The Musical Comedy Awards 2012 are now in full swing, with weekly knockout heats ruthlessly cutting down the entries to create a bill of five top acts to perform in the final on April 7th. The heats have now finished and we're into quarter final territory...

If the first Quarter Final is anything to go by, it's going to be the strongest final yet for the MCAs. Last Saturday, the slick, polished and funny double-act Slap & Giggle, likeable Cecilia Delatori, and gag-sharp Jenny Beake found themselves sadly leaving the competition in what was a close vote. It was experienced guitarist Matt Tiller, energetic piano-playing James Rowland, and Tom Adams that edged through to the next round, with the latter delivering a particularly confident and brave surreal set involving, amongst other things, some unstable duck props.

Organiser Ed Chappel tells British Comedy Guide: "This fourth MCA has got off to an absolutely flying start, both in terms of the quality of acts taking part and the numbers attending the shows, about double of what we had for the first round last year! The MCA is definitely growing in stature and what is most pleasing is that this year we have had so many acts that we had never encountered before and who are now wowing us with their talent."

There's three further quarter finals to follow on Saturday afternoons at The Wilmington Arms in London, featuring headliners Frank Sanazi, Horse & Louis and Rob Deering (see the bottom of this article for full details), before the competition moves onto the semi-finals. The first, on March 17th, will feature a set from last year's winners Jollyboat, a double-act clearly heading towards big things; whilst the second semi on March 24th has Amateur Transplants, the stars from YouTube, headlining.

The big final, sponsored by We Got Tickets, will take place at London's Bloomsbury Theatre on April 7th, with critically acclaimed Frisky & Mannish (pictured) as the big star headliners joining the cream of this year's acts. The show is already selling well, so don't leave it too late to get your tickets

Ed Chappel says: "We're absolutely thrilled to have Frisky & Mannish headlining - they were finalists in the inaugural final back in 2009, so to welcome them back as superstar headliners 3 years later is very exciting for us! We've also had the privilege of welcoming back Jay Foreman as a headliner, who was our Best Newcomer in 2009 and is now touring with Dave Gorman across the country."

He adds: "The MCA has been a fantastic promotional platform for up-and-coming musical comedians, and that is our main intention: to support, promote and celebrate the UK's best musical comics. Having run a German version of the competition last year in Berlin (titled Gods of Musikcomedy), we will shortly be launching an Irish version of the competition (IMCAs) too!"

For those interested, the final of the Irish Musical Comedy Awards will be on April 25th at the Laughter Lounge in Dublin. Find out more

To keep up-to-date with The Musical Comedy Awards 2012 lock your eyes onto www.musicalcomedyawards.com and follow @MusicalComedyUK on Twitter.

Details on the Remaining 2012 Quarter Finals...

February 18th: Headliner Frank Sanazi is joined by Steve Seller, Sandys Ferrett, Andy & the Prostitutes, Darren Walsh, Clare Lomas and Swamp Donkey Soundsystem. Tickets

February 25th: Horse & Louis headline, with Hannah Brackenbury, Rachel Parris, Anne & Alan, Dog Eared Collective, Rob Carter and Gabriella Burnel the acts competing. Tickets

March 3rd: Fair and Square, Davide Bonney, Bob & Jim, Ant Dewson, Abi Makes Music and The Silky Pair aim to impress, with Rob Deering headlining. Tickets