Who are the finalists in the BBC New Comedy Award?
Producers have listened to hundreds of tapes; judges have watched scores of performances... and now the finalists in the BBC New Comedy Award have been revealed.
Here's our guide to the final six, who will compete for the coveted prize in a live show from London's Comedy Store, being broadcast on Steve Wright's Radio 2 show on November 20.
Previous winners and finalists include Rhod Gilbert, Sarah Millican, Alan Carr, Lee Mack and Josie Long.
Russ Peers
A London-based comedian, originally from Barrow in Furness, Peers has already been a finalist in the Leicester Square New Comedian Of The Year, So You Think You're Funny, and the Foster's Golden Jesters, which he won. He was also a panellist on local TV station London Live's little-watched Not The One Show.
Twitter: @RussPeers.
Yuriko Kotani
A deadpan Japanese comedian, now based in London, who’s been on the circuit for almost two years, making dry observations on British quirks from an outsider's point of view.
Twitter: @YurikoComedy .
Michael Stranney
Stranney performs in character as Daniel Duffy, a whimsical Irish fella, often inviting comparisons with Ardal O'Hanlon's Father Dougal. He is no stranger to new act finals and is the current NATY award champion.
Twitter: @MStranney.
Athena Kugblenu
A comic who's been performing on the London open mic scene since 2012, Kugblenu prides herself on writing jokes with a thought-provoking sting. 'I feel a responsibility to flavour my comedy with my take on the black British experience,' she's said.
Twitter: @athenakugblenu.
Ken Cheng
A stalwart of the Cambridge comedy scene, including performances with the Footlights alongside the likes of Pierre Novellie and Phil Wang, Cheng dropped out of his maths course to pursue a dream of professional poker. He also created a internet character called Mark Liu that has attracted more than 100,000 views.
Twitter: @supermarkliu.
Andy Storey
One of the more established names in the competition, the generously bearded Storey began comedy in 2010, and has since performed more than 1,000 gigs – including the final of the Leicester Square Comedian Of The Year 2012.
Twitter: @funnystorey.
The first semi-final will air on Radio 2 at 10pm next Thursday. And you can hear some of the previous heats on iPlayer here
Published: 29 Oct 2015