At the dawn of Thatcher's Britain, a brand new kind of comedy club opened in a strip club in Soho. Innovative and unruly, The Comedy Store became the unofficial flagship for a fresh generation of comedians. More than twenty years on, it remains a unique springboard for rising stars. William Cook charts the eccentric story of this stand-up and improvisational speakeasy, dipping in and out of The Store's colourful biography and eavesdropping on the onstage gags and offstage banter. With tales from bouncers, punters and promoters, plus scores of brand new interviews with Store performers including Jo Brand, Alan Davies, Jack Dee, Nick Hancock, Lee Hurst, Eddie Izzard, Phill Jupitus, Mark Lamarr and Alexei Sayle, The Comedy Store offers a fascinating and entertaining insight into the club that helped create not only alternative comedy, but the circuit that continues to bloom today.