The Comedy Store in London is launching the UK's first live virtual reality gigs.

Free to stream for owners of PICO VR headsets, the three-part series Stand-Up At The Comedy Store begins this Friday with a show featuring Russell Kane, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Joshua Bethania, hosted by Mark Watson.

The 40-minute, 3D show promises to provide a 360-degree view in 8K quality. Headset owners can interact with the comedians by pressing emoji buttons at various points.

Since the coronavirus pandemic, Pritchard-McLean and Watson in particular have been enthusiastic promoters of remote gigs online for punters who otherwise can't get to shows.

Iain Funnell and Yiyun Tang, producers at PICO, say: "We're so excited to be partnering with The Comedy Store to bring these series of hilarious shows exclusively to our users. We're looking at lots of different ways we can expand our ever-growing content offering, and this is just one in series of live experiences we have lined up for this year."

In November, the Frog & Bucket in Manchester became the first UK comedy club to stage a VR gig, although the show, featuring Justin Moorhouse, Brennan Reece, Cerys Nelmes and Peter Brush, was recorded for viewers to watch later. Comedian Bec Hill also recorded her show for a VR platform in 2019.

Owners of PICO 4 and PICO 3 Neo Link headsets will be able to access the company's new Comedy Store shows for about two weeks after the launch date.

For those who wish to witness the shows in a more conventional way, free tickets are available.