Newbury Comedy Festival

Last updated

The Newbury Comedy Festival was a festival of comedy which took place every July in the West Berkshire town of Newbury, in England. The last festival took place in 2012 although the You Must Be Joking new act competition continues on its own steam.

Contents

History

It was launched in 2004. Committed to showcasing the best comedy talent working in the UK (and not exclusively stand-up), the comedy festival became an annual event, held in the second week of July), and the only fully curated festival of its kind in the UK. In 2006, over 70 acts performed in 12 venues in Newbury.

The Independent described the Festival as "the premier summer comic gathering outside Edinburgh", with The Daily Telegraph urging readers "not to bypass it".

Notable acts

Acts who have appeared include Linda Smith, Emo Philips, Jimmy Carr, Alan Carr, Natalie Haynes, Al Murray, Rich Hall, Russell Brand, Barry Cryer, Laura Solon, Chris Addison, Howard Read, Janet Street Porter, Wil Hodgson, Jo Brand, Jenny Eclair, Gina Yashere, Sue Perkins, Susie Essman, Ardal O'Hanlon, Ed Byrne, Phill Jupitus and Josie Long.

You Must Be Joking

Sponsored by mobile phone giant, Vodafone, the Festival also promotes a new act competition, You Must Be Joking. The winners to date are:

In 2006, Wisecrackers, a stand-up competition/professional mentoring programme for young people was also launched. In 2006 the winner was Christian Robertson. In 2007, the winners for the 16-18 category were Jacob Guberg and Alexander Quayle.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Rock</span> American comedian, actor, and filmmaker (born 1965)

Christopher Julius Rock is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Rock first gained prominence for his stand-up routines in the 1980s, where he tackled subjects including race relations, human sexuality, and observational comedy. His success branched off into productions in film, television, and on-stage, having received multiple accolades including three Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award nomination. He was ranked No. 5 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. He also ranked No. 5 on Rolling Stone's list of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Murray</span> English comedian (born 1968)

Alastair James Hay Murray is an English comedian, actor, musician and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jo Brand</span> English comedian, writer, presenter and actor

Josephine Grace Brand is an English comedian, writer, presenter and actress. Starting her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand-up scene and early performances on Saturday Live, she went on to appear on The Brain Drain, Channel 4's Jo Brand Through the Cakehole, Getting On and various television appearances including as a regular guest on QI, Have I Got News for You and Would I Lie to You?. She also makes regular appearances on BBC Radio 4 in programmes such as The News Quiz and Just a Minute. Since 2014 she has been the presenter of The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice. In 2003, Brand was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Comedy Awards</span> British awards ceremony

The National Comedy Awards is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Glee Club</span> Chain of independent live stand-up comedy and live music venues in the UK

The Glee Club is a chain of independent live stand-up comedy and live music venues in the UK. The first Glee Club was opened by Mark Tughan in Birmingham's Chinese Quarter in 1994, the first dedicated comedy club to open in the United Kingdom outside London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Carr</span> British-Irish comedian and television presenter

James Anthony Patrick Carr is a British-Irish comedian, presenter, writer, and actor. He is known for his deadpan delivery of controversial one-liners, for which he has been both praised and criticised. He began his comedy career in 1997, and he has regularly appeared on television as the host of Channel 4 panel shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Vine</span> English comedian

Timothy Mark Vine is an English comedian, actor, writer, and presenter best known for his one-liners and his role on the sitcom Not Going Out (2006–2014). He has released a number of stand-up comedy specials and has written several joke books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm Hardee</span> English comedian (1950–2005)

Malcolm Hardee was an English comedian and comedy club proprietor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Ince</span> English comedian and writer

Robin Ince is an English comedian, actor and writer, known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage with physicist Brian Cox, creating Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People, co-creating The Cosmic Shambles Network, and his stand-up comedy career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Carr</span> English comedian and television personality

Alan Graham Carr is an English comedian, broadcaster and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the City Life Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards. In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeoned on the Manchester comedy circuit before he became known for co-hosting The Friday Night Project (2006–2009) with Justin Lee Collins. This led to the release of a short-lived entertainment show Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong (2008), and he went on to star in the comedy chat show Alan Carr: Chatty Man (2009–2016) which aired on Channel 4. Since 2017, Carr often stands in as a team captain on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. In 2019, he became a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race UK. In 2021, he began hosting BBC One’s Interior Design Masters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhod Gilbert</span> Welsh comedian

Rhodri Paul Gilbert is a Welsh comedian and television and radio presenter who was nominated in 2005 for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award. In 2008 he was nominated for the main comedy award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicester Comedy Festival</span>

The Leicester Comedy Festival is an annual comedy festival held in a number of venues across Leicester, England early in the year.

The Edinburgh Comedy Awards are presented to the comedy shows deemed to have been the best at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. Established in 1981, they are the most prestigious comedy prize in the United Kingdom. The awards have been directed and produced by Nica Burns since 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">So You Think You're Funny</span> Annual stand-up comedy competition

So You Think You're Funny? (SYTYF) is an annual stand-up comedy competition for new acts. The competition began in 1988 in the United Kingdom.

The Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year is held during the Leicester Comedy Festival every February. All the finalists picked are nominated by the UK's top comedy clubs and must meet certain criteria. The competition is sponsored by the Leicester Mercury, a local newspaper, and Equity, the actors union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Wood (comedian)</span> American comedian, producer and actor

Andrew "Andy" Wood is an American comedian and a founder/producer of Portland's Bridgetown Comedy Festival. He is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan currently residing in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Barnes</span> English comedian

Angela Barnes is an English stand-up comedian, mostly known for her appearances on Mock the Week.

The NATYS: New Acts of The Year Showcase, previously known as The Hackney Empire New Act of the Year, is an annual industry showcase that promotes new waves of emerging Comedy and Variety acts. It ran at the Hackney Empire Theatre from 1988 until 2010. Since then it has toured round London theatres and performance spaces, playing the Barbican Theatre, Stratford Circus, Bloomsbury Theatre, Leicester Square Theatre and The Bernie Grant Arts Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funny Women</span> Female comedy network

Funny Women is an online and in-person workshop community dedicated to the support of female comedians. It was founded by Lynne Parker in 2002 as a reaction to misogynistic comments from a comedy promoter. Funny Women helps women find their voice, promote them, and assists charities.

<i>Roast Battle</i> British TV series or programme

Roast Battle is a British roast comedy show that is broadcast on Comedy Central. The show is hosted by Jimmy Carr and features comedians facing each other in roast battles.

References

  1. Horsfield, Amy (13 July 2015). "You Must Be Joking at Newbury Corn Exchange". Newbury & Thatcham Chronicle. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  2. Bennett, Steve. "You Must Be Joking! Final". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  3. Reeves, Catriona (10 August 2013). "A funny thing happened - review of the You Must Be Joking 2013 final". smudgie-thesmudge.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  4. Haji, Tanya (15 July 2012). "Winner of You Must Be Joking is crowned". Newbury Weekly News. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  5. "Corn Exchange Newbury".