Episode 4

From over a thousand entries, 30 fresh new comedians have been selected from across the UK to battle it out over a series of six heats to secure their place in the grand final of the BBC New Comedy Awards 2023.

In Bethnal Green at the world-famous York Hall, Katie Norris, Jack Shepp, Hannah Lawrence, Chantel Nash and Christian Jegard take to the stage in a bid to impress our judges and book their place in the final.

Award-winning comedian and writer Laura Smyth is here to keep the house in order. Our judges are Bafta Award-winning writer and comedian Michael Odewale and cutting-edge comic Fatiha El-Ghorri. Head judge Josh Pugh completes the trio.

It’s not going to be easy for them to pick a winner from the five new comics performing. With only five minutes each, the sets are jam-packed with jokes and cutting-edge material, but only one can go through to the grand final in November at Glasgow’s historic King’s Theatre.

This is just one of six heats taking place across the UK – Bangor, Ballymena, Leith, Sunderland and Nottingham 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.

The BBC New Comedy Awards is unearthing a wealth of brand-new comedy talent who will become the stars of the future. This series is spearheading the campaign to bring brand new comedy to all corners of the country.