Sofie Hagen wins Laughing Horse New Act of the Year 2013
Sofie Hagen was named the winner of the 2013 WeGotTickets Laughing Horse New Act of the Year stand-up competition.
She was picked by judges as the best new comedian at a 13-act final that took place in London on Sunday night, with previous finalist Imran Yusuf acting as the MC for the event.
Over 1,000 performers tried out on stages across the country for the 50 heats in this year's contest. This was the 13th year of Laughing Horse's annual search for the best new UK comedy talent, which is specifically set up for stand-up comedians who are not yet working professionally. Finalists in previous years have included Russell Kane, Greg Davies, Nina Conti, Jack Whitehall and Rhod Gilbert.
Sofie Hagen, who moved to the UK from Denmark with the aim of launching a stand-up career, has been performing regularly since 2010. Her self-deprecating, tightly written 7 minute set about her body size, and her warm and confident stage persona impressed the judges and led to her triumph.
Talking to BCG, Hagen says: "I'm absolutely thrilled and excited about having won. It was such an honour being amongst the 12 other acts, who were all superb. It's been 24 hours and I haven't slept yet - I've been high on adrenaline and I've been getting so many kind messages from people congratulating me. It's overwhelming. All in all, a great night. Imran did such a good job MCing and made us all feel comfortable, and the audience was awesome."
The judges noted this year's competition was of a high standard, with Alisdair Beckett-King named runner-up and Jonny Pelham taking the third spot. The judges also gave a special mention to Jack Heal.
The other finalists taking part were Mark Barrowcliffe, Ben Clover, James Farmer, Andrew McBurney, Mo The Comedian, Sunil Patel, Zak Splijt, Richard Stainbank and Alistair Williams.
Organiser Alex Petty says: "It was another really strong final this year, with a variety of performers on stage that I thought really showcased the breadth of talent in new comedy performing in the UK."
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