This year’s Midlands Comedy Awards have been dominated by Nottingham's clubs and comedians. Veteran comics Duncan Oakley (pictured) and Barry Dodds won Best Act and Best MC respectively, with Dodds also winning the Online Comedy award for the Parapod podcast he produces with fellow comedian Ray Peacock.

Nottingham-based Funhouse Comedy secured the Best Comedy Club trophy, beating the Glee Club into second place. Best Small Club went to FAF Comedy, another Notts-based endeavour, with Black Country newcomer Blue Giraffe as runner-up. There was also triumph for NCF, who run Nottingham Comedy Festival, as their monthly night at the Canal House won Best Open Mic Show, edging out last year’s winner The Holly Bush.

Birmingham and Black Country captured the rest of the trophies. UK Pun Champion Masai Graham, who also picked up Dave's Joke of the Fringe this summer, added the Breakthrough Act gong to his growing haul, with Leicester-based Alex Hylton coming second.

The Best Live Show gong went to Late Night with Boabby Roaster, a transmedia sketch and standup hour by Damian Hyde, Jack Kirwan and Andrew McBurney, with Alex Hylton once again runner up. For the hotly-contested Best New Act title, Birmingham’s Moses Ali Khan – already a multiple award winner – beat Leicester’s Sarah Johnson into second place.

The biggest surprise was character comic Paul Palmer, who performs comedy magic as “Count Evil”, winning the Alternative Act prize after less than twenty gigs, pushing Andrew McBurney into second place.

The final award went to Dave Francis and Billy McGuire who received theOutstanding Contribution prize for Bushfest, which is billed as the world’s smallest comedy festival. Operating on two stages, one indoor and one outdoor, Bushfest delivers four days of free comedy every summer at the Holly Bush venue in Cradley Heath, and attracts some of the country’s best professional acts who are road-testing their shows pre-Edinburgh Fringe.

The finalists for the Midlands Comedy Awards are chosen by Midlands-based comedy clubs. The award winners are chosen by public vote. Birmingham comic Jay Islaam, who heads up the Awards Committee, commented: “This year’s Midlands Comedy Awards have been bigger than ever. More comedy clubs than ever before were involved in the process of deciding the shortlists. And almost 5000 votes were cast to decide the winners." 

FULL RESULTS

Best Act

Winner: Duncan Oakley

Runner-up: Masai Graham

Third place: Scott Bennett

Best MC

Winner: Barry Dodds

Runner-up: Gareth Berliner

Joint third place: Jon Pearson & Wayne Beese

Best Comedy Club

Winner: Funhouse Comedy

Runner-up: The Glee Club

Third place: Fitz of Laughter

Best Small Club

Winner: FAF Comedy

Runner-up: Blue Giraffe

Third place: Fitz of Laughter

Best Live Show

Winner: Late Night with Boabby Roaster

Runner-up: Alex Hylton – I Came, I Saw, I Complained

Third place: Paul Savage, Alexander Bennett – Hell To Play

Breakthrough Act

Winner: Masai Graham

Runner-up: Alex Hylton

Third place: Josh Pugh

Best New Act

Winner: Moses Ali Khan

Runner-up: Sarah Johnson

Third place: Harvey Hawkins

Alternative Act

Winner: Paul Palmer

Runner-up: Andrew McBurney

Third place: Daniel Nicholas

Online Comedy

Winner: The Parapod

Runner-up: Jack Kirwan

Third place: Masai Graham

Best Open Mic Show

Winner: NCF Canal House (Nottingham)

Runner-up: Holly Bush (Black Country)

Third place: Roadhouse Comedy (Birmingham)

Outstanding Contribution

Winner: Bushfest

(Billy McGuire and Dave Francis)