Final

The BBC’s big comedy talent search, the New Comedy Awards, has reached its peak. Almost 1,000 applied, more than 100 went head-to-head at showcases across the country, 30 battled it out in the regional heats, and now, six finalists take to the stage in their bid to win over the judges and be crowned BBC New Comedian 2025.

Presented by writer, comedian and former New Comedy Award finalist Amy Gledhill, the grand final is filmed in front of a full house at Bradford City of Culture 2025’s iconic Alhambra Theatre. Head judge Fatiha El-Ghorri leads the panel, who will have to make the hard choice of who will take this year’s title of best new comedian. Joining her is stand-up comedian and podcaster Harriet Kemsley and the writer and star of hit comedy Dreaming Whilst Black, Adjani Salmon.

The grand final is a culmination of six regional heats filmed across the UK. The search began in Bristol, before visiting Birmingham, London, Newcastle, Glasgow and ending in Belfast. Taking to the stage for the final time in this talent search are the six winners from the regional heats.

Rounding off the night is a very special performance by the 2024 winner, Paul Hilleard, who will also hand over the award to this year’s recipient.

The winner will receive a paid commission to write and perform their own 30-minute audio pilot under the mentorship of a BBC comedy commissioner, along with a trophy and £1,000 in prize money.

Now in its 30th year, the New Comedy Awards have helped launch the careers of many well-known comedy greats that regularly feature on our stages and screens, including Peter Kay, Lee Mack, Russell Howard, Romesh Ranganathan, Alan Carr, Sarah Millican, Josie Long and Joe Lycett.

The BBC New Comedy Awards are committed to taking the televised heats to often under-represented parts of the country and showcasing exciting new talent emerging from all corners of the UK.