The is the stand-up search launched by Dutch Barn Vodka, co-owned by Ricky Gervais. After multiple regional rounds the grand final will take place in London on 1 October 2025 at the Leicester Square Theatre. The winner will receive a cash prize of £5,000 and be invited to open for Ricky Gervais at London's OVO Arena Wembley on 15 November 2025.

 

Speaking about the competition when it was announced, 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 Britain’s second greatest comic.”

 

Chris Fraser, founder and Chairman of Ellers Farm, added, “We’re building a brand that loves to have fun and want Dutch Barn to be at the heart of comedy for a long time to come, with plans to take The Spirit of Comedy around the world alongside Dutch Barn. We also know Ricky won’t live forever, so we thought we should start trying to find the next big thing.”

 

Highlights of the shows will be broadcast on the Dutch Barn YouTube channel, with judging to include a combination of audience voting and expert panels.

 

Aspiring comics entered by submitting a short clip of their comedy at www.DutchBarn.com/SpiritofComedy.

 

The final will be hosted by Thanyia Moore with Red Richardson and Sean McLoughlin doing spots. 

 

And the 15 finalists are: Pankaj Pankaj, Matt Black, Raul Kohli, Keefy Jewell, Donal Vaughan, Andy Hillier, Keith Millar, Roman Harris, David Arnold, Ravi Sani, Valeria Vulpe, Mike Carter, Ridwan Hussain, Evaldas Karosas and Mags McHugh.