Tickets have been released today for The British Comedy Awards: for the first time since their inception in 1990, the awards are opening their doors to the public.

The move is one of the changes being instigated as the event moves, after 21 years, from ITV to Channel 4. The show, which will continue to be hosted by Jonathan Ross as before, will now be broadcast live from the indigO₂ venue at Greenwich's O₂ arena.

However, tickets to the event are being called 'pricey' by fans, as the cheapest single ticket available to book costs £43.50.

The ceremony is on Saturday 22nd January 2011, with the TV broadcast expected to start at 9pm. It will follow a week of related programming on Channel 4, with the shortlist announced in a TV show the previous weekend, and The Comic Choice Awards (a BCA-related chat show series hosted by Bill Bailey) broadcasting throughout the week in the run-up to the event.

Tickets to the ceremony can be purchased from Ticketmaster.co.uk