A tight 5: October 4

WOMEN have cleaned up in a talent hunt for exciting new comedy writers, scooping all four awards. Among the winners of the Betty Box and Peter Rogers prizes, worth £10,000 apiece, is stand-up Meryl O’Rourke, who now gets  six months’ support from production company Big Talk to develop her sitcom idea. The other winners are Laura Kirwan-Ashman, Sasha Collington and Christine Robertson. The awards are funded by legacies left by the producers of the Doctor and Carry On movie series, and all winners’ scripts will be performed as a ‘table-read’ to industry folk attending the London Comedy Film Festival in May.

REGINALD D HUNTER has announced a 35-date tour for 2017. Schedule and tickets are here.

THE Leicester Comedy Festival has received £37,000 of Lottery funding to put together a touring  exhibition of memories of comedy in the city since the birth of ‘alternative comedy’ in 1979. Project Manager, Anna Peavitt said: ‘History is as much about the voices and memories of people as it is about a building or a historical event. And our regional East Midlands accent is often overlooked in mainstream media – we hope we can do something positive about this.’ Share stories and material via this website. 

BILLY CONNOLLY’s latest tour, High Horse, is to be released on DVD.  The live show – his first in six years –  will be out as a digital download on November 7 and on Blu-ray and DVD a week later. Preorder.

ENTRIES are now open for  the 2017 WeGotTickets Musical Comedy Awards. Entries must be uploaded by December 11, and the winner – chosen after heats, quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final – will receive £750. There is also a £100 best newcomer prize. Details here. Last year’s title was won by Four Femmes on the Thames

Published: 4 Oct 2016