. Doors open at 7pm