So You Think You're Funny


So You Think You're Funny? is an annual stand-up comedy competition for new acts. The competition began in 1988 in the United Kingdom.
The finals are held every August at The Gilded Balloon during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Past winners include Aisling Bea, Dylan Moran, Lee Mack, Peter Kay and David O'Doherty.
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History

So You Think You're Funny? was the idea of Karen Koren, artistic director of The Gilded Balloon, in order to discover new comic talent. During the years it has developed into the most influential competition of its kind in the UK, helping the careers of many of the country's leading comedians including Dylan Moran, Lee Mack, Graham Norton, David O'Doherty and Tommy Tiernan. Other competitors have included Ardal O'Hanlon, Johnny Vegas, Ed Byrne, Jason Byrne, Alex Zane, Reginald D Hunter, Craig Hill, Alan Carr, Rhod Gilbert, Andrew Lawrence and Russell Howard.
Sponsorship from Channel 4 began in 1993 and ran until 2004, since when Channel 5 and The Paramount Comedy Channel have been sponsors. Now sponsored by Foster's, the first prize is £5,000 and a place in the Best of British Show at the Montreal "Just For Laughs" Festival.
Past judges have included Steve Coogan, Owen O'Neill, Avid Merrion, Bob Mortimer and former So You Think You're Funny? winners Dylan Moran and Rhona Cameron.
Compères for the evening have included Eddie Izzard, Bill Bailey, Graham Norton and Jo Brand.

Rules and eligibility

The rules and eligibility are as follows:
"1. The performer cannot have performed stand-up REGULARLY either paid or unpaid before 1st
June of the year prior to the competition. *
2. The performer should not have appeared in So You Think You're Funny? before.
3. The performer’s material must be completely original.
4. The performer must have at least 8 minutes of original material.
5. The organisers reserve the right to select all entrants and decisions taken by the organisers and judges are final.
6. All entrants must be aged 18 and over.
  • This means you can have performed, either paid or unpaid before June 2013, but not regularly. So a handful of gigs well spaced out, once or twice, every couple of months is fine, but performing two times a week is too many. The exception to this is those who have performed as part of a recognised comedy course in this period."

Process of elimination

The competition starts in the spring of each year with showcases in Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham, York, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Inverness, Dublin, Brighton and Nottingham as well as ten comedy clubs in London. In 2013, there were over 500 applicants for only 55 places in the Edinburgh heats.
Each showcase is not a direct competition, with judges instead selecting the best acts they have seen over the entire run to take part in one of seven heats at the Gilded Balloon at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August. Winners of each of these heats go forward to the final.

Winners and finalists

2024

Results:
  • Alana Jackson
  • Ciara O’Connor
  • Ayo Adenekan
  • *Alex Gogarty
  • *Bert Broadbent
  • *Fab Goualin
  • *Kate Sharp
  • *Sophia Wren
  • *Laurie Brewster
  • *Paras Patel
MC: Maisie Adam
Guest Judge: Sue Perkins

2023

There were more than beating out over 400 contestants from across the UK.
Results:
  • Samira Banks : Her humor often incorporates her Middle Eastern identity, including how her father arrived in United Kingdom as a refugee. Banks's comedy also involves ethnic groups and adult themes, such as Pornhub.
  • Christopher Donovan
  • Lizzie Norm
  • *Alex Lennox
  • *Archit Goenka
  • *Carwyn Blayney
  • *Chantel Nash
  • *Cormac Sinnott
  • *Lauren Carroll
  • *Sophie Gerrad

2022

Results:
  • Joshua Bethania
  • Mark Black
  • Jack Skipper
  • Pravanya Pillai
  • *Ben Pollard
  • *Daniel Petrie
  • *Justina Seselskaite
  • *Prakash Jirjadhun
  • *Rohan Sharma

2021

Results:
  • Omar Badawy
  • Rae Brogan
  • Andy Watts
  • *Phil Marzouk
  • *Farhan Solo
  • *Lottie Field
  • *Kathleen Hughes
  • *Nate Kitch
  • *Caroline Maddison
  • *Kathy Maniura

2019

Results:
MC Zoe Lyons Comedy Guest Judge: Jenny Eclair

2018

Results:
  • Danny Garnell
  • Liam Farrelly
  • Bec Melrose
  • Joe Hobbs
  • *Martin Durchov
  • *Natalie Loh
  • *Chelsea Birkby
  • *Patrick Healy
  • *Shane Clifford
MC Zoe Lyons
Comedy Guest Judge: Rhod Gilbert

2017

Results:
MC: Aisling Bea
Comedy Guest Judge: David O'Doherty

2016

Results:
  • Heidi Regan
  • Ruth Hunter
  • Danielle Walker
  • *Harriet Braine
  • *Kelly Convey
  • *Sophie Henderson
  • *Jamie M
  • *Stuart McPherson
  • *Arielle Souma
MC Zoe Lyons
Comedy Guest Judge: Alan Davies

2015

Results:
  • Luca Cupani
  • Yuriko Kotani
  • Ed Night
  • *Ben Pope
  • *Yumna Mohamed
  • *Neil O'Rourke
  • *Matilda Wnek
  • *Red Richardson
  • *Stephen Lawson
  • *AJ Roberts
MC: Zoe Lyons
Comedy Guest Judge: Mark Watson

2014

Results:
MC: Zoe Lyons
Comedy Guest Judge: Jason Manford
Sponsor: Foster's

2013

Results:
MC: Zoe Lyons
Comedy Guest Judge: Sarah Millican
Sponsor: Foster's

2012

Results:
MC: Jason Cook
Comedy Guest Judge: Ruby Wax
Sponsor: Foster's

2011

Results:
  • Tommy Rowson
  • Dayne Rathbone
  • Lucy Beaumont
  • Fern Brady
  • *Andy Clarke
  • *Darren Connell
  • *Stuart Hossack
  • *Alex Kealy
  • *Nicola Mantalios-Lovett
MC: Jarred Christmas
Comedy Guest Judge: Lee Mack
Sponsor: ''The Sims 3''

2010

Results:
MC: Rufus Hound
Comedy Guest Judge: Tim Minchin

2009

Results:
MC: Lee Mack
Comedy Guest Judge: Tim Vine

2008

Results:
Comedy Guest Judge: Johnny Vegas

2007

Results:

2006

Results:

2005

Results:
MC: Bill Bailey

2004

Results:

2003

Results:

2002

Results:

2001

Results:

2000

Results:

1999

Results:

1998

Results:

1997

Results:

1996

Results:

1995

Results:

1994

Results:

1993

Results:

1992

Results:

1991

Results:

1990

Results:
  • Trio Brothers Troup

1989

Results:

1988

Results: