The BBC’s big comedy talent search The New Comedy Awards has reached its climax. Over a thousand applied; more than 80 went head-to-head at showcases across the country; 30 battled it out in the regional heats; now six finalists take to the stage in their bid to win over the judges and be crowned the BBC New Comedian of 2022. The final will be screened on BBC One on 9th November.
Filmed in front of a full house at St David’s Hall - the National Concert Hall which sits in the heart of Cardiff - this grand final will also feature the award for the best New Digital Comedy of 2022.
The Grand Final is a culmination of six regional heats filmed across the UK. Dee Allum won in Deptford; Omar Badawy in Exeter; Robbie McShane in Derry; Marjolein Robertson in Kilmarnock; Dan Tiernan in Middlesbrough and Joshua Bethania sealed his place at the final in Coventry. The three judges will have a tough job picking a winner from this bunch of cutting-edge comics.
The awards are hosted by award-winning actress and comedian, Kerry Godliman. Head judge Fern Brady is joined by fellow stand-ups, Rosie Jones and Nabil Abdulrashid. Former winner of the New Comedian Award 2021, Anna Thomas, will hand over the award to this year’s recipient.
Cardiff is the BBC’s City of Comedy 2022 and the New Comedy Awards Final marks the start of a year of comedy events taking place in the city.
First established in 1995, these prestigious awards have helped build the careers of some of Britain’s most loved comedians including Peter Kay, Joe Lycett, Lee Mack, Julian Barratt, Josie Long, Shappi Khorsandi, Romesh Ranganathan, Alan Carr, Russell Howard, Lee Ridley, Tom Allen, Lauren Pattison and Sarah Millican.
The winner will receive a paid commission to write and perform in a 30-minute audio pilot under the mentorship of a BBC Comedy Commissioner, plus a trophy and £1,000 cash.
The BBC New Comedy Awards Final are a Phil McIntyre Television production, commissioned for the BBC by Jon Petrie, Director of Comedy Commissioning. The producer for Phil McIntyre Television is Lindsay Jex and the Executive Producer is Lucy Ansbro. The Commissioning Editors for the BBC are Ben Caudell and Navi Lamba.
All six of the televised heats from the 2022 series are available to watch on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b00z66p7/bbc-new-comedy-awards
The BBC New Comedy Awards final will be screened on BBC One on 9th November.
