Alistair Williams named British Comedian Of The Year

'Cancelled' comic wins £10k after overwhelming audience vote

Alistair Williams has been named British Comedian Of The Year – scooping the £10,001 top prize.

More than three-quarters of the audience at the Comedy Store in London last night placed him as either their first or second favourite, making him a shoo-in for the title.

Second place went to deadpan Nick Everritt, with 29 per cent, and third to the frank-talking Maureen Younger, with 26 per cent.

The competition is described as the FA Cup of comedy as it attracts comics at all levels, not just newcomers. The prize is £1 more than the Edinburgh Comedy Award, which usually makes it the biggest in comedy – although earlier this year Mary O'Connell won a staggering £100,000 in a contest run by OFTV, the streaming service from Only Fans that offers non-X-rated content.

The prize will be a boost for Williams, who has previously spoken about being been ostracised by the circuit, having railed against ideas such as toxic masculinity. He also expressed pro-Brexit views unfashionable in the industry, with a routine linking the withdrawal negotiations to leaving a Burger King going viral.

He told YouTuber Richard Vobes earlier this year: ‘They banned me from doing live comedy, they did this very subtly. All the clubs stopped talking to me after the Brexit Burger King [routine].

‘So i went into my bedroom and started recording videos on YouTube. And they became really popular. I think I had like 50,000 subscribers when they deleted my channel.

‘So it was like: look, guys, you kicked me out the comedy clubs and now gone to my bedroom, and I'm making videos by myself. And I can't do that either? No.’

After winning last night, he thanked all those who voted for him and ‘our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ’ – which many perceived as flippant, but Williams is acturally a devout Christian and even has his own range of religious-branded goods.