Victoria Olsina wins LGBTQ+ Comedian Of The Year 2022
- The Comedy Bloomers LGBTQ+ Comedian Of The Year 2022 is Victoria Olsina
- She says: "I can proudly say I'm the funniest gay in the UK"
- Dick Denham and Lachlan Werner were announced as the runners-up
Victoria Olsina was selected as the winner of the Comedy Bloomers LGBTQ+ Comedian Of The Year 2022 competition.
Olsina triumphed at a live final which took place last night (14th June) at the Clapham Grand venue in London.
The winner of the competition - chosen by judges Zoe Lyons, Vinegar Strokes, Sikisa and Stephen Bailey - receives a trophy and the offer of a solo show streamed via the NextUp Comedy platform.
Olsina's biography explains: "Victoria is the lesbian daughter of an Argentinian loanshark who came to the UK to steal jobs and steal women." She co-runs Clandestina, a queer women, trans and nonbinary-led comedy show at Mama's Shelter in East London. Running since 2021, the night aims to "elevate the voices of marginalised groups within comedy and properly support queer creatives."
Speaking today about her victory, she says: "It's an honour to have won LGBTQ+ Comedian Of The Year last night, an award that is important for comedy but also important for the visibility of the queer community. I can proudly say I'm the funniest gay in the UK. I'm so happy to have performed along with such talented comedians, in such an iconic venue: Clapham Grand, and for the opportunity to get feedback from comedy legends such as Zoe Lyons, Stephen Bailey, Sikisa and Vinegar Strokes. It has been an unforgettable night and a dream come true! Thank you to Chris Smith and his team at Comedy Bloomers for making it happen. As an immigrant, I came to this country to steal your jobs, your women, and your comedy and so far I'm doing this."
The runners-up, chosen by an audience vote, were named as Dick Denham and Lachlan Werner.
The organisers say: "The competition was fierce; Dick Denham, Ben Pollard, Lachlan Werner, Umby Winters, Alison Zrada, Dee Allum, Dane Buckley, Victoria Olsina, and Alex Stringer all brought their A game and put on an incredible show. The packed out Clapham Grand Theatre was filled with rip roaring laughter from start to finish. With presenter, award winning podcaster and stand-up comedian James Barr seamlessly holding the show together, alongside celebrity judges Zoe Lyons, Vinegar Strokes, Sikisa and Stephen Bailey offering their critique and wealth of knowledge with the contestants.
"There were celebrities and LGBTQ+ influencers in the audience too, including Jaymi Hensley, Mark Ferris and Max Hovey. Alongside industry leaders and agents who were all welcomed with a goodie bag packed with LGBTQ+ owned brands such as Hoosh, Gender Free World. Plus community allies Beauty Bay supplied them all with their Brights 2.0 pallet, which during the month of June they are donating all proceeds to Rainbow Migration. It was safe to say all contestants, celebrities and guests, all had a fantastic night."
The organiser of the event, Chris Smith, commented: "We are thrilled at the success of this year's LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year. The Awards was significantly scaled up from its debut in 2019, taking place across the country ensuring much needed representation from across the UK. The final show was carried brilliantly by James Barr MC with a celebrity judging panel bringing some much-appreciated stardust to the proceedings. All the acts had the opportunity to experience amazing feedback from the professional comics on the final's panel - Stephen Bailey, Vinegar Strokes, Sikisa and Zoe Lyons - with previous semi-finals shows supported by judges Ella Vaday, Rachel Parris, Scott Capurro, Jordan Gray and Jodie Mitchell.
"Suffice to say, we achieved our goal - to bring LGBTQ closer to the mainstream with an awards show that showcased the best of our communities in a loving and supportive environment. With a forthcoming documentary film about the awards produced in conjunction with NextUp Comedy, we'll have an even bigger opportunity to showcase the finalists and other acts in the competition to a much wider audience."