BCG Pro Talent Awards for Performance 2024 finalists

The shortlist for the BCG Pro Talent Awards for Performance 2024 has been announced.

Selected by British Comedy Guide's judges, the five acts will now each perform a set during a live final at London's Museum Of Comedy on Thursday 12th December hosted by an established stand-up star.

The finalists are as follows, alongside their biographies:

Alex Bertulis-Fernandes

Alex is a stand-up comedian and comedy writer. Alex was a Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year finalist (2024), Channel 4 Sean Lock Comedy Award finalist (2023) and Beat The Frog World Series finalist (2023). She was shortlisted for the BBC New Comedy Awards (2023, 2024) and co-starred in White Chicks 2 at Soho Theatre (2022). Her jokes have been featured in The Guardian and The Telegraph.

Samantha Day

Samantha is the sassy, stand-up mum of six Millennials/Gen Zers. Her comedy career kicked off about six years ago, after three decades as an accountant and single mum. Now she's free, she's really hit her stride, as a truly original act who's progressing fast on the circuit. Last year, Samantha's sold-out Edinburgh Fringe show, The Booby Trap (which, as the title suggests, is all about boobs) was nominated for the prestigious Amused Moose Award. And the year before that, she won New Comedian of the Year at the Southport Comedy Festival. According to her kids: "If her current material is some kind of attempt not to embarrass herself and us, then she's totally whiffed it. It's a dumpster fire."

Chris East

"One of the UK's most underrated character comedians - a strange and wonderful mind" (Starburst Magazine), Chris East is an absurdist clown, sketch and character comedian from London. His debut show, My Brain is Soup, Your Hands are the Spoons, was hailed as "A masterclass in deadpan maintenance at the edge of absurdity" (The Reviews Hub) and "unnerving and amusing, with just a soupçon of ennui." (The Wee Review). As well as an ongoing web series East Meets, Chris has recently written and directed the online short The Breakup and is right now working on his second solo show.

Eva & Hudson

Eva and Hudson are friends and live together like the friends in Friends (Eva=Joey, Hudson=Chandler). A reviewer once described Eva and Hudson as 'quirky' three times in the same sentence.

Katy Swainston

Katy is a stand-up, writer and filmmaker from the North East of England. Her writing has taken her to the shortlists and semi-finals of the BBC Comedy Collective, Sky's Breakthrough Writer programme, ITV's 50:50 and the Sitcom Mission. A member of The Talent Factory, she can be found doing stand-up about museums, tech and Tyneside's killer seagulls at Science Show Off.

The Performance contest - open exclusively to subscribers of BCG Pro, British Comedy Guide's platform for comedy creatives - is for those who perform on the stage. The initial entry round involved members uploading a video of themselves performing.

The award is split in two self-identified categories: one ('Starter') for those beginning their comedy careers and one ('Pro') for those who are more established. The above nominees are all Pro members and will now battle it for the crown in a live final with a public audience.

Alex Bertulis-Fernandes jokes: "Honestly, I don't think there's anything I could say about being a finalist that would make me more likeable".

Samantha Day reveals: "When I told my kids that I'd got into the final they said they were 'shook', that their minds were 'literally blown' and that they were 'done with me flipping their pancakes'. I'm pleased that I've made them so proud."

Chris East notes: "I love performing, but I love getting awards for performing even more than I love performing. By which I mean, I am very grateful".

Eva & Hudson say: "Let's get ready to rumble".

Katy Swainston comments: "I'm over the moon, and more than a bit nervous, to have made it to the finals of the BCG Pro Performance Awards. I'm looking forward to having a great night with the other acts and hopefully making some people laugh".

Starter winner: Gaj San

Meanwhile the winner of the Starter category - Gaj San - was picked outright by the judges and will perform at the live final as part of his prize.

Gaj is a West London born comedian who blends his comedic style as a mix of misdirection, lovable self-deprecation and abstract angles of the things tingling in our subconscious minds. He also draws upon his experiences from his life in the UK and living in Japan.

Upon being told he had won, he said: "I am truly dumbfounded and grateful to achieve such a prestigious award from BCG. I was content just to get a login and a password, so to win the Starter award is an absolute dream, thank you!"

Tickets for the Thursday 12th December show are available via the Museum Of Comedy website

The BCG Pro Talent Awards will open again next year, with the submission window running from August to October 2025. Open to any live stage performers - stand-up, sketch or improv - entrants will again be asked to submit recordings of their act, filmed in any setting. More about the awards

This article is provided for free as part of BCG Pro.

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