BBC New Comedy Awards 2023

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BBC New Comedy Awards

Comedy: Standup

A nationwide search to find the best new stand-up talent in the UK.

Who will follow in the footsteps of some of stand-up's biggest names? Fresh new talent aim to impress famous faces in a nationwide search for the next breakout comedy star.

2023

Larry Dean

Josh Pugh

Richard Gadd

Susie McCabe

Geraldine Dowd

Lucy Ansbro

Lindsay Jex

BBC New Comedy Awards: 2023: Episode 2

Episode 2

BBC Three - BBC New Comedy Awards, 2023, Episode 2

Five stand-up hopefuls battle it out at the legendary Leith Theatre. 

Five hopefuls battle it out at the legendary Leith Theatre. Award-winning comedian Larry Dean is host, with judges Richard Gadd, Susie McCabe and head judge Josh Pugh.

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.

This 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.

We’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.

Award-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.

Lauren 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.

This 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.

First 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. 

The BBC New Comedy Awards is unearthing a wealth of brand new comedy talent who will become the stars of the future.

BBC New Comedy Awards: 2023

A multi-platform service for 16-34s, featuring comedy, entertainment and factual content.

The BBC’s multi-platform service for 16 to 34s, innovating with breakthrough comedy, stand-out entertainment, brave documentary and intellectual factual content.

The ultimate hunt for the best new comic of the UK. Thirty hopefuls battle it out across six heats to earn a place in the Grand Final, where one will be crowned the BBC New Comedian of 2023.

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2023

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