Alana Jackson, from Glasgow has been crowned winner of So You Think You’re Funny?, the comedy competition which has an unprecedented reputation for spotting future stars.
Ciara O’Connor and Ayo Adenakan came second and third place respectively, coming out top from an initial 597 applications in the contest, which is open to comics who have been performing for less than a year.
Maisie Adam and Sue Perkins revealed the winner at the final event held at Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose after watching six minute sets from all ten finalists.
Katy and Karen Koren, heads of the Gilded Balloon said: “Huge congratulations to Alana Jackson – this year’s very deserving winner of So You Think You’re Funny?
“2024’s competition was one of our biggest and most competitive ever, with an outstanding 597 applicants this year so it’s an incredible feat for these 10 finalists to have made it this far and performed in front of tonight’s sold out crowd.
“So You Think You’re Funny? is the UK’s longest running competition of its kind and year on year it’s wonderful to see alumni return to Gilded Balloon for their debut shows including Joshua Bethania, Kathleen Hughes, Nate Kitch and more this year.
“We’d like to say a huge thank you to every comic who entered the competition this year – it was such a talented crop of comedians and we’re sure this year’s finalists will go on to do big things!”
Celebrity guest judge Sue Perkins said, “This was a very tough decision. I was a small part of the judging process and there were so many talented people for us to choose from. Well done to everyone who put themselves out there tonight. It’s terrifying and they were brilliant!”
The other finalists were: Alex Gogarty, Bert Broadbent, Fab Goualin, Kate Sharp, Laurie Brewster, Paras Patel and Sophia Wren.
Since it began in 1988, So You Think You’re Funny? has kick-started the careers of dozens of the country’s top comics including Dylan Moran, Peter Kay, Maisie Adam, Rhod Gilbert, Tommy Tiernan and many more. It is the longest running and most established comedy competition of its kind, and is solely funded by Gilded Balloon without external sponsors.
