Wolverhampton, Sandwell & Dudley comedy acts nominated for major Birmingham Comedy Festival award
A sketch duo from Dudley, a character-based comic from Bilston and an enthusiastic storyteller from Smethwick are all in the running for a prestigious comedy award.
Birmingham Comedy Festival announced that Amy Spinks and Lauren Soley, Abbie Hale and Ryan S Lewis are among the five acts who'll be in the running for the annual Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award 2025.
They are all going up for the award alongside Abbie Edwards from Solihull and Harry Jenkins from Selly Park in Birmingham.
A collaboration between the festival and The Glee Club Birmingham, the Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award 2025 officially opens the long-running arts festival on Friday, October 3 and is compered by Birmingham comic James Cook.
The much-valued award was set up in 2014 to recognise, elevate and support rising comedy talent specially from the West Midlands region, with this year's line-up featuring Bab, Abbie Edwards, Abbie Hale, Harry Jenkins and Ryan S Lewis.
Originally from Dudley, Amy Spinks and Lauren Soley met while studying performing arts at Thomas Telford Sixth Form, in Telford.
Known collectively as Bab, they've since relocated to North London where they both work in scripted television, which Amy saying it consisted of "mainly, refilling the biscuits, pens and fighting with the printer on behalf of others".
On their sketch-based comedy, Lauren said: "We are regional, chaotic, relatable, we hold a smashed mirror up to society.
"This is a tonic for us, we've been mates since we were at school and just love having a laugh together and with audiences."
Hailing from Bilston, Abbie Hale studied drama at De Montfort University, Leicester, where she performed a stand-up set as part of her dissertation.
She enjoyed it so much, she signed on for a comedy course, led by comedian James Cook, making her public debut at Loki Wine Bar, in Birmingham, in late 2019, for Useful Idiot.
Abbie, who name-checks "Vic and Bob, Julia Davis, Caroline Aherne, Victoria Wood and the League Of Gentlemen" as comedy favourites, said: "My comedy style is character-based and I love creating characters that are some of the worst people to spend time around."
Ryan S Lewis was born in "sunny Smethwick" and still lives in Sandwell.
A civil servant by day, the former drama student made his comedy debut at Cradley Heath's famed Holly Bush in May 2022.
With a fondness for "over-enthusiastic storytelling", his comedy has been influenced by a decade-spanning range of names.
He said: "I’ve got a very eclectic taste when it comes to comedy.
"I love everything from Morecambe and Wise and Les Dawson to Eddie Murphy and Dave Chappelle, but I would say my idols are Peter Kay, Eddie Murphy and Bernie Mac."
The Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award has handed out its famed ‘Mug Of Victory’ trophy to such now-established acts as Josh Pugh in 2015 and Celya AB in 2019, while the previous nominee list has included Eric Rushton (winner of 2023’s Channel 4 Sean Lock Comedy Award), Lindsey Santoro (NextUp’s Biggest Award In Comedy 2023) and Jack Kirwan, aka Gary Powndland.
Iraqi/Brummie Hasan Al-Habib picked up the award in 2023, with Tom Towelling (Musical Comedy Award 2024 winner) taking the trophy home in 2024.
A spokesman for Birmingham Comedy Festival said: "Selecting just five acts from such a rich pool of West Midlands comedy talent is never easy.
"The standard remains incredibly high. Yet these five performers all stand out.
"It’s going to be an electric night."
