Rob Rouse named comics' comic of 2025

Rich Wilson was named best MC and the Raymond and Mr Timpkins Revue take best achievement

Rob Rouse has won the 2025 Comics' Comics Award for best act.

Rich Wilson was named best MC and the Raymond and Mr Timpkins Revue best achievement in the accolades, voted for by comedians.

Rouse said of the honour: ‘It’s taken me completely by surprise, I’m very grateful and genuinely touched to receive this.

We all love making audiences laugh and we all love the feeling of getting a laugh from our fellow clowns at the back of the room, it’s one of the things that encourages us to keep going and keep writing.

‘I’ve been doing this a long time and to be acknowledged by your peers, who truly understand the highs and lows of this crazy job feels deeply moving and humbling.’

After being named best compere, Wilson said: ‘To get any award is a lovely thing but to get an award that’s voted for by your peers is a feeling like no other and I haven’t stopped smiling since I found out.

‘Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me although I doubt it was Alistair Barrie who – even though I’ve been friends with him for 20 years – I’ve forgotten his name twice at two separate gigs."

The Raymond and Mr Timpkins Revue – real names Andy Heydon and Tony Salmon – have started winding down their live gigs after almost 35 years together.

In a statement, they told their ‘dearest esteemed colleagues’: 'We are deeply touched, though getting an award for outstanding achievement in the year we announced our retirement could be seen as a bit flipping sarky? However, we are extremely flattered. Many thanks to you all. Love you.x"

They previously won the best act award in 2019.

The award for best independent promoter went to Jonathan Elston, who runs Laughter Craft Comedy, primarily in the Home Counties and the Midlands.

He said: ‘Delighted to have won this award and wanted to thank all the acts who I’ve worked with over the year. I appreciate you all performing in some lovely rooms, some lovely marquees, and some rooms that well at least you got paid quickly for doing them.

‘It’s always rewarding the number of audience members who come up to me after shows, who are surprised by how high the standard of live comedy is in this country.’

The awards were founded in 2013 by John Moloney as an alternative to various other prizes that he felt did not recognise professional comedians who work the circuit year in, year out.

Anyone can vote who makes their living or most of it from comedy. Traditionally, the previous year’s winners buy the awards for the following year. But since the past few outstanding achievement awards have been won posthumously, the Jokes With Mark Simmons podcast sponsored it this year.

Here’s are the previous winners:

Best Act

2013: Mick Ferry
2014: Gavin Webster
2015: Zoe Lyons
2016: Jeff Innocent
2017: Ian Stone
2018: Andy Askins
2019: The Raymond & Mr Timpkins Revue
2020: Scott Bennett
2021: (3 way tie) Jo Caulfield, Ninia Benjamin, Mark Nelson
2022: Mark Simmons
2023: Andrew Bird
2024: Nina Gilligan

Best MC

2014: Roger Monkhouse
2015: Dan Nightingale
2016: Danny McLoughlin
2017: Laura Lexx
2018: Mandy Knight
2019: Sally-Anne Hayward
2020: Lou Conran
2021: Paul Smith
2022: Cerys Nelmes
2023: Barry Dodds
2024: Hayley Ellis

Independent Promoter

2016: Rob Riley : Comedy In A Van
2017: Blair Brothers : Hot Water
2018: Rob Riley : Comedy In A Van
2019: Jim Howarth : Comedy Hotspot
2020: Brett Vincent : Get Comedy
2021: (2 way tie) Andy White : Jesterlarf Comedy and Peter Vincent : Independent Booker
2022: Stephen Grant : The Forge
2023: James Alderson
2024: Spiky Mike