This year’s LGBTQ+ New Comedian Of The Year performers will battle through the heats and semi-finals for a place in the Grand Final at London’s legendary Comedy Store—and the chance to win £1,000 and be crowned LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year 2026.
Previous finalists and winners have gone on to secure comedy agents, perform at major comedy clubs and festivals, appear on television and radio, and build their significant online audiences.
Help choose the next big voice in LGBTQ+ comedy.
QX lets you meet the comedians competing for your vote:
Heat 1 at The Divine, London, on Wednesday 9 September 2026
Doors 6.30 pm, Showtime 7.30 pm. £12-£14.
Your host for the evening is the brilliantly irreverent drag artist and comedian Sue Gives a F**k, with a headline performance from Ciara Barnes, 2025 competition finalist.
Abi Myles – Charming, confronting, honest and endearing!
Caz Thorne – Absurd, silly standup from a South London lesbian.
Charlie Bateman – Killer punchlines about sexuality, small-town life and other struggles.
Craig Donaghy – Birmingham-born, Brighton-based deadpan, but kind, queer comic.
Gemma Mushington – Writer and comedian from London with big emotions.
Ki Griffin – Your Friendly Neighbourhood Trans-Masc – Here, Queer And Unscripted!
Lee Comly – Yay! Yet another white gay millennial using comedy as therapy!
Madeleine Munford – Brutally honest New Yorker with an identity crisis and anxiety.
Michael McPheat – “High-energy buffoonery… exudes warmth.” Attitude Magazine.
Nick Morey – A perky pessimist…as sharp as he is daft.
Mitzi Fitz – The loud-mouthed, cigarette-stained, and larger-than-life Mitzi Fitz!
Sean Phelan – “So You Think You Are Funny” semi-finalist 2025; a rising star and one to watch.
Heat 2 at George IV, Chiswick, on Wednesday 16 September 2026
Doors 6.30 pm, Showtime 7.30 pm. £12-£14.
MC – Sam See – One of the top Southeast Asian comedians of stage and screen, originally starting in Singapore and currently based in London.
Headliner: Kate Sharp — LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year finalist 2024.
Aarian Mehrabani – I’m a Triple Threat: Brown, Blind and Bi.
Adam Fenton – Tourettic queer comedy in a gangly northern package.
David Hunter – Queer, Norn Irish Nonsense.
John James Davies – Stunning chaos!
Marco Devalier – High-energy, raunchy standup – impeccably dressed, unspeakably gay and incredibly Asian.
Michael Wilkmann – Finding the funny in life’s beautiful disasters.
Monica Chatterjee – 4’11”, stubborn, Indian bi, somehow louder than every man in every room.
Ro Dodgson – Gender nuisance comedian. Cracking the circuit and bothering the NHS.
Salma Habib Lyons – Queen persona reels audiences in, then blindsides with killer punchlines.
Sandra Spitz – the world’s messiest drag queen!
Stevie Yardie – Surreal, warm, storyteller, try to keep up!
Heat 3 – Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, on Saturday 19 September 2026
Doors 6.30 pm, Showtime 7.30 pm. £12-£14.
MC – Sam Lake.
Headliner – Eva Peroni.
Luke Stewart – “Every line head butts the audience with a cheeky staccato assuredness” – British Comedy Guide.
Caroline Gustafsson – Just a weird lil guy.
Dean T. Beirne -So likeable and funny, a future star. – Larry Dean, SNL UK.
Jack Simmonds – Working-class comedian from Manchester, mums love him, dads want him.
Louise Creechan – So smart, yet so stupid – Booksmart, but dyslexic.
Marina Smith – Offbeat standup comedian with an alternative sensibility.
Matthew Hayhow – “Fearless, sharp and utterly hilarious.” – One4Review.
Phoebe LaReine – Internationally ignored, locally tolerated, this queen is here to overshare.
Pheebs Stephenson – “Great energy… likeable and quirky” – The Stand Comedy Club.
Saoirse O’Hooligan – “exploring the most curious comedy corners” – British Comedy Guide.
Scout Robertson – A wee cow trapped in a big guy’s body.
Heat 4 – Black Cap, London, on Tuesday 22 September 2026
Doors 6.30 pm, Showtime 7.30 pm. £12-£14.
Guided by the lovely MC Russell Arathoon – known for his sharp observational humour, cheeky crowd work and brilliantly camp storytelling and with your headliner Fab Goualin (King Gong Winner, BBC New Comedian Award Nominee 2025, Finalist LGBTQ New Comedian 2024), this will be a perfect night of queer comedy!
Alex Farrell – A pretty, slow comic from Liverpool, trying to find a job.
Alexis Sakellaris – Chaotic queer musical comedian!
Celine Kuklowsky – “A favorite among comedy enthusiasts and critics alike” LA Times.
Ciara Knight – Irish, queer, undiagnosed, loves wordplay and very specific impressions.
Dan James – Fun, flirty, and packed with punchlines.
David Ingram – “Expect energy, pace, and a dry wit that dances between the personal and the relatable” – Scene Magazine.
Johnny Brace – Autistic Musical Comedian.
Leo Mahr – Sexy, evil, queer and funny.
Louis Beer – Silly, surreal observational comedy.
Oro Rose – Cerebral, mischievous, with “…An ear for a proper gag” – Chortle.
Sam Hickman – “Clearly Destined For Big Things, Hickman is equipped with a voice filled with operatic Drama” Chortle.
Sweet FA – What would happen if Alan Bennett did Sister Act.
Heat 5 at Zodiac Bar, London, on Sunday 27th September 2026
Doors 5.30 pm, Showtime 6.30 pm. £12-£14.
Guided by the lovely MC Maddie HW, award-winning stand-up comedian, host and improviser from Sydney, Australia and with your headliner Caitlin Powell (Finalist 2024,BBC New Comedy Award Nominee), this will be a perfect night of queer comedy.
Alfie Nelson – Energetic gay storytime with some aggressive observations.
Andrew Conway – Cruising for Seniors.
Ben Tulloh – “They’ve got something about ’em.” – Danny Dyer.
Charlie Lewis – “Absolutely Brilliant” – BBC.
Donna Williams – “Powerhouse confidence and a compelling no-nonsense air.” – Chortle.
Ellie Ward – A portable party.
Jenny Jones – ‘a delightful off-kilter feel’ – Beyond the Joke.
Luke Abbott – So You Think You’re Funny semi-finalist 2026.
Oni Benjamin – Queer hilarity turning life’s mess into belly laughs.
Seb Frost – standup comedian from Brighton.
Victoria Blunt: A queer Buddhist cursed with spiritual depth and combination skin.
Will Burke – One-liner absurdist. Both non-binary and bisexual.
Heat 6 – Frog & Bucket Comedy Club, Manchester, on Wednesday 30th September
Doors 6.30 pm, Showtime 7.30 pm. £12-£14.
MC – Alex Stringer – hysterically sarcastic material and brilliant deadpan delivery have audiences howling with laughter.
Headliner – Sean Barnham – LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year 2025 finalist serving big laughs, bold vibes, and pure queer comedy magic.
Alex Duffy – Songs you didn’t know you needed to hear.
Becky Cheatle – “Trying to shake things up in Irish comedy, and succeeding”.
Caitlin Jones – finds hilarious magic hiding inside life’s wonderfully weird everyday moments.
Eden Voss – A gay and autistic comedian with a darkly optimistic view.
Jack Wilkens – ADHD, First Queer relationship…. I’ve been more confused than most.
Jamie-Diane Rajaram – “tourette-sprinkled trans woman with a bullet-spitting spitfire of a … set”.
Jen TR – Awkward moments. Expertly delivered.
Kit Allen – Joyful, offbeat, energetic and a knack for the unexpected.
Kimia Etemadi – Iranian-British, bisexual comedian who survived stage-4 cancer.
Matt Male – A cross between a toddler and a tacky mom.
Ushiku Crisafulli – Comedy and hip hop from a neurodivergent lens.
Willow Marler – JK Rowling’s Sleep Paralysis Demon.
Zuza Ritt – Making people laugh in my third language. Am I confusing?
