Going out with a bang and the best new talent

THE ninth Southport Comedy Festival will come to a close on

Sunday after 18 days of non-stop laughs in venues all over Southport.

And what better way to finish than with the grand final of the Southport New Comedian of the Year, sponsored this year by

The Waterfront Southport, which will host the final.

Almost 100 comedians applied to take part in the nationwide search for new comedy talent which was open to those with no more than two years’ experience.

Thirty went through to battle it out in two heats in September, with 10 chosen to go through to the final.

Picking the finalists was not an easy task. Festival organiser Brendan Riley said: “The standard was higher than usual, normally we put eight comedians through but we had to extend it to 10 this year and that was hard enough to do.

“The winner will be selected by a panel of judges and awarded the coveted title of Southport New Comedian of the Year. In addition they will also receive a special prize from the competition sponsor, The Waterfront Southport.

“Waterfront Southport is a fantastic venue and it was great to be able to run the heats and final in the same place.”

“This competition has proved to be a great springboard for new comedians in the past so we are thrilled that Waterfront Southport has enabled us to ensure this popular event continues.”

Tickets are £5 and can be purchased at Waterfront Southport or from southportcomedy festival.com