Online comedy contest attracts just two entrants

An online comedy competition has attracted just two entrants – despite the backing of a national newspaper.

Scotland’s Sunday Mail last month launched its Comedy Champ competition, adding to the ever-growing number of websites enabling users to upload their comedy clips and vote on their favourites.

But by the time the competition closed yesterday, the site had attracted just two videos: from new stand-ups Ben Verth and Andy Gallagher, who recorded his first time ever on stage. Each has received fewer than 300 views.

This is despite the fact that the site promised users: ‘You can star at this year’s Fringe and win £5,000.’

The Comedy Champ site was heavily promoted in the paper – which sells around 490,000 copies every week - with articles by stand-up Miles Jupp and Still Game star Greg Hemphill encouraging readers to take part.

However, alack of information on the website might have deterred potential entrants. It gives no details of how the competition works, no closing date or no idea of how people could win the £5,000.

In fact, the competition is a tie-in with the long-running So You Think You're Funny? talent hunt – which was explained in the paper, but not to visitors to the website. Contrary to the impression given there, the £5,000 is the top prize in the whole of So You Think You're Funny?, not for the Comedy Champ contest alone.

As well as the website, the Sunday Mail encouraged people to enter the stand-up contest. Organisers have dedicated one semi-final to the Glasgow-based newspaper’s readers, to ensure at least one of them makes the final at the Edinburgh Fringe.

A spokesman for the Gilded Balloon which runs the competition, said they had received more than 20 entries through the entry form printed in the paper – but admitted the lack of response on the website was surprising.

Comedy Champ did not respond to requests for comment. As well as the two genuine entrants, the site contained ten clips of people stopped in the street and asked to tell their favourite jokes to camera.

Published: 2 Jul 2008