KATHERINE Ryan, hot-shot Canadian star of the BBC's QI, Have I Got News For You and Room 101, opens the Saturday Night Lounge bill this weekend at The Duchess in York and has lined up a solo spring appearance at the Hyena Lounge Comedy Club too. Oh, and she will be playing the Saturday club night again next weekend.

"Katherine launched herself on the British circuit back in 2008 by winning the Funny Woman competition and has since built up a huge following of fans and heaps of critical praise with her fresh, often dangerously fierce pop-culture obsession," says Hyena Lounge promoter Toby Clouston-Jones.

"She's starting the year with a handful of select club dates around the UK and returns to the club on May 6 with her full length tour show, Glam Role Model, which is well on it’s way to selling out already."

Katherine will head over to Leeds to headline at the HiFi Club after Saturday's set and Craig Murray will make the reverse journey to close the York show.

"He's a household name for being ‘that Yorkshire bloke from the Plusnet TV ads', but he's also a highly respected comedian, having shared bills with the likes of Stewart Lee, Harry Hill and even the late, great Robin Williams," says Toby.

Ian Smith, from BBC2’s Popatron, BBC 3's Sweat The Small Stuff and the ITV’s drama The Syndicate, fills Saturday's middle slot. "Ian has performed shows at the Edinburgh Fringe alongside Rob Beckett and Tom Toal and big thing are expected for this rising comedian, who's originally from East Yorkshire," says Toby.

Frequent compere Dave Twentyman returns to host the 8pm show.

"No matter what your mood, you really can't help but warm to Dave as he puts a big smile on everyone's face with his light-hearted, positive fun," reckons Toby. "Naturally funny and quick on his feet, he holds the room in the palms of his hands, keeping the laughter flowing all night long."

The Hyena Lounge has settled into The Duchess since last April's switch from The Basement at City Screen and the Stonebow live music bar is now established as its regular home. Meanwhile, the long-running Hyena Lounge's replacement at City Screen, Komedia's Krater Comedy Club, has come and gone already, having taken up Sunday residence only in early October.

Eschewing Sunday nights – "People just aren't going out on that night in the numbers they used to," he says – Clouston-Jones has put in place a winning formula of Saturday club nights with four acts and a flexible programme of tour shows on weekdays.

Already in the diary for 2015 are Tony Law's Enter The Tone Zone on February 17; Josie Long's Cara Josephine, February 27; a double bill of Romesh Rangananthan and Suzi Ruffle, April 23, and Doc Brown's The Weird Way Round, in addition to the Katherine Ryan gig in May. Canadian comic Tom Stade will be on his way too.

"We have a great working relationship with The Duchess, typified by our first Hyena Lounge New Year's Eve Special Hyena Lounge comedy night with lugubrious North Easterner Jason Cook, Lancastrian socialite Dan Nightingale, cheery Northumbrian Barry Dodds and North Western people's champion Danny Deegan. Around 190 attended and the beer was £2.50 a pint," says Toby. "So we've already booked next New Year's Eve for another show.

"Saturdays are really well established, averaging 120 people a night over the year with the weekend club nights, and we can put on more diverse stuff on the tour nights with more female acts than before."

Clouston-Jones is busily planning the year ahead.

"We're now sorting out Edinburgh Fringe preview shows with big names for June and July; we've got six tour shows booked for this spring and already nine in place for the autumn with plans to run 15 or 20 tour nights that season," he says.

"The idea is to have it as a multi-platform business at The Duchess with Saturday bills and tour shows being very different in character.

"The shows are totally seated, cabaret style with 40 tables, with 150 seats on Saturdays and 200 for the tour shows, and the likes of Tom Stade, Katherine Ryan, Josie Long and Tony Law are all coming with their tour shows because we now have a bigger capacity, and we know we can get the tickets sold so that allows us an extra spend on the artists."

Toby is seeking to bed in a booking system under which tour shows can play three nights in a row at The Duchess in York, The Wardrobe in Leeds and the Fruit Space in Hull.

"We're also looking at trying to get bookings for tour gigs later in the week at The Duchess, closer to the weekend," says Toby.

Doors open at 7pm for each Hyena Lounge Comedy Club show and tickets can be booked on 01904 641413 or at hyenalounge.com