Dabber’s Social Bingo, London’s best loved alternative Bingo Hall is delighted to announce the launch of its very first ‘Bingo Comedy Caller’ competition.
Dabbers has run a “Next Top Caller” competition since 2019, but this is the first year that the competition will be exclusively comedy focussed.
The British Comedy Guide will be supporting the competition as a media partner and will be one of the judges at the final.
Creative Director of Dabbers, Jonny Unknown explains; “We’ve had great success with the original “Next Top Caller” competition where every year wannabe bingo callers have battled it out to win the coveted prize. But we’ve found that every year, the entrants who did best, be they drag, sketch, character or just surreal performers were essentially bringing their best comedic powers to the stage. So we gave the name and nature of the competition a rebrand to better reflect both the entrants and the competition”.
Dabbers and showbiz go hand in hand, with performers front and centre of the Dabbers bingo experience. Last year musical comedian Amy Webber took home the top prize (putting her winnings towards her Edinburgh Festival show) with drag comics Crudi Dench and Kate Butch previously winning in 2022 and 2019 (with a break for Covid in-between).
Indeed, the company has comedy and performance at the heart of everything it does, and the team visit The Edinburgh Festival every year to scout for new talent to keep their events as raucous and fun as they can possibly be. Regular nights hosted by top comics including Sikisa, Lorna Rose Treen, Marcel Lucont, Eleanor Conway, Kate Butch, Evan Desmarais, Paddy Young and Aurie Styla.
The competition is a way to search for new comedy callers who the team might not otherwise come across, and sometimes Dabbers catches them just as they make a bid for stardom (Viggo Venn was a finalist in 2022).
Those who enter don’t need to be professional comedians but it’s crucial that they have a unique comic talent that will wow an audience of keen bingo fans, and the charm to grab the attention of a room full of people as they revamp bingo calling and put their own spin on the classic tradition.
Entrants are asked to submit a showreel as part of their application or, if you don’t have a showreel, don’t let that put you off! Entrants can record a short, one minute video introducing themselves and calling out some bingo lingo to the camera. It doesn’t have to be professionally filmed - the team just want to see your style.
2023’s finalists joining Amy Webber were stand-up comedian Mathew Ali, Ric O’Brac – otherwise known as Richard Woolford (Newsjack and Have I Got News For You) and character comedian, Siobhan.
This year’s competition which will be held via a series of heats at Dabber’s HQ in Houndsditch EC3 (4 min walk from Aldgate Tube), beginning in March and culminating with a grand final in July. Each heat will be hosted by BBC New Comedy Award finalist Sikisa Bostwick and Edinburgh Festival favourite, with a judging panel made up of agents, festival bookers and journalists.
Entries should be submitted via the dabbers.bingo website, before midnight on 8th March. All entrants must be aged over 21.
Follow the competition online via @dabbersbingo #DabbersTopCaller
Dates for the diary
Deadline for Entry 8th March 2024
Knockouts:
Sunday 7th April
Sunday 21st April
Sunday 5th May
Sunday 19th May
20 Contestants, 5 perform each weekend, 2 from each show go through to Semi Finals
Semi-Finals
Sunday 2nd June
Sunday 9th June
8 Contestants, 4 perform each weekend, 2 from each show go through to the Final
GRAND FINAL
Sunday 7th July
4 Contestants compete for the title of Dabbers Comedy Caller 2024
LISTINGS
Dabbers Social Bingo
18 - 22 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7DB
https://dabbers.bingo/about-dabbers/dabbers-news/dabbers-next-top-bingo-caller-applications-open/
