The Midlands Comedy Awards are an annual awards ceremony for live comedy performers and comedy clubs based in The Midlands region of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It also recognises achievement in online comedy. They were founded in 2014 and give out awards in eleven categories every year.

History

The Midlands Comedy Awards were created by Birmingham-based comedian

Jay Shareef Jay Shareef (born 1982) is a British stand-up comedian, broadcaster, podcaster and social commentator, also known by the stage name Jay Islaam. Shareef has written for ''The Guardian'', '' Huffington Post'', ''Birmingham Mail'', ''Chortle'', ' ...

in 2014, "to recognise the huge number of hard working and talented people in heregional comedy community".

Rules and eligibility

The finalists for the awards are chosen by comedy clubs and media professionals from the Midlands region, and only comedians and comedy clubs based in either the

East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Li ...

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

qualify. This means that comedians resident in The Midlands are eligible even if they are originally from elsewhere. The awards include the following counties in their definition of the Midlands region:

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

and

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

. Before

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...

, the awards accepted the definition of

and

as the areas represented in the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

by those constituencies.

Winners

2021

; Best Act *Winner – Scott Bennett *Runner up – Stevie Gray *Third place –

Josh Pugh Josh Pugh (born 20 August 1989) is an English stand-up comedian and actor. Early life Pugh was born in Nuneaton in 1989 and grew up in Atherstone, Warwickshire. Career Pugh began performing in 2014. He won new act competitions in both Birmi ...

Best MC *Winner – Jon Pearson *Runner up – Barry Dodds *Third place – Tommy Tomski Breakthrough Act *Winner – Tal Davies *Runner up – Eric Rushton *Third place – Kevin Daniel Best New Act *Winner –

Ricky Balshaw Ricky Balshaw, (born 10 November 1986) is a British para equestrian rider who represented Britain in the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, winning the silver medal with Deacons Georgi (now semi-retired). He also holds two world-championships and one Eu ...

*Runner up – Josh Reynolds *Third place – Leanne Easthope Alternative Act *Winner – Good Kids *Runner up – The Boys From The All Night Chemist *Third place – Richard Dadd Best Live Show *Winner – Scott Bennett - Relax *Runner up – Jon Pearson - What Have You Been Up To? *Third place – Richard Dadd - Tea With The Devil Online Comedy *Winner – Jack Kirwan *Runner up – Scott Bennett *Third place – Mary Flanigan Best Comedy Club *Winner – Hollywood Comedy Club *Runner up – The Glee Club *Third place – Funhouse Comedy Best Small Club *Winner – NCF *Runner up – The Holly Bush *Third place – RockCentral Best Open Mic Show *Winner – The Holly Bush *Runner up – Canal House ( NCF) *Third place – Kamikaze Club Outstanding Contribution *Geoff Rowe ( Leicester Comedy Festival)

2020

The awards did not take place due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

2019

; Best Act *Winner – Scott Bennett *Runner up – Josh Pugh Best MC *Winners (joint) – Chris Oxenbury and Tommy Tomski *Third Place (joint) – Barry Dodds and James Cook Rising Star *Winner – Douglas Carter *Runner up – Celya AB Best New Act *Winner – Lovell Smith *Runner up – Tal Davies Alternative Act *Winners (joint) – Good Kids and Donald Mackerel *Third Place – Roger Swift Best Live Show *Winner – Josh Pugh *Runners up (joint) – Parapod Live and Thomas Green Online Comedy *Winner – Jack Kirwan *Runner up – Katy Trev Best Comedy Club *Winner – The Glee Club *Runner up – NCF Best Small Club *Winner – Ofton Funny *Runners up (joint) – Cherrybomb Comedy, The Kamikaze Club and The Holly Bush Best Open Mic Show *Winner – Useful Idiot *Runner up – NCF £1 Night

2018

; Best Act *Winner – Scott Bennett *Runner up – Josh Pugh Best MC *Winner – Barry Dodds *Runner up – Jason Neale Best New Act *Winner – Douglas Carter *Runner up – Donald Mackerel Best Live Show *Winner – Scott Bennett: Leap Year *Runner up – Laura Monmoth: LGBTQZX Best Comedy Club *Winner – The Glee Club *Runner up – Funhouse Comedy Best Small Club *Winner – NCF *Runner up – The Holly Bush

2017

; Best Act *Winner –

Joe Lycett Joe Harry Lycett, also known by the self-given moniker Mummy, is an English comedian, painter and television presenter. Known for his sardonically camp style, whimsical public stunts and elaborate set designs, Lycett has been described as one ...

*Runner up –

Luisa Omielan Luisa Omielan (born 7 September 1982) is a British comedian based in Birmingham. Early life Born in Birmingham to parents of Polish descent, she is the middle of five children. Luisa lived in Farnborough, Hampshire where she went to St Patric ...

*Third place – Rob Kemp Best MC *Winner – Barry Dodds *Runner up – Gareth Berliner *Third place – Stevie Gray Breakthrough Act *Winner – Rob Kemp *Runner up – Pete Teckman *Third place – Jack Kirwan and Sarah Johnson (joint) Best New Act *Winner – Jem Braithwaite *Runner up – Gina Overton *Third place – Count Evil Best Alternative Act *Winner – Rob Kemp *Runner up – Jack Kirwan *Third place – Andrew McBurney Best Live Show *Winner – Rob Kemp *Runner up – Josh Pugh *Third place – Phil Pagett Online Comedy *Winner – Jack Kirwan *Runner up – Masai Graham *Third place – Craig Deeley Best Comedy Club *Winner – The Glee Club *Runner up – Funhouse Comedy *Third place – Laff Attack Best Small Club *Winner – Funhouse Comedy *Runner up – FAF Comedy *Third place – CAN Comedy and Blue Giraffe (joint) Best Open Mic Show *Winner – The Holly Bush (Cradley Heath) *Runner up – Comedy and Cocktails (Leicester) *Third place – NCF £1 Comedy Night (Nottingham) Outstanding Contribution *Winner – Spiky Mike (Funhouse Comedy)

2016

; Best Act *Winner – Duncan Oakley *Runner up – Masai Graham *Third place – Scott Bennett Best MC *Winner – Barry Dodds *Runner up – Gareth Berliner *Third place – Jon Pearson and Wayne Beese (joint) Best Live Show *Winner – Late Night with Boabby Roaster *Runner up – I Came, I Saw, I Complained *Third place – Hell To Play Breakthrough Act *Winner – Masai Graham *Runner up – Alex Hylton *Third place – Josh Pugh Best New Act *Winner – Moses Ali Khan *Runner up – Sarah Johnson *Third place – Harvey Hawkins Alternative Act *Winner – Paul Palmer *Runner up – Andrew McBurney *Third place – Daniel Nicholas Online Comedy *Winner –

The Parapod ''The ParaPod'' is a comedy podcast hosted by comedians Ian Boldsworth and Barry Dodds. Its subject matter is the paranormal, with skepticism represented by Boldsworth and belief represented by Dodds. The podcast ran for three series (ghosts, m ...

*Runner up – Jack Kirwan *Third place – Masai Graham Best Comedy Club *Winner – Funhouse Comedy *Runner up – The Glee Club *Third place – Fitz of Laughter Best Small Club *Winner – FAF Comedy *Runner up – Blue Giraffe Comedy *Third place – Fitz of Laughter Best Open Mic Show *Winner – NCF Canal House *Runner up – The Holly Bush *Third place – Roadhouse Comedy Outstanding Contribution *Winner – Bushfest

2015

; Best Act *Winner –

Tom Binns Christopher Thomas Binns (born 1970) is a British comedian, best known for his character Hospital Radio DJ Ivan Brackenbury. Career Binns was nominated at the Edinburgh Festival for the Edinburgh Comedy Award 2007 for his hospital radio DJ ch ...

*Runner up – Barbara Nice *Third place – Andy White Best MC *Winner – Barry Dodds *Runner up – Andy Robinson *Third place – Jason Neale Best Live Show *Winner – Scott Bennett *Runner up – Masai Graham *Third place – Jon Pearson Breakthrough Act *Winner – Lucy Thompson *Runner up – Masai Graham *Third place – Patrick Draper Best New Act *Winner – Josh Pugh *Runner up – Stu Woodings *Third place – Thomas Rackham Alternative Act *Winner – Roger Swift *Runner up – Johnny Sorrow *Third place – Daniel Nicholas Online Comedy *Winner – Masai Graham *Runner up – Club Smashing *Third place – Mike O'Callaghan Best Comedy Club *Winner – Voodoo Stands Up ( Stamford) *Runner up – CAN Comedy (

Black Country The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ro ...

) Best Small Club *Winner – Funhouse Comedy *Runner up – FAF Comedy Best Open Mic Show *Winner – The Holly Bush ( Cradley Heath) *Runner up – Roadhouse Comedy (

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

) *Third place – NCF Canal House (

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

) Outstanding Contribution *Winner – Suzanne Rowland

2014

; Best Act *Winner – Andy Robinson *Runner up – Masai Graham Best Compere *Winner – Andy Robinson *Runner up – Dave Dinsdale Breakthrough Act *Winner – Hannah Silvester *Runner up – Daniel Nicholas Best New Act *Winner – Tom Christian and Josh Pugh (joint winners) *Runner up – Lucy Thompson Best Comedy Club *Winner – The Glee Club *Runner up – CAN Comedy Best Open Mic Show *Winner – Fowl Humour *Runner up – The Holly Bush Outstanding Contribution *Winner – Roger Swift

References

External links

Midlands Comedy Awards official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Midlands Comedy Awards British comedy and humour awards