The return of live comedy inside venues looks set to be delayed. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new measures at a press conference on Friday. He has just spoken and called it "swift and decisive action...we would not hesistate to put the brakes on if required. Today I am afraid we are postponing those openings for at least a fortnight. Indoor performamces will not resume..."

The government had previously said two weeks ago that live indoor performances could return from August 1, subject to Covid19 secure guidelines including social distancing, but it now seems that due to the slight rise in infection rates for the first time since May this will not happen just yet. Last night new lockdown measures were introduced in north-west England.

The Frog and Bucket in Manchester staged a pilot show earlier this week and was due to stage a show at the weekend. On Friday morning the venue tweeted: "We have had official confirmation that the Show can go on tomorrow - just single households now. If you have booked for 2 households please reply to your booking confirmation ASAP and we will sort it for you." Unfortunately after the PM's press conference they tweeted: "Afraid we won’t be able to open again for at least 2 weeks. This is a huge blow to the club & the Industry as a whole. We’ve put a considerable amount of time & investment gearing up to re-open again but we have to respect the decision. The Show Will Go On. The Frog will be back."

Any shows that are postponed are not as a result of the pilot gigs at the Frog and Bucket and Just The Tonic in Notingham.