© BBC Who's on Live At The Apollo tonight, November 24?
Zoe Lyons, Ria Lina and Tom Ward
Zoe Lyons introduces Ria Lina and Tom Ward to the famous West London stage in the third episode of season 16 of Live At The Apollo tonight.
Who Is Zoe Lyons?
A graduate of The Poor School drama college, Lyons first came to public attention in the 2001 ITV reality show Survivor, making the last four.
She then turned to stand-up, winning the Funny Women title in 2004 and being nominated for best newcomer for her debut one-woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2007. The following year she won Dave's Joke Of The Fringe with a one-liner that now seems in poor taste: 'I can't believe Amy Winehouse self-harms. She's so irritating she must be able to find someone to do it for her'
Lyons's previous TV appearances include Mock the Week, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, Room 101 and QI. And in 2021 she hosted the teatime TV quiz show, Lightning, on BBC Two
She lives in Brighton with her wife Sindy, a nurse originally from the Netherlands.
Here's a clip from her Apollo set airing tonight:
Who Is Ria Lina?
It seems to have taken a global pandemic to bring Ria Lina to the public consciousness – as she has a PhD in viral bioinformatics that's proved useful on many a topical TV and radio show.
However she has been a stand-up for two decades, making the finals of several new act awards in 2002 and 2003. She has taken five solo shows to the Edinburg Fringe and in 2014 made the finals of the Amused Moose Comedy Awards.
Born in High Wycombe to a Filipina mother and a German father, Lina has has three children and was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome as an adult.
Who Is Tom Ward ?
Tom Ward said that recording tonight's Live At The Apollo 'was the greatest moment of my career and I may never be the same again'.
His previous high points include being named best newcomer at the 2017 Chortle Awards and becoming a finalist in the BBC Radio New Comedy Awards in 2014. He also made the finals of the NATYs, the Leicester Square New Comedian of 2013 and Brighton's Squawker Awards and has supported Joe Lycett on tour.
He's known for his quirky worldview – and of course his distinctive hairstyle. And as well as his stand-up he narrates Yesterday TV's biggest show, Abandoned Engineering
• Live At The Apollo is on BBC Two at 10pm tonight, November 24.
Published: 24 Nov 2021
