A year in the life of a BBC New Comedy Award winner

Last year's winner, Angela Barnes, talks about how entering the BBC New Comedy Award 2011 transformed her life and career.

We are back! The BBC New Comedy Award 2012

YES! We are BACK - bigger, better and totally over-excited. The BBC New Comedy Award 2012 launched today on Steve Wright's show on Radio 2 - we are now up and running and open for submissions.

Radio 2 New Comedy Award: Winner Q&A

Last Saturday night Angela Barnes won this year's Radio 2 New Comedy Award 2011, fending off strong competition from fellow finalists Joe Lycett, Tez Ilyas, Chris Turner, Mark Restuccia and Pat Cahill.

On Saturday, the network took a tip from The X Factor with the live final of its New Comedy Award, presented by Patrick Kielty. Six hundred acts were boiled down to six, voted on by the audience. This being Radio 2, the audience sounded about as edgy as a Parent Teacher Association drinking Merlot, but that came as a relief to one comedian who said, "There's nothing worse than looking at the crowd and thinking I've got things in my medicine cabinet older than you." There was lots of encouraging applause and no one heckled. My favourite was the acerbic Joe Lycett, with his mordantly Frankie Howerd-esque story of a driving lesson in Manchester, but Pat Cahills ingenious rap about having your dog put down was also very good. The winner was Angela Barnes from Maidstone whose weapon was the one-liner ("It's no mistake that the anagram of Maidstone is I am Stoned - that's all there is to do!") and who should fit seamlessly into the throng of talented female comedians on radio and TV.

Angela Barnes wins BBC New Comedy Award

Angela Barnes, the winner of BBC Radio 2's New Comedy Award, has said she feels "vindicated" by her success, claiming some critics complained she had only made the final because the Corporation needed a female in the line-up.

Patrick Kielty interview

The New Comedy Awards threw up the strange situation of a semi-finalist from Glasgow having to travel to Bath for his competition, while a crowd of Englishmen were flown north for theirs.
Patrick joked: "That's how the BBC spend your licence fee."

And the last two semi-finalists are...

Angela Barnes (runner-up, Brighton heat) and Tez Ilyas (runner-up, Newcastle heat) are through to the semi-finals. Well done!

A big week for the New Comedy Award

After 8 cities, 10 heats, and 100 acts, the national heats are over. We're finally back in the office and getting ready for the semis...