Daniel Petrie wins Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2023
- Daniel Petrie has won the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2023 competition
- He jokes: "I failed my driving test on Tuesday so it's nice to get the week back on track"
- Vittorio Angelone was second and Shalaka Kurup came third
Daniel Petrie was picked as the winner of the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2023 competition.
The Scotland-based stand-up impressed the judges with his confident set, and he wins a prize package which includes £1000.
The live final, hosted by Sikisa, took place last night (25th February) at The Y Theatre in Leicester as part of the city's annual comedy festival.
On winning the prestigious title, Daniel said: "I still can't quite believe it! All of the other comedians were great tonight and I definitely didn't expect to win! Leicester Comedy Festival is one of the biggest fixtures in the comedy calendar so I'm absolutely thrilled to have been crowned Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year. Thanks to everyone who came along to The Y Theatre this evening and of course, to the judges! I failed my driving test on Tuesday so it's nice to get the week back on track."
Second place was awarded to Vittorio Angelone and Shalaka Kurup came third.
The other finalists were Freya McGhee, Josephine Lacey, Mary Flanigan, Rahul Somia and Sergi Polo. Each act had seven minutes on stage.
Unlike other new act competitions, acts must be nominated for the final by promoters. The contest has a track record of picking out future stars, with Romesh Ranganathan, Josh Widdicombe, Rhod Gilbert, Jason Manford and Johnny Vegas amongst the previous winners.
Geoff Rowe, founder of the Leicester Comedy Festival, says: "The annual Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year competition is always a highlight of the annual Leicester Comedy Festival, especially so in this, the festival's 30th anniversary year. We're so proud of all the past winners and contestants, and it's brilliant that the reputation of the competition has grown and grown over the years into now being one of the most prestigious comedy competitions in the UK. Huge congratulations to Daniel Petrie on winning this year, and I'm sure they will go on to a brilliant future career in live comedy."
The judging panel for this year were: Charlotte Lang (Glastonbury Festival), Alex Hardy (Independent Comedy Producer, Director), Mark Olver (Belly Laughs Comedy), Mark Boosey (British Comedy Guide) and Sharlin Jahan (Brown Sauce Comedy Club).
Below is a video of highlights from the final: