French comic wins first BBC comedy heat

New French comedian Ophélie Hocquard has won the first heat of the this year’s BBC Radio New Comedy Award.

Her success at London’s Up The Creek comedy club, broadcast on Radio 4 Extra last night, means she is guaranteed a place in the semi-final of the competition at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Hocquard has only been performing stand-up for a few months – and in her second language. The Parisian jokes that her name is misheard as ‘awfully awkward’ in English.

Runners-up were Jacob Hawley and Katherine Mather, who stand a chance of securing wildcard places in the semis.

Listen to the first heat here. The second, also from Up The Creek, will be broadcast next Friday night.

Published: 1 Jul 2017