First Chortle Award winners announced

The best comedy nights in the UK have been named in this year’s Chortle Awards.

A total of 16 venues and clubs have been recognised, based on the the votes of more than 6,500 comedy fans.

The revelation of this year’s venue winners comes ahead of the Chortle Award ceremony tonight, to be hosted by Mark Watson and Shaparak Khorsandi.

At the event in London, the best comedians and their shows – as voted for by Chortle readers from a shortlist drawn up by an industry panel – will be announced.

Bob Mortimer, Jordan Grey, Jazz Emu, Crybabies, Frankie Thompson and Alasdair Beckett-King lead the nominations – below - with two apiece.

Here are the venue winners:

Best Comedy Venue

London: The Bill Murray, Islington

Scotland: Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh

North: Hot Water, Liverpool

South: Komedia, Brighton

Midlands, West and Wales: Glee, Birmingham

Best Pro Comedy Night

London: Always Be Comedy at the Tommyfield, Kennington

North: XS Malarkey, Manchester

South: Forge Comedy Club, Brighton

Midlands, West and Wales: Comedy Cow, Milton Keynes

Not enough votes were cast for a decisive winner in Scotland

Best Open Mic Comedy Night

London: Comedy Bandits, Clapham

Scotland: Open Comedy, Leith

North: Beat The Frog, Manchester

South: Little Smash Comedy, Southend

Midlands, West and Wales: Comedy Loft, Bristol

Best Themed Comedy Night

London: Quantum Leopard

Outside London: The People’s Comedy, Bristol

Chortle Comedy Awards 2023 nominees

Best newcomer

Joshua Bethania
Lorna Rose Treen
Pravanya Pillay
Firuz Ozari

Breakthrough act

Alasdair Beckett-King
Chloe Petts
Jordan Gray
Leo Reich
Lara Ricote
Vittorio Angelone

Variety or character act

Crybabies
Delightful Sausage
Flat & The Curves
Frankie Thompson
Jazz Emu

Club comedian

Emmanuel Sonubi
Ian Stone
Jeff Innocent
Markus Birdman
Nina Gilligan

Best compere

Mark Olver
Rich Wilson
Thanyia Moore
Zoe Lyons

 Best show

Crybabies: Bagbeard
Frankie Thompson: Catts
Glenn Moore: Will You Still Need Me…
Jordan Gray: Is It A Bird
Seann Walsh: Is Dead. Happy Now?

Best tour

Dara O Briain: So... Where Were We?
Fascinating Aida
Jack Dee: Off The Telly
Kevin Bridges: The Overdue Catch-Up

 Best podcast:

Birthday Girls House Party
From The Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast
Pappy’s Flatshare
Poppy Hillstead Has Entered The Chat 
Seancecast with Charlie Dinkin and Zoë Tomalin

Social media award 

Alasdair Beckett-King 
Alistair Green
Jazz Emu
The Northern Boys

Book award

I’ll Die After Bingo by Pope Lornegan
Nailing It by Rich Hall
The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer
Terrortome by Garth Marenghi

Radio award

Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar
Mark Steel's In Town
The News Quiz
Robin Ince’s Reality Tunnel

TV award

Big Boys
Derry Girls 
Detectorists
Inside No. 9
The Lovebox In Your Living Room
Taskmaster  

TV comedian

Bob Mortimer
Greg Davies
Joe Lycett
Judi Love

Published: 6 Feb 2023