The BBC New Comedy Awards is a nationwide talent search to find the best new stand-ups. Since they first began in 1995, the prestigious awards have helped launch the careers of many of the UK’s best-loved comedians.\n\nThis year, over 1,200 comics applied, before being whittled down to the top 30. Tonight, five hopefuls will battle it out for a place in the BBC One Grand Final at Kings Theatre in Glasgow, where one will be crowned the BBC New Comedian of 2023.\n\nWe’re heading north to Scotland and the legendary Leith Theatre, a 1930s art deco venue that has been transformed into a multi-arts space which supports emerging Scottish talent and local creative projects. Five acts will take to the stage in front of a packed house of more than 200 comedy-goers.\n\nAward-winning Glaswegian stand-up comedian Larry Dean is our host for the evening, and joining him are the three judges – writer, comedian and actor Richard Gadd and multiple Scottish comedy award winner Susie McCabe, as well as our our erudite head judge Josh Pugh.\n\nLauren Steven, Dean T Beirne, Daniel Petrie, Kyrah Gray and Alex MacKeith will perform their set before the judges decide who will go through to the grand final in November.\n\nThis is just one of six heats taking place across the UK – Bethnal Green, Nottingham, Bangor, Ballymena and Sunderland all play host to these incredibly competitive comedy showdowns.\n\nFirst established in 1995, these prestigious awards have helped build and nurture the careers of some of Britain’s most loved comedians, including Peter Kay, Joe Lycett, Lee Mack, Julian Barratt, Josie Long, Shaparak Khorsandi, Romesh Ranganathan, Alan Carr, Russell Howard, Tom Allen, Sarah Millican, Anna Thomas and Dan Tiernan. \n\nThe BBC New Comedy Awards is unearthing a wealth of brand new comedy talent who will become the stars of the future.
Source: BBC 1
2023: 7. The Final
The BBC’s foremost comedy talent search, The New Comedy Awards, has reached its climax. Over 1,000 applied, more than 100 went head-to-head at showcases across the country ...
15-11-2023
BBC 1
2023: Episode 6
The search for Britain's hottest new comedian has brought us to Bangor, the oldest city in Wales and one of the smallest cities in the UK. Our venue is Pontio Theatre, an ultra- ...
13-11-2023
BBC 1
2023: Episode 5
Five hopefuls will battle it out for a place in the BBC One Grand Final at Kings Theatre, Glasgow, where one will be crowned the BBC New Comedian of 2023.\n\nWe head to Nottingh ...
05-11-2023
BBC 1
2023: Episode 4
From over a thousand entries, 30 fresh new comedians have been selected from across the UK to battle it out over a series of six heats to secure their place in the grand final o ...
30-10-2023
BBC 1
2023: Episode 3
The BBC’s big comedy talent search, the New Comedy Awards, is scouring the country to uncover the hottest new stand-ups. We head to Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ir ...
24-10-2023
BBC 1
2023: Episode 2
The BBC New Comedy Awards is a nationwide talent search to find the best new stand-ups. Since they first began in 1995, the prestigious awards have helped launch the careers of ...
17-10-2023
BBC 1
2023: Episode 1
It’s been a bumper year for the BBC’s biggest comedy talent search, with over 1200 applying for the coveted title of BBC New Comedian 2023. In this episode, five hop ...
10-10-2023
BBC 1
2022: 7. The Final
Filmed in front of a full house at the National Concert Hall of Wales in Cardiff and hosted by award-winning actress and comedian Kerry Godliman, the final of the 2022 BBC New C ...
09-11-2022
BBC 1
2022: 6. Coventry
The venue for the sixth heat of the competition is The Box at FarGo Village, Coventry, an ultra-cool repurposed industrial space, smack in the city centre, which has, for one ni ...
07-11-2022
BBC 1
2022: 5. Middlesbrough
The New Comedy Awards heads to Middlesbrough, where five hopefuls - Elaine Robertson, Matty Oxley, Vidura Rajapaksa, Chelsea Birkby and Dan Tiernan - battle it out for a place i ...
25-10-2022
BBC 1
2023: Episode 3
The BBC’s big comedy talent search, the New Comedy Awards, is scouring the country to uncover the hottest new stand-ups. We head to Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ir ...
24-10-2023
BBC 1
2023: Episode 4
From over a thousand entries, 30 fresh new comedians have been selected from across the UK to battle it out over a series of six heats to secure their place in the grand final o ...
30-10-2023
BBC 1
2021: 5. Dundee
Five acts take to the stage in front of a packed house of more than a hundred at the Victorian Jute Mill in the heart of Dundee.\n\nScottish stand-up comedian, Larry Dean is at ...
02-11-2021
BBC 1
2023: Episode 1
It’s been a bumper year for the BBC’s biggest comedy talent search, with over 1200 applying for the coveted title of BBC New Comedian 2023. In this episode, five hop ...
10-10-2023
BBC 1
2022: Episode 2
From over 1,000 entries, 30 fresh new comedians have been selected from across the UK to battle it out over a series of six heats to secure their place in the grand final of the ...
06-10-2022
BBC 1
2023: Episode 2
The BBC New Comedy Awards is a nationwide talent search to find the best new stand-ups. Since they first began in 1995, the prestigious awards have helped launch the careers of ...
17-10-2023
BBC 1
2021: 2. Wolverhampton
Tonight's heat comes from Light House, a cinema, gallery and media hub for Wolverhampton and the surrounding areas. Darren Harriott is our host for the evening, and the five hop ...
20-10-2021
BBC 1
2022: Episode 1
Nationwide search to find the best new stand-up talent in the UK.
29-09-2022
BBC 1
2022: 6. Coventry
The venue for the sixth heat of the competition is The Box at FarGo Village, Coventry, an ultra-cool repurposed industrial space, smack in the city centre, which has, for one ni ...
07-11-2022
BBC 1
2023: Episode 5
Five hopefuls will battle it out for a place in the BBC One Grand Final at Kings Theatre, Glasgow, where one will be crowned the BBC New Comedian of 2023.\n\nWe head to Nottingh ...
05-11-2023
BBC 1