Komedia Chortles All The Way To Win The Double

Thursday, June 19th, 2008

Last night Komedia, Brighton scored a double win at the 2008 Chortle Awards, walking away with the award for Best Comedy Venue in the South for a record sixth time, whilst resident compere of the venue’s popular Krater Comedy Club Stephen Grant won the title of ‘Best Compere’. The star-studded awards ceremony on Monday 25 February was hosted by Grumpy Old Men star Arthur Smith and held in London’s Bar AKA.

Komedia, famed for it’s popular weekly stand-up comedy the Krater Comedy Club, has been described as ‘THE place in Brighton to catch stand-up comedy’ by The Independent, attracting top comedy acts such as Catherine Tate, Ross Noble, Reginald D Hunter, Mark Watson and Gina Yashere in the past.

Stephen Grant – co-founder, compere and programmer of the Krater Comedy Club for nine years – was gobsmacked to win his award; “I was absolutely over the moon just to be nominated, as this was the first time any performer outside of the capital had been recognised. I was flabbergasted - so much so that I barely made an acceptance speech - for the first time in my life, I couldn’t think what to say! Compering is quite a unique skill and is only really revered within the comedy industry itself, so this is the only award ceremony in the UK that recognises this ability. The fact that I was nominated by the top UK comedy judges and voted for by fellow performers and comedy fans everywhere makes it all the more pleasing. I’m ecstatic!”

He places the secret of the venue’s success at the quality of the acts, “Krater, for example, is such a quality night as we get the best acts on the circuit to perform. In the past we’ve had Jimmy Carr doing spots and Ricky Gervais filling in on a Sunday! It’s also down to the audience: the Brighton crowd are great and really respectful to the acts!”

Komedia thrives on diversity and specialises in nurturing talent and promoting new work, evident in the venue’s dedication to regular stand-up nights such as Bent Double - the South’s best-loved gay-friendly comedy show, and Comic Boom – a show allowing new acts to perform alongside established comedians on the circuit.

The Chortle awards were set up in 2002 by the comedy website Chortle to honour the best of established stand-up comics currently working in the UK. As of 2002, the Chortle Awards are the only UK based awards that solely honour the live work of stand-up comedians at a professional level. The judging is done through a panel of judges and the votes of regular visitors at the Chortle website.

Tags: Chortle, Komedia, Krater Comedy Club

Leave a Reply