Joshua Bethania wins So You Think You’re Funny?

Last night (25 Aug) the final of Gilded Balloon’s annual So You Think You’re Funny? took place, with London-based stand-up Joshua Bethania taking home the prize. “The answer is yes, I do think I’m funny!” Bethania cheekily said when he picked up his award, before adding more modestly, “It’s an incredible lineup, I don’t know why I’m here.”

With this award, Bethania is following an impressive lineage of stand-ups. After all, past So You Think You’re Funny? winners include Maisie Adam, Aisling Bea, Peter Kay, Rob Rouse, Lee Mack, Dylan Moran, Phil Kay, Rhona Cameron and Tommy Tiernan.

Last night’s runner-up was Scottish comedian Mark Black, while third place was shared by Jack Skipper and Pravanya Pillay. The other five finalists performing at last night’s ceremony were Ben Pollard, Daniel Petrie, Justina Seselskaite, Prakash Jirjadhun and Rohan Sharma.

“We’re thrilled for Joshua Bethania and we really put our blood, sweat and tears into this competition so announcing the winner is a really special moment for us,” said Katy Koren, Artistic Director at Gilded Balloon. “Seeing all the new comedians coming through is the best part of my job!”

"I started this competition 35 years ago to search for the newest talent – one of the main reasons it's so successful,” added Karen Koren, Gilded Balloon’s other Artistic Director. “This is a very nurturing environment for the winners, whom we encourage and support. The calibre of past winners is impressive. We love discovering and investing in stand-up comics of the future."

Bethania’s award includes a cash prize, several paid performance slots at comedy festivals around the country, including a fully paid-for solo show (or mixed bill) run as part of Gilded Balloon’s 2023 Fringe programme, and several marketing and mentoring opportunities. If you're keen to check out some of Bethania's comedy, you'll find plenty of clips on his Instagram and TikTok pages:

instagram.com/joshuabethania_comedy
tiktok.com/@joshuabethania_comedy