Evaldas Karosas has won this year's Beat The Frog World Series competition. The Lithuanian stand-up is the winner of the 16th annual competition final at the Frog and Bucket club in Manchester.

The runner up was accountant from Taiwan Kuan-wen Huang and the special panel prize voted for by the comedy industry folk in the room was won by absurdist Toussaint Douglass from Lewisham.

Nine acts competed in the final, whittled down from 44 acts having won through from the four heats that played out across the Beat the Frog nights every Monday throughout October.

The acts this year ranged wildly in backgrounds and style. A doctor of education, a vegan goth, an opera singer, parents, podcasters and Salford University comedy course graduates.

Some had their ethnic origins in Sudan and Taiwan, some were Australian and Canadian. Others were local, some national and there are a few Scots in the mix. 

Originally called the Raw Night before transforming into Beat The Frog in 2004, the club night saw the first gig from John Bishop after he had wandered in one night and decided he’d give it a go. In the early years both Peter Kay and Johnny Vegas honed their comedic art in the club. So too have the likes of Jack Whitehall, Sarah Millican, Lee Mack, Lucy Porter, Dave Gorman and Jason Manford.

Last year Australian comedian Anna Spark won, gaining the audience’s vote, and is currently working on her debut Edinburgh Fringe show. The panel prize went to the softly spoken Michael Mannion and the runner up was the half Venezuelan James Heath. Previous winners of the competition include Brennan Reece, Rob Mulholland, Carl Hutchinson and the creator of the popular online series I See You Sam Gore.

Picture: Carl Speight