PROMOTERS planning next year's massive Spike Island pop festival are also behind Widnes's first ever comedy club.

As exclusively revealed in last week's World, Surprisingly Good Events promise to bring top acts to Widnes next May as part of the three-day festival.

Now, they have organised two 'Laughterhouse' comedy nights in the town to test the waters for a possible permanent laughter venue in the town. Comics lined up for the first night at the Bridge Suite, Halton Stadium, on October 6, are Jason Manford, Sean Percival, Mick Ferry and Greg Cook. Laughterhouse already runs a successful club in Liverpool every weekend.

"People from Widnes flock to the Laughterhouse in Liverpool every weekend as they love our style of humour, so we knew there was a huge demand for a dedicated comedy club in the town," said Adam Franklin, director of the Laughterhouse and a judge on this year's North West comedy awards.

"We have been looking at venues for a while and we decided the Bridge Suite was ideal in terms of size and atmosphere.

"We are holding two shows before Christmas and if they are as successful as we anticipate, then we intend to roll out the Laughterhouse in Widnes permanently in 2006."

Jason Manford will compere the October 6 show. He has been on the comedy circuit for more than five years. Based in the north west, Jason is just 23, but he already performs at the country's top comedy clubs, including the Comedy Store and Jongleurs, and abroad.

He won the prestigious North West Comedian of the Year Award, whose previous recipients include Caroline Aherne, Johnny Vegas and Peter Kay.

Tickets for the shows, on Thursday, October 6, and Thursday, November 3, are £10 and can be bought on the Laughterhouse hotline, 0870-202 66339. Shows start at 8pm.