The Manchester pub where Johnny Vegas, Peter Kay and Jo Brand played lost to city centre development

It's been eight years since a Manchester pub that helped launch the careers of top comedians and bands closed its doors forever.

The Ducie Bridge pub had been a fixture on Corporation Street since 1923. But from the late '90s and early Noughties, the pub's Juicy Ducie Comedy Club became renowned for giving some of Britain's biggest comedians a chance to perfect their craft.

Bolton's Peter Kay and fellow stars from his hit TV comedy Phoenix Nights all performed there. Timperley's big-headed Frank Sidebottom and Johnny Vegas were also among those who appeared at the city-centre pub, as well as other big names like John Bishop and Jo Brand.

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Despite the impressive list of talent, the club came in for fierce criticism. It ended up being billed as The Worst Comedy Night in Manchester after a less-than-complimentary write-up in City Life magazine.

Comedian Mike Wilkinson later told the MEN about how he started his stand up career at the Ducie Bridge comedy night in the late '90s: "I went down to The Worst Comedy Night In Manchester (its actual name at the time, though it was pretty a accurate description) and decided to have ago after watching all the sad freaks there."

In the early Noughties the Comedy club closed, but a few years later it was resurrected by new landlord, Dave Foran, with Moston comic Smug Roberts as its compere. The venue also became a favourite amongst Manchester's music fans who flocked to the boozer to watch countless bands over the years.

It gained a reputation as a great place to spot up and coming new talent while sipping a pint and safely assuming you wouldn't have to pay Northern Quarter prices for the privilege.