Episodes 1 & 1 of the heats for the BBC New Comedy Awards will air on 31st October at 22:30pm on BBC Three and will also be on BBC iPlayer.

Below are interviews with this year's head judge Amy Gledhill and judges Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Dan Tiernan.

Amy Gledhill

1. You’ve gone from performing with The Delightful Sausage to winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show. What were the moments that made you realise comedy could become a career?

I remember getting a monthly compering gig for £50 and thinking ‘okay, a few more gigs a week and I can pay my rent’. I didn’t consider food or bills but I distinctly felt that comedy could be a job for the first time and that felt mind blowing.

2. What do you think makes a comedian stand out and develop a distinctive voice?

Authenticity is the key to finding your own voice and I believe that it comes when you start trusting yourself. There’s a very understandable pattern of new acts being tribute acts to their inspirations - I absolutely was. It is what gets you on stage in the first place and it doesn’t mean the new act isn’t a good comedian but a few years in they’ll unconsciously write their first routine in their own voice and then they never look back.

3. The competition has helped launch comedians including Alan Carr, Tom Allen, Lucy Beaumont and Rhod Gilbert. What can an opportunity like this mean for a comedian early in their career?

It’s huge to be on the radar of the BBC this early on - particularly if you aren’t based in London or are lucky enough to have famous parents! One of the most helpful things is the accolade of winner, finalist or semi finalist of BBC New Comedy Award. Promoters will know you’re of a high level and you’ll start getting booked for better and better gigs with more and more experienced comics. The more you’re around them, the faster you improve.

4. You’ve worked as part of a double act, a solo comedian, actor and writer. If you could steal one skill from another comedian on this year’s judging panel, what would it be?

Both Dan and Kiell have skills I’d love to nick. Dan is comfortable using elements of confrontation and discomfort and does so with such skill and charm not many comics could get away with it. Kiell can whistle. Only joking, I’d obviously bite my hand off to have his improv skill. That ability to see storyline and structure and take an audience on a journey, building to the climax… When I think of something funny I have to blurt it out immediately and stand there proud of myself.

Kiell Smith-Bynoe Interview

1. You’ve worked across acting, improvisation, sketch and television. How have those experiences shaped you as a performer, and what can a televised opportunity like this mean for a young comedian?

Well, I feel like I'm ready for anything. I can adapt to my surroundings, and sometimes you need something scripted that you can rely on. Sometimes there is a need to improvise and to be off the cuff. Sometimes you need to set up a punchline for someone else, and just be aware of what's necessary or needed when.

And I would say we're all young comedians, but in terms of what the opportunity means, the prizes first of all are exceptional. You get a script commission, and you get cash, and all of those things are extremely helpful. It’s what you need to further your career and show people what you’re doing. These are the sort of opportunities we were only getting from taking a show to Edinburgh, for example, and being able to avoid that, because it’s becoming so expensive, while still getting the opportunity to be on TV and have a TV credit, and to showcase your talent in front of not just the judges, but a BBC commissioner and a live audience, is great.

2. You’ve built a career across different forms of comedy. Was there a moment when you found your own comedic identity?

I think off the back of Ghosts and Stath Let’s Flats being filmed around the same time, I realised that I was being put in the position of the straight man, as opposed to playing the idiot. That worked out for me well, but I also wanted to show that I could be an idiot too, and that's why I wanted to make my own stuff like Red Flag.

3. How important is it for comedians to find their niche?

Having a niche is obviously what's going to make you stand out, especially in this competitionwhen we're judging different acts. When we were looking for the six to put through to the final, we didn't want to put just six comedians who were doing even a similar thing. We really wanted a range of different comedy performances, and I think we got that. Having your niche really helps you stand out from the others, and also people will remember it.

4. How important is it for emerging comedians to experiment with different forms before finding what works for them?

I don't particularly think it's that important because some people find what works for them immediately. I mean, sure, try different things, but also in the same vein, if you know what works for you, or if you've had one particular style and it serves you, then keep at that and perfect that.

5. Having experienced the industry from the other side, what do you look for in emerging talent, and what excites you about seeing new faces in comedy?

What excites me about seeing new faces in comedy is the ability to be surprised. It is a possibility, and I've been surprised in these last six heats that we had, so that's really exciting.

I look for emerging talent. I think just raw talent. You can sort of tell when someone has learnt how to tell a joke versus being naturally funny or having funny bones, and I think funny bones will win every time.

Dan Tiernan Interview

1. You won the BBC New Comedy Award in 2022. Looking back, what did winning the competition change for you?

Winning gave me the confidence to quit my job and make the push to go full time as a comedian. I'll never forget the exact moment when they read my name, I knew my life was about to completely change.

2. What did you have to learn when opportunities started coming your way, and what advice would you give this year’s winner?

That first year after winning was very strange. I went from performing on open mics to instantly being booked on TV shows that I loved watching as a kid. I felt like I was watching myself live out my dream

For anyone experiencing a similar transition in their career I'd say it's important to recognise early on that these opportunities are great but they won't automatically make you happy so it's important to save time and energy to do other things you love outside of work. Also make sure you hold onto your friendships outside of comedy; these are the people that will keep you grounded.

3. Having been in the same position as the comedians you’ll now be judging, what will you be looking for that you might only recognise from personal experience?

Everyone says the key to performing good comedy is to enjoy yourself whilst you're on stage and that's true, but I can remember vividly how stressful competitions are, you spend weeks worrying about it and then before you know it you're on stage and you've only got 5 minutes to get into it. Therefore I'm always blown away by any act that can stay present and still have fun despite the pressure because I know from first hand experience how difficult it is to get in that zone when the stakes are high.

4. If you could give your 2022 self one piece of advice just before walking on stage, what would it be?

You’re about to have the best night of your life, so really try and drink it in. Also you check out of the hotel at 10am, and not 11, so set an alarm otherwise you're going to have a very awkward interaction with the cleaner!