Sarah Mann and Morgan Rees runners-up

Maisie Adam has been crowned winner of this year's So You Think You're Funny? competition.

She wins a £2,500 cash prize,  a trip to perform at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival and  Bergen’s Humour Fest, and a run at next year's Fringe, among other prizes.

Adam, whose set was based around her North Yorkshire family, says her comedy heroes are Victoria Wood, Lucille Ball, Peter Kay, Micky Flanagan and her nan.

First runner-up went to Sarah Mann, a professional musician who plays trombone for a living, who wins £1,500.

Second runner-up was Morgan Rees, from the Welsh Valleys, who gets £1,000. He was a finalist in the Chortle Student Comedy last year, and also made the final of this year’s BBC New Comedy Award. 

The other finalists were Amira Saied, Archie Henderson, Eric Rushton, Esther Manito, Jamie D’Souza, Kirsten Brown and Robin Allender.

Now in its 30th year, the competition is open to comedians who have been performing comedy regularly for less than a year.

Hosted by Aisling Bea, the final was judged by  Karen and Katy Koren of the Gilded Balloon,  Melbourne International Comedy Festival director Susan Provan, Zoe Rabnett from Montreal’s Just For Laughs, critic  Bruce Dessau, Sunday Times Culture Editor Helen Hawkins and former winner, David O’Doherty.

Other  previous winners include Tom Allen, Miles Jupp, Rob Rouse, Peter Kay, Dylan Moran and Rhona Cameron. Last year’s winner Heidi Regan this month scooped the BBC New Comedy Award title.

Published: 24 Aug 2017