Pete Teckman wins Silver Stand Up 2017 competition
- 55 year-old Pete Teckman has won Silver Stand Up of the Year 2017
- The stand-up competition, which is part of the Leicester Comedy Festival, is for acts aged 55 or older
- Teckman said of his set: "It couldn't have gone better from my point of view"
55 year-old Pete Teckman has won Silver Stand Up of the Year 2017, the competition for comedians aged 55 or over.
The Northampton-based comedian, who has previously been a Laughing Horse New Act of the Year finalist, has progressed through gong shows and open mic nights through to more established comedy nights, and performed his first full show Never Too Late at the Leicester Comedy Festival 2016.
The live final, held as part of the Leicester Comedy Festival, involved 8 contestants performing 5 minute sets. The winner was picked by a judging panel consisting of BBC radio presenter Monica Winfield, Martyn Allison from festival organisers the Big Difference Company and Louise Grainger from Equity.
The other performers in the final were Fred Ferenczi, Bruce Sidlo, Mandy Mcarthy, Mavis Smith, Kevin Hudson and Christine Crawley.
Talking about the competition, Pete said: "There were acts who entered with different levels of experience all having a go", adding "It's just really nice that there's something there for older acts to have a go at. I think it's a great competition."
Teckman talks further about his win in this video:
The Silver Stand Up competition has run since 2012, and is supported by comedians including Jasper Carrott, Pam Ayres, Arthur Smith and Sir Bruce Forsyth.
The previous winners are Shelley Bridgman, Marc Lucero, Peter Callaghan, Ed de Cantor and Marguerite Grant.
This year's competition featured acts between the ages of 55 and 81. In total, 20 comedians were shortlisted. They were: Sandra Hale (Herts, 64); Nik Hill (Gloucester, 58); Rosetta Delisle (London, 65); Pete Teckman (Northampton, 55); Sally Firth (London, 61); Billy McGuire (Derby, 59); Geri-Raptric (Shoreham-by-Sea, 64); Mandy McCarthy (Harrogate, 55); Mavis Smith (Leicester, 81); Kevin Hudson (Leicester, 56); Sha Wylie (Hove, 71); Christine Crawley (Banbury, 66); Fred Ferenczi (Aylesbury, 61); Bruce Sidlo (Morecambe, 66); Pat O'Connor (Surrey, 60); Norman Conquest (York, 70); Gill Thomas (Leicester, 59); Murrae Blair-Park (Ashby, 55); Paul Haslam (Rochdale, 68).