The first winner of the Dutch Barn Spirit Of Comedy has been crowned following a final at the Leicester Square Theatre.
Over 800 hopefuls entered the competition and the winner is Valeria Vulpe, who secured a £5,000 prize and the opportunity to join Ricky Gervais on his global Mortality tour, opening the show on 15 November 2025 at London’s OVO Arena Wembley.
The competition set out to discover the UK’s next best comic voice, after, the press release says, Ricky Gervais (who co-owns Dutch Barn Vodka).
Second place went to Evaldas Karosas, who takes home £1,000 and an exclusive mentoring package with established comedians to help accelerate their career. With audience voting so tight, third place was awarded to Donal Vaughan and Roman Harris, who both took home £500 and the same opportunity for expert mentoring support.
The night was hosted by comics including Thanyia Moore, Red Richardson, Matt Bragg, Tom Ward, Andrew Mensah, Stephen Grant, and Hal Cruttenden, with guest appearances from Sean McLoughlin and Josh Pugh.
Ricky Gervais said: "As well as trying to make Dutch Barn a billion-dollar global brand, we thought we might as well try to find a new comedy star. We found quite a few, actually. But congratulations to the overall winner, Valaria. See you at Wembley.”
Chris Fraser, Founder and CEO of Ellers Farm Distillery, added: “The standard of comedy throughout this competition has been incredible. Dutch Barn Spirit of Comedy is all about celebrating talent, supporting grassroots comedy and independent venues, and bringing people together through laughter. That’s exactly what Dutch Barn Vodka stands for, and we’re proud this competition has been the first step in building Dutch Barn’s place at the heart of comedy. We’ll be back next year, even bigger.”
Full list of finalists here.
About Dutch Barn Spirit of Comedy
With judging including a combination of audience voting, expert panels, and viewers of the live broadcasts on the Dutch Barn YouTube channel, Dutch Barn Spirit of Comedy is a nationwide search for the UK’s next big stand-up star.
Launched in May 2025, the competition was created not only to unearth new comedy talent and promote them to a global audience but also to build a growing community where comedy lovers can enjoy a laugh at any time of the day.
In addition to championing grassroots comedy, each round of the inaugural competition has been hosted in independent bars and venues across the country, helping to bring people through their doors at a time when many are facing challenges. It’s a small gesture in the bigger picture of supporting hospitality, but one Dutch Barn Vodka hopes will bring moments of joy and connection where they’re needed most.
(Pictured left to right, Evaldas Karosas, Valeria Vulpe, Donal Vaughan and Roman Harris)
