The BBC New Comedy Awards is back and is heading to Coventry, where all the heats will be filmed this September, then on to Birmingham Town Hall for The Grand Final in October. Applications open today (Wednesday 27 May 2026) at the BBC New Comedy Awards website.
Since launching in 1995, the BBC New Comedy Awards has helped kickstart the careers of many of the UK's best-loved comedians. Previous winners include Alan Carr, Tom Allen, Lucy Beaumont, Josie Long, Nina Conti and Rhod Gilbert, while past runners-up Peter Kay, Lee Mack, Russell Howard, Sarah Millican and Joe Lycett have all gone on to achieve great success. Now, with 2025 winner and the West Midlands very own Eli Hart, the latest name to follow in those footsteps, the search begins for the next breakout star.
Taking on the role of Head Judge for the 2026 series is Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning comedian, actor and writer Amy Gledhill. Amy won Best Show at the 2024 Edinburgh Comedy Awards for her sell-out tour Make Me Look Fit on the Poster, and has since become one of the most recognisable faces in British comedy, with appearances in Last One Laughing (Prime Video), Alma's Not Normal (BBC Two), Run Away (Netflix), Live at the Apollo (BBC Two) and Taskmaster (Channel 4). She has co-written and stars in forthcoming BBC comedy Opening Up. She also co-created BBC Radio 4 comedy Icklewick FM and in 2025 hosted the BBC New Comedy Awards Grand Final. A full judging panel will be announced at a later date.
Amy Gledhill, Head Judge, says “Who’s put me in charge? No, but seriously, I can’t wait to lead the judging for this year’s BBC New Comedy Awards, it’s such a great initiative and really looking forward to uncovering the best new comic talent the UK has to offer.”
Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy, says “For more than three decades, the BBC New Comedy Awards have helped launch some of the UK’s most recognisable comedy voices, and the search for the next breakout star is always a highlight of our year. Taking the competition to the West Midlands this year feels especially exciting — it’s a region bursting with talent, as last year’s winner Eli Hart proved. We can’t wait to see who steps forward in 2026.”
Eli Hart, 2025 winner, says “Winning the New Comedy Awards has meant a great deal to me. It has changed my life in both big and small ways, the smallest of ways being that there is now a physical piece of evidence in my living room that suggests I’m not entirely delusional.”
The nationwide competition is open to comic performers of any genre (stand-up, character, sketch and musical). Budding comedy superstars will be selected from the entry process to compete in the regional heats, each of which will be filmed in Coventry in September. The Grand Final will be filmed at Birmingham Town Hall in October.
2026'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.
Phil McIntyre Television is producing the BBC 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 the BBC New Comedy Awards website where full terms and the privacy notice can be found. Applications open Wednesday 27 May 2026.
