What should be the format for a noted evening

Following the discussion at the Legh Arms last Sunday evening, I quite like the idea of a more "performance" based approach. That is, regular members would be assigned a slot in the evening, and anyone else who turns up is allocated one of the reserved slots in between, at the start of the evening.

This way, the running order is pre-planned, and less time is taken with "who wants a go next?".

In addition, the format lends itself to bringing in non-participating guests to create an audience. However, with the venues so small, audiences are likely to be friends and family, so pressure is minimised.