Welsh comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean has been awarded this year’s Caroline Aherne Bursary, making her the third person to receive the bursary. Past winners are Sophie Willan and Amy Gledhill. The Bursary is in honour of comedian Caroline Aherne who died in 2016 aged 52. The £5,000 prize will go towards Kiri Pritchard-McLean’s career, alongside mentorship from the BBC.
Pritchard-McLean said: “I adore Caroline so much, in fact, I was too intimidated to put myself forward at first, she’s an absolute icon,
“I’m now so glad that I did.
“Now, I can pretend my endless re-watching of Mrs Merton and The Royle Family is for work and not just me being a creepy fan girl.”
Shane Allen, controller of BBC comedy commissioning, said: “Just as Caroline embodied the spirit of working class northern comedy that she brought to the masses, Kiri represents all that is vibrant and distinctive about the Welsh working class sense of humour.
“We will support her to bring that unique voice and talent to national prominence.”
