Episode 4

The BBC New Comedy Awards is a nationwide talent search to find the best new stand-ups Britain has to offer. For thirty years, these prestigious awards have helped launch the careers of many of the UK’s best-loved comedians.

This year, almost a thousand applied before being whittled down to the top 30. Tonight, five hopefuls will battle it out for a place in the BBC One grand final at Birmingham Town Hall, where one will be crowned the BBC New Comedian of 2025.

Eve Delaney, Laura Walsh, Tabish Akbar, Ciara Barnes, and Christof Epaminondas will perform their five-minute sets for our judges, and only one can go through to the final in November.

Brummie stand-up comedian Lindsey Santoro is our host for the evening, and joining her are the three judges – former NCA winner Dan Tiernan, star of Ghosts and improv comic Kiell Smith-Bynoe, and multi-awarding winning comedian and actor Amy Gledhill, who is our head judge.

Since 1995, the awards have helped launch the careers of comedians including Peter Kay, Joe Lycett, Lee Mack, Julian Barratt, Josie Long, Shappi Khorsandi, Romesh Ranganathan, Alan Carr, Russell Howard, Lee Ridley, Tom Allen, Lauren Pattison and Sarah Millican.

This year’s search has found a wealth of new talent, bringing distinct regional voices to audiences across the UK.