It’s funny how things happen, sometimes. You’re online, trying to book tickets to go and see comedian Josh Widdicombe when a little box in the top right-hand corner of the screen catches your eye: ‘So you think you can be a comedian?’ You do think so, and you fill it in and the next thing you know you’re on an eight-week comedy course with stand-up Logan Murray and then doing gigs at the Tringe Festival in Tring.

“I was one of the roving comedians,” explains Matt Hake. “You do four gigs in one night at four different pubs, the audience stays where they are and gets four different comedians.”

By day Matt is head of mathematics at Adeyfield School in Hemel Hempstead. When we speak he is preparing to set some fiendish quadratic equations.

Matt caught the comedy bug and is now opening his own comedy club in Harpenden, at the rugby club where he coaches.

“This Friday is the first one,” says Matt, “and then it will take place the first Friday of every month, starting from February.

“The aim is to give new talent in Hertfordshire an opportunity to perform somewhere close to home. I found my gigs could be in places like Brixton and East London, a blimmin’ long way away. It’s a chance to try your stuff out before you enter competitions and work towards industry standards.”

The five local comedians lined up for the first night are all fellow roving comedians from the 2011 Tringe Festival, who get together once a month to share ideas, do a spot of improv and try their material out on each other.

You will be able to see BBC Radio 2’s New Comedy Award semi finalist Steph Peart, and BBC Radio 2 and Radio 6 Music regular Jen Brister, and local rising stars include Peter Ford, Shaun McHugh, Olaf Falafel, Simon Lacey, Lee Cotton and Matt himself, who takes the opening slot and who will be compering the evening.

  • The Harpenden Comedy Mash-up Club opens at Harpenden Rugby Club, Redbourn Lane, Harpenden on Friday, December 7 at 8pm. Details: Matt on 07742 976762.