City Life Comedian of the Year

The City Life Comedian of the Year competition is held annually in Manchester, and sponsored by the City Life magazine.^[1]

The competition began in 1990, and has become one of the most prestigious comedy awards in the North West of England, mostly based on the subsequent success of many of its entrants and winners.

The competition is open to all, and early heats often have a broad mix of talent and ability. From each heat, the entrants are whittled down to eight finalists.

In the first year, the competition was won by Caroline Aherne, who went on to create Mrs Merton and The Royle Family and in subsequent years all three writers of the successful sitcom Phoenix Nights - Peter Kay, Dave Spikey and Neil Fitzmaurice - won the competition. Notable runners-up include Dave Gorman, Archie Kelly and Johnny Vegas.

Winners

1990 - Sister Mary Immaculate (Caroline Aherne)

1991 - Dave Spikey

1992 - Shared by Stan Vernon and Paul Glasswell

1993 - Tony Mills (now Tony Burgess)

1994 - Dave Rothnie

1995 - Chris Addison

1996 - Peter Kay

1997 - Shared by Neil Anthony (now Neil Fitzmaurice) and Dom Carroll

1998 - Steve Harris

1999 - Jason Manford

2000 - Justin Moorhouse

2001 - John Bishop

2002 - Phil Walker

2003 - Seymour Mace

2004 - John Warburton

2005 - Andy Watson

2006 - Vince Atta

2007 - Tim Craven

2008 - Eddie Hoo

2009 - no competition

References

External links

• City Life website
• Pride Of Manchester's guide to live comedy in Manchester
• Manchester Alternative Comedy