It’s hard to believe an entire year has passed since Lara Ricote won the Funny Women Awards in 2021. What a year she’s had, topped off most recently with a much-deserved Best Newcomer win at the Edinburgh Fringe for her show GRL/LATINX/DEF. And what a delight it is to see her back on the same Bloomsbury Theatre stage performing a portion of that show with the same verve and charm.
We can only hope that this year’s Stage Award winner Lorna Rose Treen, who also took the comedy short prize (a historical first… someone call the record books!), will see similar success. She performed alongside a wonderfully varied bunch of newcomers, all of whom smashed their sets — but I have to say I’m delighted to see a clown win.
Lorna’s film noir femme fatale had the audience wrapped around her gloved little finger from the moment she stepped on stage. With an endless supply of cigarettes and never going more than three sentences without a silly joke, she demonstrated perfectly that balance between character work and really good writing that gathered her the judges’ votes.
Her comedy short, My Entertainment Badge, in which she plays the part of an SAS-style Brownie who takes her girl guiding duties as seriously as if she were going to actual war, had the auditorium howling to the extent that the people sitting around me were begging to watch it again so they could hear the bits they missed for laughing so hard. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing this routine live, and let me tell you, there is even more joy to be found here. With her mix of brilliance, creativity and the right amount of weirdness (lots), it’s so exciting to imagine where she might go next!
Shetland-born comedian Marjolein Robertson took second place, with a truly unique take on the small town to big city move — and possibly the only comedian with a story about turning up to university in Edinburgh with a suitcase full of lamb meat (or, as she put it, “a sackful of salty legs”). An incredibly satisfying pay-off, which showed her skill as a writer.
In third place was Jessie Nixon, a Bristol-based comic whose impression of Sarah Millican as the voiceover on her running app would have been enough on its own. Add to that her descriptions of raw dogging a Pringles tube and tampon grenades as the first line of defence against a job in recruitment and you’ve got yourself a killer set.
The Comedy Writing Award was won by Ruby Carr for her script, Magical Extinction. Accepting with a curtsey, she mentioned how pleased she was to win a writing prize particularly given the fact she’s dyslexic. Adapting with the times, the now two-year-old Content Creator Award is a really exciting addition voted for by the public, and went to Chanel Williams, who does the best Minerva McGonagall around and is my favourite new follow.
The new Industry Award recognises the contribution of the unsung women making waves in the comedy industry despite the very obvious barriers to entry in such a male-dominated arena. Winner Amy Annette couldn’t be more deserving of this accolade, known widely not only for her extensive work but as a force for good in supporting other people in an often brutal industry.
Now, back to the finalists. Anshita Koul took to the stage first, talking about what it means to have 10,000 Instagram followers in India, a country with a population of a billion, and why catcallers are actually feminist icons — a strong, confident opening to the show from a comedian with a few years of performing under her belt, setting the tone high for the rest of the evening.
Next up Fathiya Saleh made a charismatic entrance, immediately enchanting the audience with a PSA that she snorts when she laughs and urging the audience to “aw” her in sympathy to some of her anecdotes. Whipping out a fizzy drink and capping off her set with an unexpected poetic ending added to her original flair
The second Bristolian of the evening Julia Stenton (at this point Bristol is looking very appealing for a comedy field trip) regaled us with stories about her passive-aggressive neighbour Debbie (reconsidering that Bristol trip), her joy of watching kids fall over in the playground at the school where she teaches and her obsession with true crime — all of which tied together beautifully in the last seconds,
A music festival meeting point at 6 ft 1, Kate Martin described herself as the lovechild of Sue Perkins and Spock, riffing on the queer-friendly, well-meaning mums who try but don’t always get it right and the downright excruciating encounters when she’s mistaken for a man in the public loos. Her ability to fill the stage has nothing to do with her wingspan and everything to do with her assurance in her ability to deliver strong material.
One of the fantastic things about this competition is the variation in experience: Capital XTRA presenter Leah Davis took up stand-up only this year, but you’d never guess. She’s deserving of her spot on this stage, as she told us about her marriage as a “26-year-old child bride” to her 28-year-old husband.
If we’re talking about a confident presence on stage, Sharlin Jahan is top of that list, and the way she described her mother taking out a full-page ad to find her a suitor is a real winner — a gift that keeps on giving from a properly charismatic performer.
Tatty Macleod has carved out her niche already with her hugely popular videos detailing the French and English cultural differences, but it’s wonderful to see in person. In particular, her impression of how French men vs English men go about a booty call was a highlight, and fertile ground for jokes; I could (and hopefully will!) listen to an hour!
Honourable mention: 2018 winner Thanyia Moore, who hosted the night, should be given continuous awards forever and ever for being legitimately the best MC there is.
After all the preliminary rounds, the heats, and semi-finals, it all seems to be over so quickly, but the best thing about this bit is being able to add new names to my ever-growing list of comedians to follow. One thing is for sure: the future of comedy is in good hands!
