Chris Watts and Abi Mohanty also placed in Manchester competition

Deadpan comic Tom Barker has won this year’s Beat The Frog new act competition in Manchester

Irish comedian Chris Watts, who poked fun at his albinism, was voted runner-up, with  German-Indian stand-up Abi Mohanty coming third.

The other finalists at the Frog and Bucket Comedy Club last night were Selam Amare, Yovan Chamroo, Ellie Cox, Onojie Idemudia,  Matty Ross, Gaj San and Sam Strachan.

Heats of the competition take the form of gong shows, though in the final comedians perform uninterrupted.

 Previous winners have  included Dan Tiernan, Ola Labib, Brennan Reece and 2025’s  victor Madeleine Brettingham, who also won So You Think You’re Funny?

Published: 3 Nov 2026