DANIEL Triscott has made a funny move, leaving his native Cornwall for York, where he is setting up The Duke’s Comedy Night, a monthly open-mic session at the Duke of York pub in King’s Square that he will launch on June 4.

“I’d been to the pub quite a few times, mainly to people-watch on the square from the windows,” says Daniel, a 26-year-old comedian of the lanky, long-haired and even longer-fingered variety.

“Rob is the manager there and we ended up talking about the possibility of running a comedy night. That was at the beginning of May and I’ve since had comedians asking me if they can come, so the June and July line-ups are pretty much fully booked already.”

Daniel had wanted to start up a comedy night ever since settling in York nine months ago, taking up residence next door to The Gillygate pub, a home to arts activities in its own right.

“Living in Cornwall, that county wasn’t a hotbed of comedy; the gigs were sparse in terms of spaces on offer and regularity, so I moved to York for comedy reasons,” he says.

“I’ve now built up connections with comedians in York, Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester and Sheffield, but I also work in a 9 to 5 job at Osbaldwick industrial estate in an admin role for a purchasing company, and it takes up my time, so I have to focus my own comedy writing on weekends, sitting in Caffe Nero for four hours in King’s Square and seeing what comes out.”

Daniel has performed at the Wozzon comedy night at City Screen, and at the Victoria Vaults, Al Greaves’s Burning Duck Comedy Club and his friend Maxie Wade’s new Stand Up And Be Social gigs at the Fossgate Social, along with gigs in Leeds, before taking the step of setting up The Duke’s nights.

“It strikes me that when attempting to put on an open-mic free comedy night in York, it doesn’t seem like there’s much of a foundation for it in the city, except for Maxie’s free stand-up nights,” says Daniel.

“My nights will be free, billed as a new material, new act night, and I’m quite a meticulous person so I know what I want the The Duke’s nights to look like and how they should be structured. The room will be on the first floor, overlooking King’s Square, with a capacity of 25, and the posters will have a circus look to them.

“I’ll be the compere as I like the idea that you should be in control, in charge of whatever happens, when you’re running your own club. There’ll be two acts in the first half, three in the second, because I prefer short and sweet sets, ten minutes each, though I know full well that they’ll probably want to run on longer if it’s going well and they have more new material. But short sets give a burst of comedy when you always leave them wanting more.”

The debut line-up for Thursday comprises headliner Simon D Heaven, medieval comedy PhD student Mabel Slattery, Rivka Uttley, the character act Sir Dickie Benson and Eddie French, hosted by Daniel.

Initially the bills will feature comedians Daniel knows from the circuit.

“It’s good to have that security of knowing who I’m booking at first but once the night establishes itself, I can cast the net wider,” he says.

Daniel is a former mathematics student at the University of Bristol, whose comedy is marked by analysis.

“I tell calculated, crafted jokes and one-liners, and for me it’s all about the mechanics of a joke,” he says, revealing that he is now writing a treatise on his comedy philosophy.

“I’m pinning down my thoughts on comedy, analysing what makes a gag work.

“The reason we laugh is we have evolved to have pattern-seeking minds, so when you’re presented with any information, you’re always going to have bugs and loopholes, so you’re brain works very hard at correcting these mistakes, and when you do correct it, your brain feels good. That’s when we laugh.”

For mathematician Daniel, it all adds up to a good night out at The Duke’s Comedy. As for the new night’s name, he chose it as “it’s a simple and easy title... although I did think about Tell Us A Duke.” Thankfully it was just a passing thought, although maybe it could have been even worse: The Duke’s On Us.

• Daniel Triscott hosts his first The Duke’s Comedy Night at The Duke of York, King’s Square, York, on June 4 at 8pm. Admission is free. Anyone keen to have a comedy spot at The Duke’s, or with any queries, should email danieltriscott@gmail.com