±«Óãtv

The ±«Óãtv’s big comedy talent search, the New Comedy Awards, is scouring the country to uncover the hottest new stand-ups. We head to Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, where five hopefuls will battle it out to book their place in Glasgow for the grand final showdown, where one comic will be crowned the ±«Óãtv New Comedian of 2023.

Named after the river that runs through Ballymena, The Braid weaves together history, arts and culture alongside contemporary facilities on a site that has been for centuries the centre of local civic life. This historic building is transformed into our very own comedy cabaret club.
Award-winning stand-up Shane Todd is our host for the evening. Joining him is Derry Girls actor and former New Comedy Awards alumnus Diona Doherty and cutting-edge Irish comic Martin Angolo.

Plus, here to keep the house in order is head judge Josh Pugh. The judges will have a tough job picking a winner from the five comics Richie Bree, Mustafa Saed, Ruth Hunter, Hester Ectomy and Shane
Clifford, who will take to the stage with sets that are jam-packed with fresh material and jokes aplenty.

This is just one of six heats taking place across the UK – Bethnal Green, Leith, Nottingham, Bangor and Sunderland all play host to these comedy showdowns.

First established in 1995, these prestigious awards have helped build and nurture the careers of some of Britain’s most loved comedians, including Peter Kay, Joe Lycett, Lee Mack, Julian Barratt, Josie Long, Shappi Khorsandi, Romesh Ranganathan, Alan Carr, Russell Howard, Lee Ridley,
Tom Allen, Lauren Pattison and Sarah Millican, to name a few.