Applications now open

Dan Tiernan and Kiell Smith-Bynoe are to join the judging panel for this year's BBC New Comedy Awards

Organisers say they will be working alongside host Amy Gledhill as the search begins for the UK's next comedy talent.

Applications for the competition are now open for applicants to take part in filmed heats in Coventry in September, before the final at Birmingham Town Hall in October. Entries close on July 19.

The winner will receive £1,000 in cash and a paid commission to write and perform a 30-minute audio pilot, with a BBC comedy commissioner acting as mentor.

The awards were launched in 1995 and previous winners have included Alan Carr, Tom Allen, Lucy Beaumont, Josie Long, Nina Conti and Rhod Gilbert,

Published: 6 Jul 2026