Nominations for the inaugural accolade announced

Channel 4 has launched a new comedy award in memory of  Sean Lock.

The accolade will showcase ‘talented new writers and performers who embody the alternative comedic spirit of Sean and Channel 4’.

And the winner will receive £5,000 to support their live work as well as script commission and other support from Channel 4 to help them break into TV.

As part of the award, Channel 4 has worked with live comedy venues and promoters across the UK to nominate and shortlist a group of standout finalists.

They are

• Alex Bertulis-Fernandes
• Mamoun Elagab
• Kyrah Gray
• Kuan-wen Huang
• Christopher Macarthur-Boyd
• Tadiwa Mahlunge
• Mike Rice
• Eric Rushton
• Lorna Rose Treen
• Anna Thomas
• Lily Webb

The winner chosen from this will also get expereince on Channel 4’s comedy entertainment shows and a £1,000 commission to write a script for Channel 4’s digital strand as well as support and mentoring sessions from Channel 4’s commissioning teams.

All the finalists will be given the opportunity to meet with a Channel 4 comedy commissioner for a mentoring session.

Charlie Perkins, head of comedy at Channel 4 said: ‘Channel 4 are honoured to have collaborated with Sean’s friends and family on our first comedy scheme that melds the genres of scripted, entertainment and digital together. 

‘Combining a love for Sean’s polymathy and supporting and nurturing new generations of homegrown comedy talent, we’re proud as hell to be part of this award. Thank you so much to our passionate nomination panel for giving up their time to help stretch our tendrils out across the UK. It’s an incredible shortlist and we can’t wait to see what they all get up to next. To Sean!’

Sean’s friend Bill Bailey, worked with Channel 4 to create the award. He said: ‘It’s a way to honour Sean’s memory and to inspire others to pursue their own unique comic brilliance.’

Sean’s former agent, Damon Pettitt from Off The Kerb, added: ‘I hope the recipient proves to be a worthy winner and shows the same integrity, work ethic and eye for the absurd, in both writing and performance so evident in Sean’s fine body of work."

The nomination panel was: Binty Blair from Hotwater Comedy Club, Liverpool; David Bleese, Monkey Barrel Comedy, Edinburgh; Dian Cathal, writer, performer and LGBTQ+ and Disability advocate; Jade Henry from Empire Laughs Back, Belfast; Adam Jaremko from Glee clubs, Midlands and North; Pax Lowey from Actually Rather Good Comedy Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society board member; Eva Mackay and Mike Jones, The Stand venues across the country; Ryan Taylor, The Pleasance London and Edinburgh; and Henry Widdicombe from Machynlleth Comedy Festival, Wales.

Sean died in August 2021 at the age of 58. A Channel 4 spokesman said: ‘Sean Lock was a talent that dominated stand-up, entertainment, and scripted comedy. From the acclaimed sitcom 15 Storeys High to 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and countless sold-out stand-up tours, Sean always offered a different and unique look at life. 

‘He was admired by his peers and was a true individual in the comedy world. He embodied the Channel 4 spirit of an alternative voice, with something meaningful and accessible to say, but never in a straightforward way.’

Published: 17 Jul 2023