TOM Taylor, winner of the Great Yorkshire Fringe New Comedian of the Year final on August 2, is to re-launch his Sitting Room Comedy night at the Monkbar Hotel on his return to York on September 3.

"Sitting Room has gained an impressive reputation for delivering high-quality comedy events, receiving critical acclaim from national media and glowing endorsements from the likes of comedians Simon Evans and Paul Sinha," says Tom, a 23-year-old comedian and promoter from Harrogate.

"With successful nights running in Harrogate and Leeds, Sitting Room is now returning to the Monkbar Hotel, where I ran a number of shows while living in York two years ago."

Tom triumphed in the closing-day final of the inaugural Great Yorkshire Fringe New Comedian of the Year competition in the White Rose Rotunda spiegeltent, hosted by comedian Rob Beckett. He beat eight fellow finalists from the 75 aspiring comedians who had competed in eight daily heats, winning £500 plus his own London showcase in the Museum of Comedy, the museum run by the York festival's founder, Martin Witts.

Now Tom's focus returns to the Sitting Room. "I’m really excited about bringing Sitting Room back to York," he says. "The city has just enjoyed a fabulous Fringe festival and, on top of that, it’s got a great regular scene, which I’m looking forward to contributing to.

“Our ethos has always been to provide high-quality comedy at affordable prices and at venues that are just that little bit different. With the shows we’ve got programmed at the Monkbar Hotel, we hit on all those fronts. We'll have acts you’ve seen performing at the country’s biggest comedy clubs and on the telly for just a tenner.”

Topping the bill on September 3 will be Rob Rouse. "Rob’s super-charged brand of humour, complete with his trademark cheeky banter, has helped him to become one of the fastest-rising stars of stage and television," says Tom.

York Press: Sitting Room Comedy Club

Sitting Room Comedy headliner Ron Rouse

"Since winning Channel Four’s prestigious So You Think You’re Funny? competition at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1998, Rob has become a highly sought-after headline act and a regular on shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, Dave's One Night Stand, Celebrity Juice and Sean Lock's 15 Storeys High. He's now one of the country’s hottest comedians."

Rouse will be joined by two more circuit headliners, Damian Clark and John Lynn. Clark burst on to the British comedy circuit in 2012 after picking up a string of awards and television and radio performances in his native Australia. He was immediately snapped up to appear on BBC3 and Comedy Central and hand-picked to support Jack Dee and Kevin Bridges on national tours.

Dubliner Lynn has drawn comparison with Dave Allen and Dylan Moran, two giants of Irish comedy, and Lynn more than holds his own in their company, reckons Tom. "Cementing his status as a promising newcomer on Irish TV, Lynn accepted an invitation to perform at the invite-only Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and subsequently he was invited to tour around South Africa, as well as appearing on stage in America, Europe and the Middle East," he says.

York favourite Dan Nightingale will be the compère for the 8pm gig, for which tickets cost £10 online at sittingroomcomedy.com. Further Sitting Room Comedy nights follow at Harrogate's St George Hotel on September 9, with Mark Maier, Patrick Monahan, Christian Reilly and host Jonathan Mayor, and the Leeds Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen on September 10, with Maier, Reilly, Stephen Bailey and host Jim Smallman.