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Over a thousand applied. One hundred and twenty battled it out in regional showcases. Thirty made it through to the televised heats. In this episode, five cutting-edge comics take to the stage but only one can go through to the grand final of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ New Comedy Awards 2024.

The search for Britain’s best new comic reaches Lancaster, a city buzzing with students and reputed to have the most pubs per square mile for its size. With a vibrant live comedy, music and arts scene, our quintet of comics will feel right at home performing at Ashton Hall, a music and comedy venue that’s the jewel in the crown of Lancaster Town Hall.

Our host for the evening is Manchester’s own rock’n’roll star of comedy, Rachel Fairburn. The renowned stand-up and co-host of All Killa No Filla podcast kicks off the night with a bit of local banter before bringing on the five acts. Judging their performances is comedian, writer and actor, Jessica Knappett and multi-award-winning comedy producer, Gill Isles, who will be calling upon her experience of producing hits like Car Share, Man Like Mobeen and Alma’s Not Normal, when judging tonight’s acts. Our effervescent head judge, Babatunde Aleshe, completes the trio.

It’s not going to be easy to pick a winner from Maria Fedulova, Rachel Hough, Jake Donaldson, Samira Banks and Marie Goulbourne, whose sets are jam-packed with jokes and cutting-edge material, but only one can go through to the grand final in Birmingham’s illustrious Alexandra Theatre.

This is just one of six heats taking place across the UK – south London’s Crofton Park, Pontypridd, Leicester, Belfast and Paisley all play host to these comedy spectaculars.

First established in 1995, these prestigious awards have helped build and nurture the careers of some of Britain’s most loved comedians including Peter Kay, Joe Lycett, Lee Mack, Julian Barratt, Josie Long, Shaparak Khorsandi, Romesh Ranganathan, Alan Carr, Russell Howard, Lee Ridley, Tom Allen, Lauren Pattison, Anna Thomas and Sarah Millican.

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ New Comedy Awards is unearthing a rich and broad range of brand-new comedy stars of the future from all corners of the country.