TOBY Clouston-Jones's Hyena Lounge Comedy Club may have closed down its York shows, and Martin Witts's Great Yorkshire Fringe spiegeltents have departed Parliament Street until next summer, but York has a new comedy enterprise opening next month.

Actor, comedian, promoter and father of two Philip Smith is setting up Love Comedy Live at Haxby Sports Club, where his debut 7.30pm bill on September 29 will comprise headliner Mick Ferry, Lauren Pattison, compere Dan Nightingale, Smith himself and his former comedy coach Silky.

Born in York, Philip moved back to the city nine years ago and works as a recruitment consultant at T J Peel, in Upper Poppleton, whom he joined seven months go. "It's great that they're being so supportive, nicknaming me as 'Comedy Phil'." he says. "Comedy is my hobby; it's far less physical than football, and so far there have been fewer comedy-related injuries than football ones.

York Press:

Lauren Pattison

"I played five a side and for Huby on Saturdays, going to the pub afterwards, but those days have gone. I played centre forward but it was only because I couldn't run back! I used to be substitute for the reserve team, being sent on with 20 minutes to go to get a goal, which very rarely happened. Well, maybe a couple of times, so they persisted. But I'm 36 now, age catches up with you, and comedy is something I've always wanted to do."

Philip has been involved in live performances for plenty of years, as part of the Woodland Theatre Group in Harrogate and the Smart Arts Theatre group, based in York and Harrogate, set up originally as a pantomime group for the Harrogate Police Social Club.

"My father-in-law and my father are both retired policemen and they're both called Smith, so we did think of going double-barrelled as Smith-Smith when we married!" recalls Philip. "The first time I met my father-in-law, the first thing he said to me was, 'the last I saw you you were in a dame', when I'd been playing the dame. I was dame for the Knaresborough Players and directed plays for them too, such as Steel Magnolias."

York Press:

Mick Ferry

Smart Arts are now based at the Hampsthwaite Memorial hall, where they put on charity pantomimes every Christmas. "Ours is the rude one, the adult one, though not in the same vein as a Jim Davidson adult pantomime," says Philip. "It's more a grown-up pantomime with an adult theme, which I've been doing since 2002," he says.

"I've now retired from that to do more comedy, though. I've written them, directed them and been part of the production team and it takes up most of the year, with meetings from January, and for a while it's been a bit like whenever Nigel Farage says he's giving up leading UKIP, people say, No, you're not', but now I really have left it."

Philip has always enjoyed performing to a live audience. "I like having to think on your feet when something goes wrong, ad-libbing your way out of it, so that's where the desire to do stand-up came from," he says.

He threw himself into the bear pit of the Frog & Bucket in Manchester, taking part in the Beat The Frog competition, where once all the audience members put up their cards to indicate it is time to leave the stage, a gong is struck. "They play the Beck song, I'm A Loser, as you leave," he recalls. "I lasted two and a half minutes and got only one laugh – and that was probably a sympathy laugh!" Philip says.

"I went back to the familiar comfort of pantomime, thinking, 'that's where I'm going to get my laughter from' in that safe environment. That was six years ago, but the story didn't end there."

Indeed not. At the suggestion of his friend Triona Tootle – store manager of Top Shop in York, incidentally – he enrolled on a comedy course run by Silky at Chapel Allerton under the title of Laugh At Leeds (not a reference to Leeds United's endless woes).

Six months later, Philip returned to the Frog & Bucket with hopes of hearing The Frog Chorus (We All Stand Together) after five minutes, but again he survived only two and a half minutes. Undeterred, he has since progressed as an open-spot comic and now comes his new comedy venture. "Comedy is best seen live, which is why my club is called Love Comedy Live, because I genuinely love comedy," he says.

Comedy nights are in place for September, October and November and further details will follow. Tickets are available on 07875 939567 or 07525 189410, at aspireeventproduction.co.uk or from behind the bar.