Channel 4’s National Comedy Awards to return

Tom Allen returns as host

Channel 4’s National Comedy Awards show is returning next year, with Tom Allen back as host.

The longlist of nominees has been published and voting now open, ahead of the ceremony at London’s Roundhouse on Friday February 17.

And this year the two-hour show, in aid of the broadcaster’s Stand Up To Cancer drive – will air live, rather than prerecorded as last year.

On returning as host, Allen joked: ‘How did you get this number? I thought I was unlisted. Is this another prank call?! I’m the host of the National Comedy Awards for Stand Up To Cancer, I’m a very big deal, I can’t have people just calling me willy-nilly. Now excuse me, I have to prepare a show celebrating the brilliant funny people working on telly, on tour and online. Stop that heavy breathing, you should be ashamed of yourself. Good day to you!’

Accolades up for grabs include best scripted comedy, outstanding comedy actor and actress, best comedy entertainment show, best comedy podcast . Voting is open until January 16 here.

The Channel 4 press release announcing the news says there is a category for best stand-up show – however this does not appear on the voting form

Tom Beck, head of live events at Channel 4, said: ‘The 2022 awards were a triumphant celebration of the UK’s extraordinary comedy scene, from brilliant newcomers like Munya Chawawa to legends like Sharon Horgan, Ricky Gervais and the late, great Sean Lock. It also raised a load of cash for Stand Up To Cancer. I’m thrilled we’re back with Tom at the helm again.’

Producer Dan Baldwin, managing director of programme-makers Hungry Bear, added: ‘2022 was a huge success and we had such fun celebrating all the exceptional British comedy talent. With the brilliantly funny Tom Allen once again presiding over proceedings, 2023's ceremony is shaping up to be even bigger and better. I’ve also just been told that it’s live. Can we hire extra lawyers please?’

Here are the longlists:

Outstanding Female Comedy Entertainment Performance
17 nominees

Sara Pascoe for Guessable?
Katherine Ryan for Backstage with Katherine Ryan
Rachel Parris for Late Night Mash
Sue Perkins for Backstage with Katherine Ryan
Fern Brady for Taskmaster
Daisy May Cooper for Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Rosie Jones for Rosie Jones’ Trip Hazard
Sarah Millican for Taskmaster
Joanne McNally for Big Fat Quiz of Everything
Ria Lina for Richard Hammond’s Brain Reaction
Emily Atack for The Emily Atack Show
Sophie Duker for Frankie Boyle’s New World Order
AJ Odudu for The Big Breakfast
Judi Love for Taskmaster
Sandi Toksvig for QI
Lou Sanders for Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable
Mel Geidroyc for Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable

Best Comedy Entertainment Show
25 nominees

Joe Lycett’s Big Pride Party for Channel 4
Rosie Jones’ Trip Hazard for Channel 4
Late Night Mash for Dave
The Jonathan Ross Show for ITV
The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan for BBC Two
Travel Man for Channel 4
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing for BBC Two
The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan for Channel 4
Dating No Filter for Sky Max
Backstage with Katherine Ryan for Amazon Prime
Friday Night Live for Channel 4
Taskmaster for Channel 4
The Ranganation for BBC Two
The Last Leg for Channel 4
Big Zuu's Big Eats for Dave
Rob & Romesh Vs. for Sky One
The Emily Atack Show for ITV2
Comedians Giving Lectures for Dave
The Big Narstie Show for Channel 4
The Big Breakfast for Channel 4
The Russell Howard Hour for Sky Max
Fantasy Football League for Sky Max
The Chris and Rosie Ramsey Show for BBC Two
The Graham Norton Show for BBC One
Outsiders for Dave

Outstanding Male Comedy Entertainment Performance
26 nominees

Big Narstie for The Big Narstie Show
Ben Elton for Friday Night Live
Jamali Maddix for Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Jimmy Carr for 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Josh Widdecombe for The Last Leg
Alex Brooker for The Last Leg
Noel Fielding for Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Rob Brydon for Would I Lie to You?
Darren Harriott for Guessable?
Frankie Boyle for Frankie Boyle’s New World Order
Lee Mack for Would I Lie to You?
James Acaster for Hypothetical
Romesh Ranganathan for The Ranganation
John Kearns for Taskmaster
Adam Hills for The Last Leg
Mo Gilligan for The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan
Greg Davies for Taskmaster
Rob Beckett for Rob & Romesh Vs.
Joe Lycett for Joe Lycett’s Big Pride Party
Big Zuu for Big Zuu's Big Eats
Alex Horne for Taskmaster
Richard Ayoade for Question Team
Rhod Gilbert for Rhod Gilbert's Growing Pains
Harry Hill for Junior Bake Off
David Mitchell for Would I Lie to You?
Munya Chawawa for Taskmaster

Best Scripted Comedy Show
41 nominees

Starstruck for BBC Three
Ladhood for BBC Three
We Are Not Alone for Dave
Mammals for Amazon Prime
Hullraisers for Channel 4
The Love Box in Your Living Room for BBC Two
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared for Channel 4
Meet the Richardsons for Dave
The Other One for BBC One
Murder, They Hope for Gold
Cunk on Earth for BBC Two
Ellie & Natasia for BBC Three
Bad Sisters for Apple TV
Ten Percent for Amazon Prime
The Curse for Channel 4
Mandy for BBC Two
Ghosts for BBC One
After Life for Netflix
Wedding Season for Disney+
Derry Girls for Channel 4
Toast of Tinseltown for BBC Two
Peacock for BBC Three
The Outlaws for BBC One
Not Going Out for BBC One
Inside No. 9 for BBC One
Bloods for Sky Comedy
Cheaters for BBC One
Here We Go for BBC One
Live at the Moth Club for Dave
Am I Being Unreasonable? for BBC One
Breeders for Sky One
Avoidance for BBC One
Two Doors Down for BBC Two
The Horne Section TV Show for Channel 4
The Witchfinder for BBC Two
Big Boys for Channel 4
Sneakerhead for Dave
Stuck for BBC Two
Man vs Bee for Netflix
The Baby for Sky Atlantic
Brassic for Sky Max

Outstanding Comedy Actress
20 nominees

Ellie White for Ellie & Natasia
Daisy Haggard for Breeders
Michelle De Swarte for The Baby
Leah Brotherhead for Hullraisers
Saoirse-Monica Jackson for Derry Girls
Susan Wokoma for Cheaters
Katherine Parkinson for Here We Go
Charlotte Ritchie for Ghosts
Natasia Demetriou for Ellie & Natasia
Rose Matafeo for Starstruck
Eleanor Tomlinson for The Outlaws
Morgana Robinson for Stuck
Jane Horrocks for Bloods
Daisy May Cooper for Am I Being Unreasonable?
Sally Bretton for Not Going Out
Sharon Horgan for Bad Sisters
Diane Morgan for Mandy
Lucy Beaumont for Meet the Richardsons
Sian Gibson for Murder, They Hope
Doon Mackichan for Toast of Tinseltown

Outstanding Comedy Actor
27 nominees

Dylan Llewellyn for Big Boys
James Corden for Mammals
Matt Berry for Toast of Tinseltown
Jim Howick for Here We Go
Liam Williams for Ladhood
Rowan Atkinson for Man Vs Bee
Dylan Moran for Stuck
Johnny Vegas for Murder, They Hope
Gavin Drea for Wedding Season
Allan Mustafa for Peacock
Ricky Gervais for After Life
Martin Freeman for Breeders
Nikesh Patel for Starstruck
Hugo Chegwin for Sneakerhead
Tim Key for The Witchfinder
Paul Whitehouse for The Love Box in Your Living Room
Lee Mack for Not Going Out
Steve Pemberton for Inside No. 9
Jon Richardson for Meet the Richardsons
Stephen Merchant for The Outlaws
Harry Enfield for The Love Box in Your Living Room
Joshua McGuire for Cheaters
Joseph Gilgun for Brassic
Christopher Walken for The Outlaws
Samson Kayo for Bloods
Kiell Smith-Bynoe for Ghosts
Reece Shearsmith for Inside No. 9

Outstanding Supporting Role
35 nominees

Eve Hewson for Bad Sisters
Simon Farnaby for Ghosts
Siobhán McSweeney for Derry Girls
Sinead Matthews for Hullraisers
David Earl for After Life
Ryan Samson for Brassic
Dustin Demri-Burns for Am I Being Unreasonable?
Harry Trevaldwyn for Ten Percent
Camille Coduri for Big Boys
Aaron Heffernan for Brassic
Alison Steadman for Here We Go
Emma Sidi for Starstruck
Jamie-Lee O'Donnell for Derry Girls
Mark Heap for Live at the Moth Club
Jamie Demetriou for Live at the Moth Club
Taj Atwal for Hullraisers
Jessica Gunning for The Outlaws
Sarah Greene for Bad Sisters
Sarah Hadland for Murder, They Hope
Selin Hizli for Am I Being Unreasonable?
Lucia Keskin for Sneakerhead
Diane Morgan for After Life
Lenny Rush for Am I Being Unreasonable?
Big Zuu for Sneakerhead
Tom Basden for Here We Go
Olisa Odele for Big Boys
Jim Howick for Ghosts
Rebecca Humphries for Ten Percent
Tommy Tiernan for Derry Girls
Darren Boyd for The Outlaws
Martha Howe-Douglas for Ghosts
Jon Pointing for Big Boys
Jessica Hynes for The Witchfinder
Lolly Adefope for Ghosts
Francesca Mills for Sneakerhead

Best Comedy Podcast
37 nominees

Answer Me This! with Olly Mann & Helen Zaltzman
Birthday Girls’ House Party with Beattie Edmondson, Camille Ucan & Rose Johnson
Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe's Parenting Hell
Shagged. Married. Annoyed. with Chris & Rosie Ramsay
RHLSTP with Richard Herring
The Adam Buxton Podcast
The Proper Class Podcast with Laura Checkley & Hannah Chissick
Three Bean Salad with Mike Wozniak, Henry Paker & Benjamin Partridge
Have A Word with Adam Rowe & Dan Nightingale
Wolf and Owl with Tom Davies & Romesh Ranganathan
Ain’t Got A Clue with Marcus Bronzy and Kae Kurd
My Therapist Ghosted Me with Joanne McNally & Vogue Williams
Drunk Women Solving Crime with Hannah George, Taylor Glenn & Catie Wilkins
Chatabix with Joe Wilkinson & David Earl
Help I Sexted My Boss with William Hanson & Jordan North
Trusty Hogs with Helen Bauer & Catherine Bohart
Athletico Mince with Bob Mortimer & Andy Dawson
Like-Minded Friends with Tom Allen & Suzi Ruffell
Thank Fuck For That with Micky Overman & Sarah Keyworth
Dear Joan and Jericha with Julia Davis & Vicki Pepperdine
All Killa No Filla with Rachel Fairburn & Kiri Pritchard–McLean
Evil Genius with Russell Kane with Russell Kane
BTEC Philosophers with Elliot Steel & Michael Odewale
The Mo Gilligan Podcast
Jamali Maddix: Spooky Shit
Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster
Where There's A Will, There's A Wake with Kathy Burke
The Beef and Dairy Network with Benjamin Partridge
No Such Thing As A Fish with the QI Team
Pappy’s Flatshare with Ben Clark, Matthew Crosby & Tom Parry
Katherine Ryan: Telling Everybody Everything with Katherine Ryan
This Is Gay with Kirk Flash
French & Saunders: Titting About with Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders
Early Work with Rhys James with Rhys James
From the Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast with Steve Coogan
Alan Carr's Life's a Beach
The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White

Best Comedy Panel Show
17 nominees

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown for Channel 4
Hypothetical for Dave
Rhod Gilbert's Growing Pains for Comedy Central
Mock the Week for BBC Two
Frankie Boyle’s New World Order for BBC Two
QI for BBC Two
Would I Lie to You? for BBC One
Richard Hammond’s Brain Reaction for Comedy Central
A League of Their Own for Sky One
Celebrity Juice for ITV2
Question Team for Dave
Big Fat Quiz of Everything 2022 for Channel 4
Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable for Dave
Never Mind the Buzzcocks for Sky Max
Have I Got News for You for BBC One
Guessable? for Comedy Central
Don’t Hate the Playaz for ITV2