The Blue Plaque on the wall outside the Frog & Bucket Comedy Club in Manchester has been stolen.

The plaque commemorates the club's opening in 1994 and has a very distinctive dedication: "In memory of all the comedians who died onstage."

The club has asked for it to be returned and say they have CCTV footage which they may share.

Luminaries who have cut their teeth in the Oldham Street venue include Peter Kay, Johnny Vegas, Lee Mack, Jason Manford, Dave Gorman, Chris Addison, Lucy Porter, Jack Whitehall and Ross Noble. 

John Bishop famously did his first-ever gig there on an open-mic night. He has said that “without the Frog and Bucket, I would not be a professional comedian today. It was a great place for me when I started out and remains just as good.”

The club started life around the corner at the Britannia pub on Newton Street with a capacity of just 60. Three years later it moved to its current premises at the end of Oldham St, on the edge of Manchester's hip Northern Quarter in a larger venue with a capacity of 200.

Sally Lindsay performed here when she was dabbling in stand up before getting her Coronation Street break when she was spotted in the club by Granada, while Royle Family creator Caroline Aherne and her ex-husband New Order's Peter Hook would pop in to cheer on the acts.