BBC New Comedy Awards 2023

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BBC Three

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

BBC Three HD

Shane Todd

Josh Pugh

Martin Angolo

Diona Doherty

Geraldine Dowd

Lucy Ansbro

Lindsay Jex

BBC New Comedy Awards: 2023: Episode 3

Episode 3

BBC Three - BBC New Comedy Awards, 2023, Episode 3

The contest heads to The Braid in Ballymena, County Antrim.

The contest heads to The Braid in Ballymena, County Antrim. Award-winning stand-up Shane Todd hosts with Diona Doherty, Martin Angolo and head judge Josh Pugh.

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 Ireland, where five hopefuls will battle it out to book their place in Glasgow for the grand final showdown, where one comic will be crowned the BBC New Comedian of 2023.

Named after the river that runs through Ballymena, The Braid weaves together history, arts and culture alongside contemporary facilities on a site that has been for centuries the centre of local civic life. This historic building is transformed into our very own comedy cabaret club. 
Award-winning stand-up Shane Todd is our host for the evening. Joining him is Derry Girls actor and former New Comedy Awards alumnus Diona Doherty and cutting-edge Irish comic Martin Angolo.

Plus, here to keep the house in order is head judge Josh Pugh. The judges will have a tough job picking a winner from the five comics Richie Bree, Mustafa Saed, Ruth Hunter, Hester Ectomy and Shane
Clifford, who will take to the stage with sets that are jam-packed with fresh material and jokes aplenty.

This is just one of six heats taking place across the UK – Bethnal Green, Leith, Nottingham, Bangor and Sunderland all play host to these 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, Shappi Khorsandi, Romesh Ranganathan, Alan Carr, Russell Howard, Lee Ridley,
Tom Allen, Lauren Pattison and Sarah Millican, to name a few.

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

Episode 3

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