Comedy www.annabes

New act contest begins online

An internet site seeking undiscovered comedy talent has gone live this weekend.

Stand-up acts entering the YourComedyStars competition will be judged by viewers voting via text message at 50p a go. Clips of the first six contestants went up on the site on Saturday.

Those aspiring comics who prove the most popular will be invited back for live heats, the first of which will be on May 4.

Finalists get a week’s accommodation at the Edinburgh Festival in August, with the winner of the £1,000 first prize decided at a late-night show in the Pleasance on August 23.

Entries are still open, and the next round of auditions takes place on Saturday at The Crown pub on Blackfriars Road, Southwark, South London. Would-be comics can also enter by uploading videos to the site.

Clips will also be made available on mobile phones – a fast-growing market for comedy.

Today it was announced that Men Behaving Badly’s Neil Morrissey will appear in a number of comedy sketches for phones. His production company, Tangent Productions, is looking to sign up established names to provide mobile content.

Published: 3 Apr 2006

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