A PUB is to host a series of comedy nights with the aim of offering aspiring comics the opportunity to try out their material ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Set up by award-winning comic Dave Rothnie, Stand-Up @ The Seaside will take place at The Station in Colwyn Bay.

Dave, who counts Billy Connolly, Jack Dee and Steve Coogan among his influences, said: “As a comedy lover, I regularly travel to Liverpool, Manchester and further afield to see comedians and I thought it would be terrific to set up a venue in North Wales.

“I have a lot of contacts in the industry and thought it would be a great idea and a complete contrast to my day job.”

Dave, whose day job is working as a financial journalist, initially started running the comedy nights at Great Orme Brewery.

As popularity grew, he took the event to the Terry Jones suite at the Station Pub, which is named after the Monty Python star, who was born in the town and lived there in his early childhood years.

The next event, on Saturday May 27, will see performances by Dan Thomas, and Sarah Breese, two rising stars from the South Wales comedy scene along with acclaimed performer Tony Cowards.

This will be followed by a week-long run of Edinburgh Fringe preview shows from June 19 featuring special sets from comedians Tony Burgess, Tudur Owen and Kiri-Pritchard Mclean.

If the shows, supported by Colwyn Business Improvement District (BID), are successful, Dave hopes to stage them more regularlye.

He said: “Our comedy events are a great night out as we also take jokes from the crowd and everyone votes on the best ones, which is really good fun.”

"There is also music so it’s a great night out for people of all ages.”

Tickets, costing £12.50, are available from the venue or by contacting 01492 532818 or dcrothnie@gmail.com.