| BBC New Comedy Award | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best in new stand-up comedy talent |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| First awarded | 1995 2011 (revival) |
| Last awarded | 2024 |
| Currently held by | Paul Hilleard (2024) |
| Website | BBC New Comedy Award at BBC Online |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network |
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The BBC New Comedy Award first took place in 1995, and it is considered to be one of the top UK comedy newcomer awards.
It was axed in 2006, being replaced by a nationwide talent hunt that places its emphasis on sketch writing and filmed performance. However, in March 2011 the BBC Radio New Comedy Award was relaunched in conjunction with BBC Radio 2,[1] and ran as a joint project between Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4 Extra. The arrangement was for Radio 4 Extra to broadcast the heats and semi-finals of the contest, whilst Radio 2 (later Radio 4) broadcasts the live final. The 2021 series moved online to BBC Three, with a repeat broadcast on BBC One. By the 2022 contest, BBC Three had returned to terrestrial TV, so the heats were aired on that channel and the final aired on BBC One.