Chortle Student Comedy Award 2013

Manchester semi-final

XS Malarkey, Jabez Clegg
University Of Manchester
2 Portsmouth Street
M13 9GB
Sunday May 12
Buy Tickets: £5 (£3 concs)

Name: Conor Neville
Age: 25
From: Longford
Studying:  Journalism at Dublin City University
Comedy experience: About 35 gigs. Semi finalist in So You Think You're Funny? 2012
What he says: 'Deadpan enough. I would be a fan of Daniel Kitson, Colm O'Regan, David Mitchell'
At the Dublin heat: Click here to watch

Name: Jacob Rawcliffe
Age: 20
From: Reading
Studying:  Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds
Comedy experience: Runner-up in Tickled Pig student comedian 2012 and finalist at Mr Ben's Comedy Club New Act of the Year 2012. Co-runs Pigeon Hole Comedy Night at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds
What he says: 'Fairly straight-up stand-up, confessional/personal style. Influenced by Stewart Lee, Dylan Moran, John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman.'
At the Newcastle heat: Click here to watch

Name:  Seb Bloomfield
Age: 27
From: York
Studying: Film and Television Production at York St John University
Comedy experience: He has performed more than 200 gigs and was a Chortle Student Comedy Award finalist in 2013.
What he says: 'My style of comedy is dry, caustic and cynical, and my main influences include Dylan Moran, Jack Dee and Sean Lock.'
At the Leeds heat: Click here to watch

Name: Red Redmond
Age: 23
From: Derby
Studying: Scriptwriting for TV & Radio at the University of Salford
Comedy experience: More than 300 gigs, semi-finalist of the Chortle Student Comedy Award in 2011
What he says: 'My act is heavily influenced by clown teacher Philippe Gaulier. I use a lot of physical comedy fuelled by occasional rants and sharp bursts of energy.'
At the Manchester heat: Click here to watch

Name: Eleanor Morton
Age: 21
From: Edinburgh
Studying:  English and Scottish Lit at Glasgow University
Comedy experience: A regular at the Stand Comedy Club, who has also headlines headlined smaller gigs such as Bright Club and supported Josie Long. She is a member of Jo Caulfield's Comedy Collective, and was a Funny's Funny finalist in 2011. She has also just been nominated for Best New Comedian at the Scottish Variety Awards.
What she says: ' I'm a middle-class white girl who plays the ukulele, can you believe it? I do some songs and say some words. I like Bill Bailey, Maria Bamford, Josie Long, and lots of others.'
At the Glasgow heat: Click here to watch

Name: Adam Todd
Age: 21
From: Edinburgh
Studying:  Primary Education at the University of Edinburgh
Comedy experience: Had done about 30 gigs before entering the competition
What he says: 'I suppose it's kind of a character act, playing upon and emphasising my own inadequacies. A kind of nervous stuttering delivery. It's a very naive character. Material ranges from explorations of my own imaginary life and its misunderstandings to slightly surreal songs about hedgehogs. Influences include Emo Philips, Woody Allen, Robert Popper and Eddie Izzard among others.'
At the Edinburgh heat: Click here to watch

Name: Alexander Bennett
Age: 20
From: Shrewsbury
Studying:  Film & Television Production at the University of Westminster
Comedy experience: A previous semi-finalist in So You Think You're Funny, the Laughing Horse New Act of the Year and the Chortle Student Comedy Award.
What he says: 'I try to inhabit a character on stage, he's kind of what would happen if a mad person got on at an open mike night, but was actually funny, with a skewed outsider's viewpoint. Some influences for the way I approach my act are Johnny Vegas, Jerry Sadowitz and Steve Martin.'
At the London MET heat: Click here to watch

Name: Colm Tyrrell
Age: 23
From: Dublin
Studying:  Business and Management at the National University of Ireland Maynooth
Comedy experience: Had done about 100 gigs before entering the competition, previous contestant in 2012
What he says: 'My storytelling is influenced by Tommy Tiernan'
At the Dublin heat: Click here to watch

Name: James McIntosh
Age: 21
From: Edinburgh
Studying:  Product Design Engineering at Edinburgh Napier
Comedy experience: Over 300 gigs including two previous years in the Chortle Student Competition
What he says:
He cites a review form the Skinny that calls him 'bloody funny'. At the Edinburgh heat: Click here to watch

Name: Matilda Wnek
Age: 21
From: London
Studying:  English at Cambridge University
Comedy experience: Had only done about ten gigs before entering the competition and won a place in the heat via the London audition
What she says: 'My stand-up style is observational and imaginative, and the subject is often satirical. My trademark is finishing a set with a satirical poem, particularly in an 'epistle' format, addressed to someone or something attached to the subject or issue. My content is influenced by a left-wing, feminist politics, although this affects style and perspective rather than content choices. As well as stand-up I perform sketch comedy with the Cambridge Footlights on a regular basis. My influences include Bill Hicks, Stewart Lee, Daniel Kitson, Sarah Silverman, George Carlin, Tig Notaro, and Tim Key.'
At the London UCL heat: Click here to watch

Name: Ramsey Ross
Age: 24
From: London
Studying:  M.Lit Management at the University of St. Andrews
Comedy experience: Had never done a gig before entering the competition
What he says: 'A few years ago I started writing down all things my friends and I had laughed at so that I'd never forget all the fun we had. So my influences are my two best friends from school and university, Mark O'Shea and Mike Jette - both of whom I consider much funnier than myself. I love watching and listening to George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Brian Reegan and Daniel Tosh, but I wouldn't pretend to be like them. My jokes are mainly based on wordplay, observational inversion. '
At the Edinburgh heat: Click here to watch

Name: Rio Bauer
Age: 20
From: Dungannon, Co Tyrone
Studying:  TV & Radio Production at the University of Salford
Comedy experience: Had only done about five gigs before entering the competition and won a place in the heat via the Leeds audition
What she says: 'Surrealist style. Influenced by Dan Mintz and Tim Heidecker. Had a several month long show on student radio called The Goat Hauer with Rio Bauer featuring live updates on what Ed Miliband is doing and an spirit animal agony aunt, in which a spirit animal was summoned into a human body to answer questions of the listeners.'
At the Manchester heat: Click here to watch

London semi-final

The Boat Show, Tattershall Castle,Victoria Embankment SW1A 2HR
Monday May 13
Buy Tickets: £6 (£5 concs)

Name: David Seymour
Age: 20
From: Hastings
Studying:  Politics at the University of East Anglia
Comedy experience: Has taken part in ,ore than 100 gigs including the Chortle Student Comedy Award in 2012
What he says: 'Influenced heavily by Steve Martin, TJ Miller, Bo Burnham, Sean Lock, Louis CK, Anthony Jeselnik and Jon Dore.'
At the Cambridge heat: Click here to watch

Name: Matt Lister
Age: 21
From: Saxlingham, Norfolk
Studying:  Philosophy at Bristol University
Comedy experience: Two years experience in sketch comedy, much more experience in theatre.
What he says: 'My stand-up tends to involve a lot of word play and surreal sketchs. Influenced by Stewart Lee, Tony Law, Doctor Brown, Edward Aczel.'
At the Oxford heat: Click here to watch

Name:  Sarah Keyworth
Age: 20
From: Nottingham
Studying: Drama Studies at De Montfort University
Comedy experience:15 gigs
What she says: 'I use an anecdotal style, reflecting on aspects of my personal life. I talk a lot about my family, relationships and experiences of my home town.'
At the Warwick heat: Click here to watch

Name: Richard Perry
Age: 32
From: Brighton
Studying: Podiatry at the University of Brighton
Comedy experience: More than 100 gigs
What he says: 'Dead pan-ish and a bit broken. I don't really know how to describe it, not sure if that's a good or a bad thing! Slightly offbeat but then everyone probably says that. On-beat? Inspired by John Cleese, Mitch Hedburg, Richard Pryor, Steven Wright, The Simpsons, Airplane, Daniel Kitson and Simon Munnery.'
At the London UCL heat: Click here to watch

Name: David Elms
Age: 24
From: London
Studying: Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh
Comedy experience: More than 100 gigs. Edinburgh Uni Stand Up of the Year 2011, Chortle Student Finalist 2012.
What he says: 'Nice boy. Musical comedy and sometimes not musical comedy'
At the Edinburgh heat: Click here to watch

Name: Danny Hyde
Age: 25
From: Glastonbury
Studying:  Comedy Writing & Performance at Southampton Solent
Comedy experience: Had done about 25 gigs before entering the competition
What he says: 'Surreal storytelling with a twist of madness.'
At the Southampton heat: Click here to watch

Name: Nathan Wilcock
Age: 21
From: Faversham
Studying:  History and Politics at the University of East Anglia
Comedy experience: He has run several nights in Norwich, including one which was held in the living room of his second year house! And last year he took a show up to the Edinburgh Fringe with four friends. He has previously reached the semi finals of this competition and the So You Think You're Funny competition.
What he says: 'My style of comedy consists of stupid ideas I come up with late at night, it's loosely based around my life, so you could say it has a narrative thread to it. My favourite comedians include people such as Josie Long, Nick Helm, Tony Law and Simon Munnery.'
At the Canterbury heat: Click here to watch

Name: Evelyn Mok
Age: 25
From: Gothenburg, Sweden
Studying:  English at Roehampton University
Comedy experience: Around 400 gigs
What she says: 'My style of comedy has been described by colleagues as subversing pre-disposed norms. I try to have a social perspective in my stand-up, with longer routines where I can comment on social issues. I also have the quick and simple gags about everyday observations. In my opinion Andy Kaufman's and Tony Law's and Demetri Martin's approach to stand-up comedy is what makes stand-up art.'
At the London Met heat: Click here to watch

Name: Lewis Bowman
Age: 22
From: Blackwood
Studying:  Chemistry at Cardiff University
Comedy experience Around 70 gigs with previous experience in the Chortle Student Comedy Award
What he says: 'Mainly anecdotal comedy. Range of influences from Louis CK to Lee Evans.'
At the Glamorgan heat: Click here to watch

Name: Kevin O'Connell
Age: 21
From: Athlone
Studying:  Business Information Systems at the National University of Ireland
Comedy experience: Had only done eight gigs before entering the competition and won a place in the heat via the Dublin audition
What he says: 'I would describe my comedy as a mixture of absurd stories and any ideas that I find funny. Some of my influences would be Simon Amstell, Stewart Lee, Noel Fielding and Andrew Maxwell.'
At the London UCL heat: Click here to watch

Name: Alan Irwin
Age: 23
From: Lisburn
Studying:  Politics and Theology at Queen's University, Belfast
Comedy experience: Around 80 gigs
What he says: 'My sets tend to be based around my own insecurities and flaws, and build towards some sort of anger. My favourite comedians are Louis C.K. and Eddie Pepitone, and I definitely feel very influenced by them.'
At the Dublin heat: Click here to watch

Name: Tim Renkow
Age: 23
From: London
Studying:  Creative Writing at London South Bank University
Comedy experience: More than 600 gigs
What he says: 'A dark story teller'
At the London Met heat: Click here to watch

Published: 29 Apr 2013