BBC New Comedy Awards is celebrating its 30th year hunting for the most hilarious comedy acts across the UK. The search to find 2025’s winner of the hugely popular talent competition has begun. Entries are now open until midnight on Sunday 25th May, and all details can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/newcomedyawards

Since launching in 1995, the BBC New Comedy Awards has helped kick-start the careers of many of the UK’s best-loved comedians. Previous winners include Alan Carr, Tom Allen, Lucy Beaumont, Josie Long, Nina Conti, Rhod Gilbert and The Mighty Boosh’s Julian Barratt, while past runners up Peter Kay, Lee Mack, Russell Howard, Sarah Millican and Joe Lycett all went on to achieve great success. 

Taking on the role of Head Judge for the 30th anniversary year is award-winning comedian, actor, podcaster and writer, Fatiha El-Ghorri. Fatiha has previously starred in Dave’s Outsiders, competed in BBC One’s Sewing Bee Christmas Special 2024, performed on Live At The Apollo and is also set to appear in the upcoming 19th series of Channel 4’s Taskmaster. Joining Fatiha on the judging panel at each of the six regional heats will be local comedy writers or performers (to be announced). 

On Friday [21 March], the New Comedy Awards search was declared open during Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day on BBC One and 2024 winner Paul Hilleard performed as part of the line-up. 

The nationwide talent competition encourages comic performers of any genre (stand-up, character, sketch and musical) to enter. Everyone who applies has the chance to follow in the footsteps of recent winners Joe Kent-Walters, Dan Tiernan and Anna Thomas – all of whom, since winning, have been signed by high profile agents, have pilots in development or production, have toured venues across the UK and taken shows to Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

In 2024 over a thousand people applied for the competition. Budding comedy superstars selected from the entry process will face the regional heats. Then, each of the six regional finals will take place in September and be televised weekly on BBC Three. The Grand Final will air on BBC One in October, filmed in 2025’s City of Culture Bradford, and will feature a special performance by 2024’s New Comedy Awards winner Paul Hilleard.

2025’s winner will receive a paid commission to write and perform their own 30-minute audio pilot under the mentorship of a BBC Comedy Commissioner, plus a trophy and £1,000 cash.  

Fatiha El-Ghorri, Head Judge, says: “I’m honoured and super happy to be asked by the BBC to be their Head Judge for the New Comedy Awards! I love seeing new talent and watching them grow and progress on the comedy circuit so I can't wait to be involved on the telly.”

Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy, said: “For 30 years, the BBC New Comedy Awards have been a launchpad for some of the biggest names in British comedy, and they remain a vital showcase for the stand-up stars of tomorrow. As we celebrate this milestone year, we can’t wait to discover the next wave of brilliant new talent. If you've ever thought about stepping up to the mic — this is your moment!”

Paul Hilleard, 2024 winner, said: “I never thought I’d win. I just entered for a laugh. And now I’ve been on the telly. Pretty mad. It’s worth doing if you fancy it. It’s helped open a few doors. What have you got to lose. It’s not scary. You get looked after at every stage. And if it doesn’t work this year, try again next year. It took me three years before I made it through the first stage.”

Phil McIntyre Television is delighted to be producing the New Comedy Awards for the BBC once again. They remain dedicated to taking the televised regional heats to often underrepresented parts of the country and showcasing exciting new talent emerging from all corners of the UK. 

To enter visit www.bbc.co.uk/newcomedyawards where terms and privacy notices can be found. The closing date for entries is 25 May.

The finals and televised heats from the last four series are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

The BBC New Comedy Awards heats (6x30) and The BBC Comedy Awards Final (1x45) are a Phil McIntyre Television production, commissioned for the BBC by Jon Petrie, Director of Comedy Commissioning. The series producer is Lindsay Jex and the executive producer is Jane Rogerson. The commissioning editors for the BBC are Ben Caudell, Navi Lamba and Roya Eslami.