BBC New Comedy Awards - Episode Guide

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

From over 1,000 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 2022.

This episode comes from the Corn Exchange, Exeter, where new comics Will Hall, Leila Navabi, Omar Badawy, Kate Cheka and Michael McKenzie take to the stage in a bid to impress the judges and book their place in the final.

Comedian, actor and star of Strictly Jayde Adams is here to keep the house in order. The judges are award-winning comic Laura Smyth and Welsh stand-up Leroy Brito. Head judge Fern Brady completes the panel.

Irish stand-up Catherine Bohart hosts from the Guildhall, Derry. Joining her are the three judges - award-winning comedian and broadcaster Shane Todd, comedian and actress Alison Spittle and head judge Fern Brady.

Robbie McShane, Bronwyn Sweeney, Lisa Casey, Johnny Bow and Mike Rice each perform their set, before the judges decide who will go through to the grand final at St David's Hall in Cardiff. There can only be one winner, so who will it be?

Five acts take to the stage in front of a packed house at the Palace Theatre and Grand Hall in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire.

Glaswegian stand-up comedian Christopher MacArthur-Boyd is our host for the evening and joining him are the three judges – former winner of the New Comedy Awards, Josie Long; writer, comedian and actress Susan Riddell; and head judge Fern Brady.

Ania Magliano, Marjolein Robertson, Su Mi, Krystal Evans and Weegie Hink Ae That perform their sets, before the judges decide who will go through to the grand final in November. There can only be one winner, so who will it be?

The New Comedy Awards heads to Middlesbrough, where five hopefuls - Elaine Robertson, Matty Oxley, Vidura Rajapaksa, Chelsea Birkby and Dan Tiernan - battle it out for a place in the grand final in Cardiff.

Former New Comedy Awards alumna Lauren Pattison is the host for the evening, and she is joined by stand-up Jonny Pelham and comedian, actress and writer Ria Lina. Keeping the house in order is head judge Fern Brady.

The venue for the sixth heat of the competition is The Box at FarGo Village, Coventry, an ultra-cool repurposed industrial space, smack in the city centre, which has, for one night only, been transformed into our very own comedy club.

Host for the evening is Coventry's own, Josh Pugh. The multi award-winning comic kicks off the night with a bit of local banter before bringing on the five acts. Judging their performances are Brummie comic Kai Samra and, flying the flag for the Black Country, Darren Harriott. Head judge Fern Brady completes the trio.

It's not going to be easy to pick a winner from Joe Bingham, Rhiannon Shaw, Denis Len, Julia Stenton and Joshua Bethania, whose sets are jam-packed with jokes and cutting-edge material, but only one can go through to the grand final at Cardiff's St David's Hall.

Filmed in front of a full house at the National Concert Hall of Wales in Cardiff and hosted by award-winning actress and comedian Kerry Godliman, the final of the 2022 BBC New Comedy Awards also features the award for the best New Digital Comedy of 2022.

The final is a culmination of six regional heats filmed across the UK. Judges Fern Brady, Rosie Jones and Nabil Abdulrashid have a tough job picking a winner from the bunch of cutting-edge comics.

Cardiff is the BBC's City of Comedy 2022, and the New Comedy Awards final marks the start of a year of comedy events taking place in the city.

First established in 1995, these prestigious awards have helped build 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, Lee Ridley, Tom Allen, Lauren Pattison and Sarah Millican.

The Fire Station in Sunderland plays host to this heat of the BBC New Comedy Awards, where five hopefuls battle it out for a place in the grand final.

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

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.

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

The contest heads to the Albert Hall Conference Centre in Nottingham, where five more stand-up hopefuls battle it. Guz Khan hosts, while Thanyia Moore and Colin Hoult join the judging panel.

This year's last five stand-up hopefuls battle it out in Bangor for a place in Glasgow's grand final.

Over 1,000 applied, 30 battled it out at regional heats, and now six finalists take to the stage in their bid to win over the judges and be crowned the BBC New Comedian of 2023.

Five budding comedians perform, but only one can go through to the grand final of the BBC New Comedy Awards 2024.

The second heat comes from Pontypridd in the heart of the South Wales Valleys, where Louie McLean, Suri Ashish, Sarah Roberts, Paul Hilleard and Josh Harvey as Bernard Guff take to the stage.

In the third heat, Muhsin Yesilada, Maia Tassalini, Limahl Germain, Alfie Packham and Frankie Thompson perform a set for a place in the final of the BBC New Comedy Awards.

Five hopefuls in Belfast battle it out to book their place in Birmingham for the grand final showdown, where one comic will be crowned the BBC New Comedian of 2024.

The BBC's big comedy talent search heads north to Scotland and the iconic Paisley Town Hall, which, following a multi-million-pound revamp, has been transformed into a world-class venue.

The search for Britain's best new comic reaches Lancaster, where five hopefuls take to the stage. Only one can go through to the grand final of the BBC New Comedy Awards 2024.

Over a thousand applied, 30 battled it out at regional heats, and tonight, six finalists take to the stage in their bid to win over the judges and be crowned the BBC New Comedian of 2024.

The BBC's biggest comedy talent search is celebrating its 30th birthday, and we're heading to Bristol, where five comics will compete in the first of six knock-out heats.

The BBC's biggest comedy talent search heads to Birmingham, where five comics will compete in the second of six knock-out heats to bag their place in the grand final.

The BBC's biggest comedy talent search is celebrating its 30th birthday, and we're heading to London, where five comics will compete in the third of six knock-out heats.

The BBC's biggest comedy talent search heads to Newcastle as five comics compete in the fourth of six knock-out heats to bag their place in the grand final.

The BBC's biggest comedy talent search heads to Glasgow, where five comics will compete in another heat to bag their place in the grand final.

The BBC's biggest comedy talent search heads to Belfast, where five comics will compete in the last of six knockout heats to bag their place in the grand final.

Almost 1,000 applied. Thirty battled it out at 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.