Neither the police, nor the club itself, have shed any light on the “serious criminal offence” that forced it to close its doors, but it is not the first time the venue has been dogged with claims of illegality.
In its heyday, an upstairs room was apparently nicknamed the Peruvian Procurement Department, such was its reputation for the alleged availability of cocaine.
It is a startling fall from grace for a club once frequented by the likes of Princess Diana, Kate Moss, Harry Styles and even Ant and Dec.
Image: Kate Moss leaving the Groucho Club. Photo by Rotello/Mcp/Shutterstock
The club was founded in 1985, at a time when very few private members’ clubs were open to women (and in fact, The Garrick Club only voted to allow women to become members this year – prior to that, they had to be invited in and accompanied around the building by a man).
A group of publishing heavyweights (Liz Calder from Bloomsbury, Carmen Callil from Virago and literary agents Ed Victor and Michael Sissons) wanted to invent a “new kind of club”, according to the official history of Groucho.
They wanted it to be “a place where the creatives can mingle, unwind, and spark some serious magic, regardless of gender, a club anyone could apply to join based on merit, the antithesis of the stuffy gentlemen’s clubs of the day”.
It would become “the blueprint for the modern members club”.
Image: British television presenting duo Ant & Dec attend a party being held at the Groucho Club in 1996. Pic: Dave Benett/Getty
The club was named after Groucho Marx’s famous claim that he wouldn’t “want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members”.
The group (backed by club owner Tony Mackintosh) bought a slightly dilapidated townhouse on Dean Street for £450,000, raising roughly the same amount again to transform it into the “hottest ticket in town”.
Rod Stewart, Freddie Mercury, and Liam Gallagher were among the famous faces to visit, alongside Keira Knightly and Lily Allen (who was later given a year-long suspension from the club).
Such was the venue’s success at attracting members that a rival Soho club was said to have been launched purely to cater for rejected Groucho applicants.
Image: Nigella Lawson hosted the party for her late husband’s book with Angus Deayton and Lisa Meyer at the Groucho Club. Photo by Alan Davidson/Shutterstock
Stories from inside the club soon became legend
There was the time Bill Clinton walked through the doors one Christmas, only to be serenaded by Bono singing “Happy Birthday Mr President”.
Julie Burchill, a columnist for The Times, wrote in a 2005 article commemorating Groucho’s 20th anniversary: “It seemed symptomatic of the times when my then best friend Toby Young had sex in the toilets with a Lady Diana impersonator.”
Young is on record as responding: “I can’t claim to have been the first person to have had sex in the Groucho Club’s toilets – the truth is we didn’t go all the way – but I’m sure it’s happened on numerous occasions. The irritating thing was that as I emerged, I was spotted.”
Image: Pete Burns and Michael Simpson. Photo by Richard Young/Shutterstock
How did you become a member – and what were the rules?
“Two current members have to write to the committee to propose you,” wrote PR executive James Herring in 2005. “If you’ve been lucky enough to get the nod, you’ll then get a letter saying you’ll be able to join in three years’ time.”
Membership was reportedly £1,500 a year, and being a celebrity was not always a guaranteed entry. The Spice Girls were rejected by the membership committee, while Al Pacino was turned away at reception unrecognised.
To preserve privacy, after 5pm the use of mobile phones was strictly prohibited, unless you were taking a “short discreet” call. No photos or videos were allowed to be taken at any time inside.
The Groucho Book of Rules also states the following: “The wearing of string vests is fully unacceptable and wholly proscribed by Club Rules. There is enough distress in the world already.”
Image: Noel Gallagher and Sara McDonald at the Groucho Club in 2013. Photo by Rotello/Shutterstock
The Prince of Soho
Overseeing the debauchery was front-of-house manager Bernie Katz, who partied with celebrities but was known for his discretion.
Nicknamed the “The Prince of Soho” by Stephen Fry, Katz was the son of notorious south London gangster Brian “Little Legs” Clifford.
Clifford was a criminal and club owner who was murdered at home while he slept.
Katz, aged 17 at the time his father was shot, would later write in his memoir: “Never one to miss an opportunity, I sashayed over to his wardrobe and navigated my way across the sea of footwear to his black Pierre Cardin alligator skin shoes I’d secretly always had my eye on. Thank God they were in the wardrobe. You see something good always comes out of tragedy.”
Image: A horse drawn hearse at Bernie Katz’s funeral. Photo by James Gourley/Shutterstock
He would become known for his discretion at the club, partying with celebrities and protecting their secrets until the end of his life.
Katz died suddenly, at the age of 49, with Sienna Miller, Noel Fielding and Jude Law turning out for his funeral – the latter giving a eulogy.
Image: Sienna Miller leaving the Groucho Club – she ran out of a side door and was led to the wrong car. Photo by Shutterstock
The club’s downfall
Katz’s retirement (a few short months before his death) was seen by some as the beginning of the end for the club. In 2016, 14 veteran members wrote to general manager Matt Hobbs with complaints including “open drug taking” and arguing the club had lost its “unique feel”.
Hobbs left the club in 2018, a year after it had announced a 40% increase in the membership fee.
The company was bought in 2022 by Artfarm for a reported £40m.
According to The Times, a letter titled “RIP Groucho” circulated among members this summer, which pronounced the club “almost dead”, with complaints including rising costs and the decision to disband the old membership committee.
The BBC has responded after it was reported that two Strictly Come Dancing stars have been accused of taking cocaine.
The broadcaster is said to have hired an external law firm to probe the drug-taking allegations, which a source said were “well-known” on the show, The Sun on Sunday reports.
The claims were reportedly made on behalf of celebrity contestant Wynne Evans in a legal submission to the BBC in March.
In response, a BBC spokesperson told Sky News: “We have clear protocols and policies in place for dealing with any serious complaint raised with us. We would always encourage people to speak to us if they have concerns.
“It would not be appropriate for us to comment further.”
Sky News understands that it is not unusual for the BBC to engage an external individual to provide additional expert resource to help deliver a BBC-led investigation. In these cases, they would report to an established BBC team.
Image: PA file pic
The allegations published in The Sun on Sunday include a source saying that one Strictly star had told another about a third celebrity on the show: “Have you seen their pupils… they’re off their face.”
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“The BBC have known about these allegations for some time, and acknowledged receiving them. Now they are taking firm action,” the source reportedly said.
The two individuals accused of drug taking have not been named.
It is the latest crisis to hit the BBC and Strictly.
In July last year, Amanda Abbington accused Strictly dancer Giovanni Pernice of “abusive or threatening behaviour”. The actress, who was paired with Pernice, withdrew from the show in 2023.
In January this year, Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans made “inappropriate and unacceptable” comments at the Strictly Come Dancing live tour launch, for which he later apologised.
The Edinburgh Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival, is getting under way, and the conflict in Gaza seems to be feeding into what’s happening.
From shows cancelled to artists divided, it’s no joke.
Rachel Creeger has had a distressing start to her stand-up run.
Two weeks ago, out of the blue, she says the venue Whistle Binkies rang her and fellow Jewish comedian Philip Simon to cancel their slots.
Image: Rachel Creeger says her Edinburgh shows have been cancelled by the venue
She told Sky News it’s come down to “what we bring to that venue by being ourselves”.
The pair were allegedly given three reasons for the cancellation.
One was linked to a “vigil for IDF soldiers” that she says the venue initially claimed had been held during her performance last year but, according to Creeger, later had to admit hadn’t taken place.
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“That never happened,” she insists.
Rachel says she was told her previous performances there had resulted in the venue having to pay for graffiti to be removed from toilet doors every three days.
“Again, we didn’t see evidence of that at all,” she says.
“We’re not the ones writing it… but if it was bothering them and they worried it was bothering us, then maybe we’d have volunteered to help them – or to help clean it.”
She claims she was also told the venue was responding to staff concerns about their own safety should Creeger’s show go ahead.
“It’s a pub in Edinburgh, it’s a music venue, they themselves have bouncers most evenings… And perhaps they might say if there’s a concern about extra risk, we should do all we can to make our performers safe.”
‘More unites us than divides us’
Creeger says her show is in no way political.
“It’s based around the idea that a Jewish mother can answer any question, solve any problem… I will make it better for you, the audience gets to write a question and put it into a chicken soup pot… The reason I kind of love it is because by the end of it people leave feeling actually more unites us than divides us.
“We’re not the people making the trouble,” she adds.
“I’ve certainly never started a protest, I’ve never done graffiti, I’ve never caused harm anywhere; my show doesn’t do that, my show is lovely.”
As Britain’s only touring comedian who is also a practising Orthodox Jew, she says since the 7 October attack she and other Jewish comedians are experiencing a significant increase in antisemitism while performing.
“We’re not Israeli, we’re British Jews,” says Creeger.
“The situation there is horrendous and distressing and painful for people of any number of religions and races… To be kind of scapegoated with dog whistles around that is clearly very, very unpleasant.”
The Fringe Society has said its role is to provide support and advice to all participants at the festival “with a vision to give anyone a stage and everyone a seat”.
A spokesperson explained they don’t manage or programme venues and “we understand that the show cancellations have been a choice made by the venue”.
Whistle Binkies hasn’t responded to multiple requests for comment.
Police Scotlandtold Sky News it hasn’t “received any reports of concern” about Creeger’s show.
There are, of course, huge sensitivities when it comes to discussing what’s going on in the world right now.
American stand-up Zainab Johnson is making her Fringe debut this year.
While her show Toxically Optimistic is all about putting a positive spin on life’s challenges, she doesn’t shy away from tackling the serious stuff if it comes up.
Image: Zainab Johnson says her show doesn’t shy away from tackling serious issues
‘Shows becoming serious is a part of life’
“If I’m doing a show and somebody wants to yell out Free Palestine, well let’s talk about it,” she tells Sky News.
“I am the comedian where, if the show has to become serious, it becomes serious. That’s a part of life, you know?”
Johnson adds: “I’m from the United States and they talk about free speech all the time, but then you find out free speech ain’t really free because the moment you say something that is contrary to what the majority feels or wants to be heard, then you can be penalised…
“But isn’t that the beauty of this festival? So many people just telling their story, whatever their story is.”
Comedian Andy Parsons has had a long-standing career in satire, appearing regularly on shows like BBC2’s Mock the Week.
While he has the likes of Elon Musk and Nigel Farage in his sights for his stand-up show, Please #@!$ Off to Mars, they’re not his only focus.
Image: Andy Parsons says comedians ‘should be able to talk about anything’
He says stand-ups “should be able to talk about anything and find a way to get that to work, including Israel and Gaza”.
He explains jokingly: “I’ve got some stuff about Israel in the show and obviously it can work both ways. It can give you some publicity and obviously it can get you cancelled.”
Irish-Palestinian comedian Sami Abu Wardeh – a clown comic – is the only Palestinian doing a full run of a comedy show at this year’s Fringe.
“My show is clowning, it’s storytelling, it’s even got a bit of stand-up and it’s heavily inspired by the comedian Dave Allen, who is one of my comedy heroes,” says Wardeh.
“It felt really important that I come and just exist in this space, as a Palestinian, and speak my words and have my voice heard.
“I’ve used all of these skills to make a show that is about really what’s going on in this country and in the world at the moment.
Image: Irish-Palestinian comedian Sami Abu Wardeh is the only Palestinian doing a full run at this year’s Fringe
“I think most people in this country are going to recognise that Britain is in a very dark place… and I’m hoping to reach those people and to give a voice to the dissatisfaction.”
‘Plans in place’ for disruption
He’s had to consider the possibility of protests and take steps to “make sure that the audience and myself are safe and secure”.
“We have plans in place to know how to deal with people who are disruptive,” he says. “And particularly anybody who wants to bring any kind of bigoted views into the room.”
As one of the very few Palestinians at the festival, Wardeh says it is “not only my duty” but “an honour to be here and to represent my people”.
He also feels it’s wrong that Rachel Creeger has had her venue cancelled.
“I sincerely support free speech and I think everyone should be able to get on the stage and say what they want, within reason obviously,” says Wardeh.
Rachel says she hopes to confirm a new venue for her show on social media in the coming days.
“We’ve thankfully had a number of venues approach us to say that they have space available, so I’m hopeful that I’ll get – if not a full – then at least part of the run for the show.”
Since arriving in Edinburgh she’s been overwhelmed by how many hugs of support she’s received.
“To have super high-profile comedians put their heads above the parapet to say ‘this is wrong’, it means so much…In a way the story is that someone’s done something very hurtful… But look at all the love, that’s amazing.”
Sami Abu Wardeh’s Palestine: Peace de Resistance is at the Pleasance Dome in Edinburgh until 24 August Andy Parsons’ Please #@!$ Off to Mars is at Pleasance Courtyard’s Cabaret Bar until 10 August Zainab Johnson: Toxically Optimistic is at Pleasance Courtyard until 24 August
Flintoff previously described how he thought he had died in the accident – which saw him “pulled face-down on the runway” for about 50m under a three-wheel car.
The incident led to the BBC pulling the plug on Top Gear and it remains unclear if it will ever return.