Roy Walker's son wins NW contest

Phil Walker has won this year's City Life Comedian Of The Year competition in Manchester.

The comic - son of former Catchphrase host Roy Walker - took the prize at the Comedy Store last night to mark the end of the city's comedy festival.

This is the 12th year of the competition, and previous winners have included Caroline Aherne, Peter Kay and Dave Gorman. Johnny Vegas could only manage the runners-up spot.

Second place went to Greg Cook, with Des Sharples taking third.

The other finalists were Martin Cassidy, Jo Dakin, Bill Woolland, Jonathan Mayor and Dominic Woodward.

Host Justin Moorhouse said: "They've all been winners tonight."

Walker is not the only celebrity offspring to win a comedy competition this year, with Tom Conti's ventriloquist daughter Nina taking the BBC New Comedy title in Edinburgh in August.

Roy Walker's other son Mark is also a comic, a regular Jongleurs performer who had his own one-man Edinburgh Festival show last year.

Published: 4 Nov 2002