Rhod Gilbert Electrician Sketch - Live at the Apollo - BBC

Contains adult humour. Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert is on sparkling form as he tells the story of an unreliable Electrician who fitted some plug sockets the wrong way up. From hit BBC 1 show, Live at the Apollo.

Liverpool audiences toughest to crack say Brit comedians

LONDON, Friday 15th April 2011: Heckles, joke theft and stage fright – all in a day’s work for British stand-ups – according to a new report from comedy channel Dave.

Perrier Award-winning stand-up Daniel Kitson has been named by his contemporaries as the best British stand-up of all time in a wide ranging survey of UK-based comedians released today.

The study which provides a fascinating insight into the daily lives of stand-up comics also names Liverpool as the city with the toughest audiences and reveals that 31% of comedians admit to suffering intense stage fright before they go on stage.

The study which was specially commissioned by Dave – the home of witty banter – to mark their new series of ‘Dave’s One Night Stand’ which launches on the 14th April at 9pm, and is the first survey of British based stand-ups ever compiled. Led by renowned comedy critic Bruce Dessau, the research involved one-to-one interviews with over a hundred comedians including the likes of Bill Bailey, Jo Brand, Tim Vine, Dave Gorman, Rhod Gilbert, Mark Watson, Jason Byrne and Greg Davies.

The results provide a fascinating overview of the nation’s regional responses to humour.  Liverpool was named as the city with the toughest live audiences with 18% of the comedians admitting they have to work harder to get a scouse audience laughing.

The majority of stand-ups who voted for the Merseyside region chose it because audience members often think they are funnier than the acts they’ve paid to go and see. Nottingham was voted as the second hardest place to crack (5%), followed by Maidstone in Kent.

Conversely, the regional audiences that are the most receptive to British stand-up comedy were named as the Midlands with two in ten (21%) comedians voting for the region. The place where political jokes go down best was London and the South East with 39% of those polled stating that satirical humour goes down better with sardonic fans in the South East.

The study also suggests that while more and more young people are attending comedy gigs, they aren’t always laughing once they get there. A whopping 46% of the comedians surveyed noted that the 18 – 25 year old age group were the hardest to raise a chuckle from and tended to have a ‘too cool for school’ attitude. One comedian quipped that “young audiences are often too busy texting to listen”. In contrast, the ideal age range for a comedy audience was said to be 26-33 year olds

When it came to revealing which regional audiences heckles the most, the North West came out top with 29% of the votes, followed by Scotland with 18% – and rather than just ignoring the comments, almost two thirds (65%) of comedians say they immediately react with a pithy put-down.

Tough audiences often mean that nerves can play a big part in a stand-up’s act and it would seem that stage fright amongst comedians is rife, with 31% of those polled admitting to suffering so severely that they are physically sick moments before going on stage.

When discussing the sensitive subject of alcohol use during a gig, contrary to popular belief over two thirds (70%) of comedians revealed that they never drink before going on stage worrying that alcohol may hinder rather than enhance their performances. Referring to the sensitive subject of joke stealing revealed that over half (55%) of stand-ups had been the victims of joke theft. However, rather than running to the nearest lawyer, a quarter (25%) of comedians admitted that there was little they could do about it and that imitation is sometimes the sincerest form of flattery.

The research study also reveals the stand-up’s favourite stand-up of all time. When asked to nominate the greatest UK comedy act, West Yorkshire-born Daniel Kitson was the clear favourite with almost a quarter of votes (24%), proving that he has a fiercely passionate following in the industry.

The 33 year old has defiantly carved out a niche for himself and resists offers to appear on TV, preferring to appear live at festivals and gigs. He narrowly beat Billy Connolly (20%) who was arguably the first UK comedian who really popularised the modern genre of honest, self-authored storytelling. Eddie Izzard came third with 13% of votes, ahead of old school stand-up Tommy Cooper with 7% of the votes. Interestingly, two comedians refused to vote for their greatest UK stand-up stating that “all-time hasn’t happened yet”!

Finally, when asked who they thought was the most offensive stand-up in the UK was today, 14% of comedians voted for Frankie Boyle, just ahead of Jerry Sadowitz with 12%.

Commenting on the survey, Dave’s channel head, Steve North said “Being a stand up has to be one of the hardest jobs in the world. And these guys do it for fun! It’s great to hear from the Dave One Night Stand Up Survey that audiences are making the comedians work for their laughs. The better they get, the better the entertainment.”

Dave’s One Night Stand features a host of stand up comedians returning to their home towns to perform a single comedy gig. Featuring Chris Addison, Dave Gorman, Jason Byrne, Mark Watson and Greg Davies, the series will premiere exclusively on Dave weekly from Thursday 14th April at 9pm.

Liverpool audiences toughest to crack say Brit comedians

LONDON, Friday 15th April 2011: Heckles, joke theft and stage fright – all in a day’s work for British stand-ups – according to a new report from comedy channel Dave.

Perrier Award-winning stand-up Daniel Kitson has been named by his contemporaries as the best British stand-up of all time in a wide ranging survey of UK-based comedians released today.

The study which provides a fascinating insight into the daily lives of stand-up comics also names Liverpool as the city with the toughest audiences and reveals that 31% of comedians admit to suffering intense stage fright before they go on stage.

The study which was specially commissioned by Dave – the home of witty banter – to mark their new series of ‘Dave’s One Night Stand’ which launches on the 14th April at 9pm, and is the first survey of British based stand-ups ever compiled. Led by renowned comedy critic Bruce Dessau, the research involved one-to-one interviews with over a hundred comedians including the likes of Bill Bailey, Jo Brand, Tim Vine, Dave Gorman, Rhod Gilbert, Mark Watson, Jason Byrne and Greg Davies.

The results provide a fascinating overview of the nation’s regional responses to humour.  Liverpool was named as the city with the toughest live audiences with 18% of the comedians admitting they have to work harder to get a scouse audience laughing.

The majority of stand-ups who voted for the Merseyside region chose it because audience members often think they are funnier than the acts they’ve paid to go and see. Nottingham was voted as the second hardest place to crack (5%), followed by Maidstone in Kent.

Conversely, the regional audiences that are the most receptive to British stand-up comedy were named as the Midlands with two in ten (21%) comedians voting for the region. The place where political jokes go down best was London and the South East with 39% of those polled stating that satirical humour goes down better with sardonic fans in the South East.

The study also suggests that while more and more young people are attending comedy gigs, they aren’t always laughing once they get there. A whopping 46% of the comedians surveyed noted that the 18 – 25 year old age group were the hardest to raise a chuckle from and tended to have a ‘too cool for school’ attitude. One comedian quipped that “young audiences are often too busy texting to listen”. In contrast, the ideal age range for a comedy audience was said to be 26-33 year olds

When it came to revealing which regional audiences heckles the most, the North West came out top with 29% of the votes, followed by Scotland with 18% – and rather than just ignoring the comments, almost two thirds (65%) of comedians say they immediately react with a pithy put-down.

Tough audiences often mean that nerves can play a big part in a stand-up’s act and it would seem that stage fright amongst comedians is rife, with 31% of those polled admitting to suffering so severely that they are physically sick moments before going on stage.

When discussing the sensitive subject of alcohol use during a gig, contrary to popular belief over two thirds (70%) of comedians revealed that they never drink before going on stage worrying that alcohol may hinder rather than enhance their performances. Referring to the sensitive subject of joke stealing revealed that over half (55%) of stand-ups had been the victims of joke theft. However, rather than running to the nearest lawyer, a quarter (25%) of comedians admitted that there was little they could do about it and that imitation is sometimes the sincerest form of flattery.

The research study also reveals the stand-up’s favourite stand-up of all time. When asked to nominate the greatest UK comedy act, West Yorkshire-born Daniel Kitson was the clear favourite with almost a quarter of votes (24%), proving that he has a fiercely passionate following in the industry.

The 33 year old has defiantly carved out a niche for himself and resists offers to appear on TV, preferring to appear live at festivals and gigs. He narrowly beat Billy Connolly (20%) who was arguably the first UK comedian who really popularised the modern genre of honest, self-authored storytelling. Eddie Izzard came third with 13% of votes, ahead of old school stand-up Tommy Cooper with 7% of the votes. Interestingly, two comedians refused to vote for their greatest UK stand-up stating that “all-time hasn’t happened yet”!

Finally, when asked who they thought was the most offensive stand-up in the UK was today, 14% of comedians voted for Frankie Boyle, just ahead of Jerry Sadowitz with 12%.

Commenting on the survey, Dave’s channel head, Steve North said “Being a stand up has to be one of the hardest jobs in the world. And these guys do it for fun! It’s great to hear from the Dave One Night Stand Up Survey that audiences are making the comedians work for their laughs. The better they get, the better the entertainment.”

Dave’s One Night Stand features a host of stand up comedians returning to their home towns to perform a single comedy gig. Featuring Chris Addison, Dave Gorman, Jason Byrne, Mark Watson and Greg Davies, the series will premiere exclusively on Dave weekly from Thursday 14th April at 9pm.

BBC Radio 2 New Comedy Award 2011 launch

Today, Steve Wright announced the launch of the BBC Radio 2 New Comedy Award 2011, a nationwide search for the best new stand-up comedy talent in the UK. 

Steve Wright launched the search on his afternoon show on Radio 2. He was joined by Patrick Kielty who will present the semi-finals and the grand final of the Award which is now open for submissions until Sunday 27 March.

The BBC New Comedy Award initially ran from 1995 to 2005. This year, Radio 2 and BBC Radio Comedy are reviving the Award and putting the spotlight back on seeking out the best new stand-up comedy talent, with a new format and, for the first time, including audience interactivity.

For anyone who thinks that they could be just what the world of stand up needs, this could be the opportunity they've been waiting for. Previous BBC New Comedy Award finalists have gone on to become some of the biggest and most successful names in comedy today – Alan Carr (winner, 2001), Rhod Gilbert (winner, 2003), Josie Long (winner, 1999), Marcus Brigstocke (winner, 1996), Peter Kay,Lee Mack, Russell Howard, Justin Lee Collins, Sarah Millican and Julian Barratt.

Steve Wright said: "Just taking a look at the roll call of previous BBC Radio 2 New Comedy Award winners and finalists should be all the encouragement anyone needs if they're thinking about entering. So go on, give it a go and send us five minutes of your best material. Thanks to Radio 2, you could be the comedy talent the nation has been waiting for!"

The grand final will be presented by Patrick Kielty and broadcast on Radio 2 on Saturday 18 June. The prize for this year's winner is the opportunity to perform a slot in Radio 2's Comedy Zone.

The winner will also receive development advice and guidance from BBC Radio Comedy and the possibility of appearing on other slots on BBC Radio, including an interview on Steve Wright In The Afternoon which currently reaches almost 7 million listeners. The process will include audience interactivity by giving the public a unique opportunity to adjudicate the acts and help the judging panels select the UK's next generation of comedy talent.

Patrick Kielty, said: "Trying to make it as a stand-up comic can be a scary ride, but it can also be brilliant fun. The BBC Radio 2 New Comedy Award is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who thinks this could be their true calling. And if you don't take the plunge you'll never know."

The BBC Radio 2 New Comedy Award 2011 is open for submissions from Monday 28 February until Sunday 27 March. To take part, entrants must submit five minutes of audio material. More information and application forms are available at bbc.co.uk/radio2/comedy or by calling 03700 100 200.

A production panel will then select those who will go on to the next stage, a series of regional heats across the UK. Here the entrants will perform their act in front of a local audience and an expert judging panel. Highlights will be available on the website.

From the 10 countrywide heats, 12 acts will go through to the semi-finals, but just one person from each heat will be selected by the judges on the night. One runner-up from each heat will also be chosen to go through to an online audience vote which will open after the final heat has taken place.

The public will then decide which two acts from these 10 runners-up will go on to the semi finals. From here, six acts will make it through to the final to be broadcast on Radio 2 on Saturday 18 June. This stage will also feature an audience vote, alongside the judging panel, to help select the winner.

As well as hosting the semi finals audience vote, the Award website will feature filmed highlights of the heats, bonus audio material, information about the judges and contestants and past winners, plus message boards for the public to get involved and post their views on the participants. And there will be blogs and expert advice from Patrick Kielty, former winners and comedy producers at the forefront of the industry.

The regional heats will take place in:

London – Tuesday 26 April – Tattershall Castle
Brighton – Wednesday 27 April – The Komedia
Birmingham – Monday 2 May – Cheeky Monkey
Cardiff – Wednesday 4 May – Glee Club
Glasgow – Monday 9 May – Glasgow Highlights
Newcastle – Tuesday 10 May – The Hyena Comedy Club
Manchester – Monday 16 May – Manchester Comedy Store
Belfast – Tuesday 17 May – The Belfast Empire

The semi-finals will take place on 3 and 10 June. The final will be on Saturday 18 June. Locations and venues will be announced nearer the time.

The BBC Radio 2 New Comedy Award 2011 is open to any act, aged 18 years or over, who has been performing on the comedy circuit as a stand-up for less than three years. They must submit five minutes of original and un-broadcast material – but must have seven minutes in total available for use in future rounds – and must not have performed this material on television. Full terms and conditions are on the website.

BBC Radio 2 New Comedy Award 2011 launch

Today, Steve Wright announced the launch of the BBC Radio 2 New Comedy Award 2011, a nationwide search for the best new stand-up comedy talent in the UK. 

Steve Wright launched the search on his afternoon show on Radio 2. He was joined by Patrick Kielty who will present the semi-finals and the grand final of the Award which is now open for submissions until Sunday 27 March.

The BBC New Comedy Award initially ran from 1995 to 2005. This year, Radio 2 and BBC Radio Comedy are reviving the Award and putting the spotlight back on seeking out the best new stand-up comedy talent, with a new format and, for the first time, including audience interactivity.

For anyone who thinks that they could be just what the world of stand up needs, this could be the opportunity they've been waiting for. Previous BBC New Comedy Award finalists have gone on to become some of the biggest and most successful names in comedy today – Alan Carr (winner, 2001), Rhod Gilbert (winner, 2003), Josie Long (winner, 1999), Marcus Brigstocke (winner, 1996), Peter Kay,Lee Mack, Russell Howard, Justin Lee Collins, Sarah Millican and Julian Barratt.

Steve Wright said: "Just taking a look at the roll call of previous BBC Radio 2 New Comedy Award winners and finalists should be all the encouragement anyone needs if they're thinking about entering. So go on, give it a go and send us five minutes of your best material. Thanks to Radio 2, you could be the comedy talent the nation has been waiting for!"

The grand final will be presented by Patrick Kielty and broadcast on Radio 2 on Saturday 18 June. The prize for this year's winner is the opportunity to perform a slot in Radio 2's Comedy Zone.

The winner will also receive development advice and guidance from BBC Radio Comedy and the possibility of appearing on other slots on BBC Radio, including an interview on Steve Wright In The Afternoon which currently reaches almost 7 million listeners. The process will include audience interactivity by giving the public a unique opportunity to adjudicate the acts and help the judging panels select the UK's next generation of comedy talent.

Patrick Kielty, said: "Trying to make it as a stand-up comic can be a scary ride, but it can also be brilliant fun. The BBC Radio 2 New Comedy Award is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who thinks this could be their true calling. And if you don't take the plunge you'll never know."

The BBC Radio 2 New Comedy Award 2011 is open for submissions from Monday 28 February until Sunday 27 March. To take part, entrants must submit five minutes of audio material. More information and application forms are available at bbc.co.uk/radio2/comedy or by calling 03700 100 200.

A production panel will then select those who will go on to the next stage, a series of regional heats across the UK. Here the entrants will perform their act in front of a local audience and an expert judging panel. Highlights will be available on the website.

From the 10 countrywide heats, 12 acts will go through to the semi-finals, but just one person from each heat will be selected by the judges on the night. One runner-up from each heat will also be chosen to go through to an online audience vote which will open after the final heat has taken place.

The public will then decide which two acts from these 10 runners-up will go on to the semi finals. From here, six acts will make it through to the final to be broadcast on Radio 2 on Saturday 18 June. This stage will also feature an audience vote, alongside the judging panel, to help select the winner.

As well as hosting the semi finals audience vote, the Award website will feature filmed highlights of the heats, bonus audio material, information about the judges and contestants and past winners, plus message boards for the public to get involved and post their views on the participants. And there will be blogs and expert advice from Patrick Kielty, former winners and comedy producers at the forefront of the industry.

The regional heats will take place in:

London – Tuesday 26 April – Tattershall Castle
Brighton – Wednesday 27 April – The Komedia
Birmingham – Monday 2 May – Cheeky Monkey
Cardiff – Wednesday 4 May – Glee Club
Glasgow – Monday 9 May – Glasgow Highlights
Newcastle – Tuesday 10 May – The Hyena Comedy Club
Manchester – Monday 16 May – Manchester Comedy Store
Belfast – Tuesday 17 May – The Belfast Empire

The semi-finals will take place on 3 and 10 June. The final will be on Saturday 18 June. Locations and venues will be announced nearer the time.

The BBC Radio 2 New Comedy Award 2011 is open to any act, aged 18 years or over, who has been performing on the comedy circuit as a stand-up for less than three years. They must submit five minutes of original and un-broadcast material – but must have seven minutes in total available for use in future rounds – and must not have performed this material on television. Full terms and conditions are on the website.