...after a year of record-breaking ticket sales

The nominees for Leicester Comedy Festival 2024 Awards have been announced, now the two-and-a-half week event event has wrapped.

Organisers say they sold more tickets than ever this year – 22,388 directly from the festival’s box office, equating to a 10 per cent increase in sales from 2023.

This was for 1,026 performances of 754 different shows, an increase of about 12 per cent on last year – which means slightly lower ticket sales per show –  including ten events streamed on NextUp.

During the festival, Kev Mud won the UK Pun Championships, Kevin Daniel won The Silver Stand Up competition and Eva Bindeman was crowned Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year.

Michael Harris-Wakelam, chief executive of the Big Difference Company which runs the event and the simultaneous UK Kids’ Comedy Festival, said: ‘It’s been another excellent year for our festivals and the strength and variety of shows on offer is clear to see from this list of nominees.’

And programme director Charlotte Laidet said the list of  nominees ‘demonstrates the range and diversity of acts that perform at our festivals’.

Winners will be announced later this month,

The full list of nominations is:

Best Show

Daniel Foxx: Villain

Darran Griffiths: Inconceivable

Joe Kent-Walters: An Audience With Frankie Monroe

Michael Brunström: Copernicus Now

Milo Edwards: Sentimental 

Thanyia Moore: August 

Best New Show

George Lewis: Men Behaving Dadly

Jake Lambert: The Sunshine Kid (Work in Progress)

James Trickey: Don’t Count On Me (WIP)

Luke Rollason: Luke Rollason, Let Down Your Hair

Rich Wilson: The Train, The Story and The Bump

Susie McCabe: Work in Progress

Best Debut Show

Hannah Platt: Defence Mechanism

Jack Skipper: Work in Progress

Jodie Mitchell: Becoming John Travulva

Kathy Maniura: Objectified

Kayleigh Jones: I Fed My Day To A Pelican 

Kev Mud: Homeless Sex Biscuit 

Best Variety Show

Alex Camp: Songs About Love & Food

Bad Clowns: Hostage

David Eagle: Flying Solo

Lil Wenker: Bangtail 

Josh Glanc: Collections

The Burlesque Imposter

The Last Gun: Will BF

The Totally Improvised Musical

Audience Choice

14/48 Takeover – performance

Dan Driver: The Sound of Muzak

Everyday I’m Jesterin’

Jon Hipkiss – An Evening You Won’t Regret Unless You Don’t Like It

Laura Patch: Glorious

Nick Helm: Masterworks in Progress 2024

Best Kids Show

Jeddy Bear & Gary’s Chemistry of Chaos

Mr Sleepybum by Jody Kamali

Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show (Yet)

Strictly Barking

The Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show

Best Small Venue

Firebug

King Richard III Pub

Peter Pizzeria

The Big Difference

The Black Horse

Best Large Venue

Curve Theatre

De Montfort Hall

Market Hall

Mountsorrel Memorial Centre

The Y Theatre

Wycliffe Rooms

Best New Venue

East Street Lanes

James Café Bistro

Phoenix Terrace Room

Real Ale Classroom

Best Poster

Carol’s Cost of Living Craft Show

Fine, Fine, Everything is Fine: Richard Todd

Free Range: Geoff Alderman

Lil Wenker is Bangtail

A Comedian Dressed like a Wizard* Answers a Ringing Phone, Describes What is Happening for Fifty-Two Minutes, And Then Leaves: Rob Kemp

Liberty Award

Festival Hub

Popcorn Funnies in Association with BFI Network 

Lukewarm Losers

Weirdos Comedy Weekender

Best Promoter

Foxy Comedy 

Jokes On Us

Just The Tonic

Late Stage

Monster Comedy

TripleCeePee

Tracey Miller Community Award

All In Leicester

Better Points

Kate Frow of Foxton Primary School

Leicester Libraries

Menphys

Student of the Year

Amisha Brandreth

Caitlin Harries 

Ellie Skinner 

Fengjiao Li

Liv Mills 

Molly Wilby 

Peter Wan 

Rhian Hiorns 

Business Contribution

Hotel Brooklyn Leicester

Howes Percival LLP

Menphys

Phoenix Cinema and Art Centre

Soft Touch Arts & Jerroms Miller Specialist Tax

The Beautiful Pubs Collective

TT Country Events

Warning Zone Life Skills

Contribution to Leicester Comedy Festival 

14/48

Ben Robinson 

Reflections Design – for Laughter Pop

Peril Design / Paul Banks

Published: 4 Mar 2024