Black country comedian Rob Kemp (pictured) dominates the shortlists for this year’s Midlands Comedy Awards, getting recognition in six of the ten categories. Kemp, who has been collecting accolades all year for his Elvis Dead show, is up for Best Act, Best MC, Breakthrough Act, Alternative Act and Best Live Show and also picks up a nomination for the Anarchy open mic show he runs in Willenhall.
For Best Act, he will be facing off against household names like Joe Lycett, Tom Binns, Luisa Omielan, as well as former English Comedian of the Year Josh Pugh and rising star Scott Bennett.
There’s tough competition for the Best MC prize too, where previous winners Barry Dodds and Andy Robinson will be taking on Gareth Berliner, plus a handful of talented locals.
In the Best Club category, the Glee Club and Funhouse Comedy, who have both taken the prize in the past, will be battling Just The Tonic, Laff Attack and NCF Comedy for the big prize.
While in the Best Small Club shortlist the field is much wider with 8 contenders, evenly split across the eastern and western halves of the region, with last year’s winner, FAF Comedy, and the runner-up, Blue Giraffe, once again going head-to-head.
This year, the finalists for the fourth Midlands Comedy Awards were chosen by a secret ballot of both comedy promoters and comedy performers. In the past, only promoters were asked to nominate for the shortlists, but based on feedback from the Midlands comedy community, the decision was taken to widen the range of opinions being taken to decide which names will be put to the public vote.
Voting to decide the awards winners will begin in the middle of November 2017. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Leicester on Monday the 4th December 2017, hosted once again by Barry Dodds and featuring performances by a dozen or so nominees.
Voting closes at 23.59 on November 30. For further information and to vote go to: www.midlandscomedy.org
The Midlands Comedy Awards are run by an Organising Committee of four, who are automatically ineligible for the awards. Finalists are chosen by a secret ballot of comedy promoters and comedy performers. Award winners are chosen by an online public vote and winners will be announced at a ceremony on December 4.
Picture of Rob Kemp: Peril Design/Copyright Splash Photography.
MIDLANDS COMEDY AWARDS FINALISTS 2017
BEST ACT
SCOTT BENNETT
TOM BINNS
BEN BRIGGS
MASAI GRAHAM
ROB KEMP
JOE LYCETT
LUISA OMIELAN
JOSH PUGH
HANNAH SILVESTER
BEST MC
SCOTT BENNETT
GARETH BERLINER
BARRY DODDS
STEVIE GRAY
ALEX HYLTON
ROB KEMP
JASON NEALE
DAN NIGHTINGALE
ANDY ROBINSON
BREAKTHROUGH ACT
HARV HAWKINS
SARAH JOHNSON
ROB KEMP
JACK KIRWAN
ANDREW MCBURNEY
THOMAS RACKHAM
PETE TECKMAN
STU WOODINGS
BEST NEW ACT
ADAM BEARDSMORE
JEM BRAITHWAITE
ADAM ELMI
COUNT EVIL
LIAM JEAVONS
GINA OVERTON
JACK TOPHER
SHAM ZAMAN
ALTERNATIVE ACT
COUNT EVIL
IAN HALL
ROB KEMP
JACK KIRWAN
ANDREW MCBURNEY
DANIEL NICHOLAS
ROGER SWIFT
BEST LIVE SHOW
JO D’ARCY
ROB KEMP
LAURA MONMOTH
PHIL PAGETT
JOSH PUGH
ONLINE COMEDY
CRAIG DEELEY
MASAI GRAHAM
MOSES ALI KHAN
JACK KIRWAN
PHIL PAGETT
BEST COMEDY CLUB
FUNHOUSE COMEDY
GLEE CLUB
JUST THE TONIC
LAFF ATTACK
NCF COMEDY
BEST SMALL CLUB
BLUE GIRAFFE
CAN COMEDY
CHERRY BOMB
CLUB SMASHING
FAF COMEDY
FAT PENGUIN
FUNHOUSE COMEDY
PROPER FUNNY
BEST OPEN MIC SHOW
ANARCHY – (Black Country)
COMEDY AND COCKTAILS – (Leicester)
HOLLY BUSH – (Black Country)
JAM COMEDY – (Northampton)
JUICE COMEDY – (Staffordshire)
NCF £1 NIGHT – (Nottingham)
ROADHOUSE COMEDY – (Birmingham)
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION
TO BE ANNOUNCED AT THE AWARDS CEREMONY IN LEICESTER ON 4TH DECEMBER 2017.
