Down The Hatch

Komedia Brighton

Review 1 November 2026

Synopsis: On the first Sunday of the month, head ‘Down the Hatch’ for a night of queer & alternative comedy in Brighton. Resident MC Lee Peart will introduce you to extraordinary queer stand-ups, character comedians, musical performers, drag acts, ventriloquists, and other alternative comedy acts.

Tickets are £8 (and allies are welcome too!).

My review: Brighton’s Komedia played host to another edition of Down the Hatch, its regular queer and alternative comedy night, featuring a varied lineup of comedians and a particularly energetic headline performance from Jordan Gray.

The audience was a little thinner than usual, something host Lee Peart attributed to the previous night’s Halloween celebrations. Having attended Down the Hatch before, I can confirm that it normally attracts a larger crowd, but those who did venture out were certainly rewarded.

Lee Peart is an accomplished host, effortlessly charming, occasionally gloriously camp, and particularly adept at getting an audience involved. Although billed as a queer comedy night, the audience was a mixture of gay, lesbian and straight comedy fans, including a front row that provided plenty of opportunities for Lee’s playful interactions.

One straight gentleman found himself on the receiving end of some particularly amusing flirting, while audience member Sue received one of the biggest cheers of the evening when, asked what she did for a living, she triumphantly declared, “FUCK ALL!”

Another running joke involved Lee’s apparent unfamiliarity with Brighton institution Infinity Foods. The subject returned later when someone pointed out that Infinity Foods was also the venue’s designated fire assembly point. A perfectly timed callback that had the room laughing.

First onto the stage was Dee Allum, a charming and remarkably self-assured comedian whose material drew heavily on her experiences as a trans woman.

With Halloween only just behind us, Dee revealed that she’d dressed as Wolverine, making her the perfect X-Man. It was a lovely example of her clever, self-deprecating humour.

Other material included the idea of funding gender transition through Klarna instalments, her girlfriend’s Yorkshire accent, a visit to a sperm bank and a wonderfully constructed routine involving MS and cross-legged problems.

What impressed me particularly was Dee’s confidence in her storytelling. Even during the longer build-up to the MS routine, when the laughter temporarily subsided, the room remained attentive. Nobody seemed restless or distracted. She had the audience listening carefully, knowing the punchline would be worth waiting for.

Next was Zhou Ning, making her first appearance in Brighton. Originally from China and having returned to London in 2023, Zhou was a comedian I hadn’t previously encountered, but one I thoroughly enjoyed discovering.

Her material explored relationships, sex, or rather the lack of it, and the frustrations of modern dating. Identifying as pansexual, she observed that this simply meant being rejected by a much wider range of people.

There were also stories involving guinea pigs and her accommodation, described as a shoebox apartment that, judging by her account, sounded alarmingly close to an actual shoebox.

Zhou was engaging, funny and refreshingly personable. One of the pleasures of a mixed comedy bill is discovering performers you might otherwise never have encountered, and she was certainly a welcome discovery.

Sam Serrano was next, a comedian I know well, having booked them for my own comedy nights in the past.

Originally from Liverpool, a fact Sam was keen to establish, their comedy is wonderfully self-deprecating, drawing on personal experiences with autism, sexuality and relationships.

There was some amusing material about autism and playing with dinosaurs, alongside stories about their asexual girlfriend, who apparently wasn’t entirely familiar with what a handjob involved.

Sam also spoke about caring for their 98-year-old grandmother. As someone with caring responsibilities myself, I found this particularly relatable. It’s an area of life that doesn’t always lend itself easily to comedy, but Sam has a knack for finding humour in the most personal situations.

Their set received a very good response from the audience, bringing the first part of the evening to a satisfying close before the final interval.

The evening included two breaks, which worked well, giving everyone a chance to replenish their drinks or visit the loo without missing any comedy. It’s a sensible format for a show featuring several acts.

And then came Jordan Gray.

Replacing the originally advertised Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho, Jordan was a terrific choice to close the evening. Surprisingly, as she revealed herself, this was her first appearance at Komedia Brighton.

I’d previously seen Jordan’s show at the Edinburgh Fringe earlier this year, so I was particularly interested to see her performing a stand-up set in a mixed bill.

If Dee Allum’s approach was measured and assured, Jordan’s was almost the complete opposite physically.

She is an extraordinarily animated performer. Pacing constantly, arms and legs seemingly everywhere, climbing on and off a stool, she somehow made Komedia’s stage look far too small to contain her.

For some performers, that amount of movement might become distracting, but Jordan’s verbal dexterity, storytelling and sheer comic ability ensured that it never mattered. There was always something funny to listen to, even while her body appeared to be performing an entirely separate routine.

Much of her material revolved around being a trans woman, including the observation that the traditional letter greeting “Dear Sir/Madam” was, in her case, entirely appropriate.

She also reminded us that she had been the first trans contestant on The Voice UK, a fact that apparently everyone seems to have forgotten, much to her annoyance. When the audience failed to remember this initially, we were firmly encouraged to correct ourselves the second time around.

Another particularly sharp routine tackled the argument that trans women cannot be women because they weren’t born with breasts. As Jordan quite rightly pointed out, who actually is born with breasts? Babies certainly aren’t!

Jordan closed with a guitar-accompanied comedy song looking back at her infamous 2022 appearance on Channel 4’s Friday Night Live, when she stripped naked and played the keyboard with a rather unconventional appendage.

It was a fittingly outrageous finale, bringing the set to a tremendous high and earning Jordan a rousing reception from the audience.

Down the Hatch once again demonstrated the appeal of a well-programmed mixed comedy night. Four very different performers, each bringing their own experiences and comic styles, held together by Lee Peart’s accomplished and entertaining hosting.

The lineup changes with every edition, which makes it particularly appealing for regular comedy-goers. You can return each month and experience something entirely different.

The show finished at around 9.30pm, around 2 and a half hours with breaks, having provided a thoroughly enjoyable evening of comedy, with plenty of laughs, a few surprises and a memorable headline performance.

Lee Peart reminded us that this was the final Down the Hatch of 2026, with the club taking a break until February 2027.

On the evidence of this evening, it’ll certainly be worth welcoming back.

Down the Hatch returns to Komedia Brighton in February 2027.

Show	Down The Hatch
Dates	Check Komedia’s Website – usually 1st Sunday evening of the month but not December 2026 not January 2027
Venue & Booking	Komedia Website

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Disclosure: I was given a press ticket for this