FHM magazine and ITV join forces in search for Britain’s best new stand-up comedian.
Brendon Burns announced as host.
FHM Magazine today launched their nationwide search to find Britain's best undiscovered stand-up comedian.
FHM Stand-Up Hero, is the widest, most accessible, most prestigious most entertaining competition in the UK, with the biggest comedy prize ever.
The competition, hosted by Australian comic Brendon Burns, will be made into a unique series of programmes co-created by Steve Coogan’s top TV comedy production company Baby Cow and Signal TV. It will be broadcast on ITV4 later this year.
The show follows a successful pilot broadcast by ITV4 in February hosted by Ed Byrne and starring Dara O'Briain, Jason Manford and John Bishop.
As well as performance highlights, the series will cover the best (and worst!) of the online entries and feature candid behind-the-scenes footage of the contestants.
Stand-Up Hero is open to everyone from comedy virgins to circuit veterans, anyone who hasn’t yet enjoyed significant TV exposure. To be in with a chance of securing that big TV break entrants will be asked to send a link to their 2-3 minute audition clip, along with 25 words on why they think they should win, to standup@fhm.com.
The tape can be professionally filmed or self-shot in front of the bathroom mirror – so long as it’s funny. Closing date for audition tapes is September 13.
An expert panel will select 25 regional finalists to appear in the six-part series to be broadcast on ITV4 in the autumn. The winners of five regional heats will go head-to-head in a grand final in front of a judging panel of experienced experts from the world of comedy, where the prizes include £10,000 cash – the largest prize in UK comedy.
Last year, FHM crowned novice London comic Marlon Davis FHM’s Stand-Up Hero 2009. He has since appeared on MTV’s Brown Eyed Boy and continues to work all over the UK compering and headlining.
Commenting on the competition, host Brendon Burns said: “One of my favourite things about my job is working with new comics, not as some sort of ‘expert’ but as someone that made a lot of mistakes early in my career. Stand-Up is hard, really really hard and takes years to perfect, but once in a blue moon you find a freak that just knows how to do it from the offset. We're looking for that freak. This a great gig for me and one that I'll cherish, I'm properly chuffed.”
Visit www.fhm.com/hero for more details.
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For further information please contact Jess Blake at Bauer Media on 0207 208 3424 or email jess.blake@bauermedia.co.uk
