For the very first time in 27 years, Alexandra Hudson from New South Wales and Bron Lewis from Queensland will share the spoils, named joint winners of the 2022 RAW Comedy Grand Final.
The RAW Comedy Grand Final was held at Melbourne Town Hall on Sunday, with 12 finalists from around Australia vying for the title of Australia’s funniest emerging new comedian. This competition opens up the well-worn path to comedy stardom, previously featuring the likes of Hannah Gadsby, Ronny Chieng, Celia Pacquola, Matt Okine, Anne Edmonds, Becky Lucas and Aaron Chen among others.
This year it was Hudson and Lewis who prevailed, with Delhi Buoy (SA) and Heather Joan (VIC) declared runners-up. In addition to the title, the winners will now head to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where they’ll have a chance to compete in the famed local competition So You Think You’re Funny?, which also has a rather glamorous who’s who of stand-up in its previous winners list.
Keep up with Melbourne’s latest comedy news, reviews and interviews here.
Melbourne International Comedy Festival has presented RAW Comedy, the nation’s biggest open mic spotlight, for a whopping 27 years. This year, 1,078 aspiring comedians registered to complete in RAW Comedy, hitting the stage with their best five minute set across a total of 62 heats and finals.
The judges were Melbourne International Comedy Festival director Susan Provan AO, the editor of Chortle UK Steve Bennett, veteran stand-up comedian Mark Watson, Freemantle development executive Karla Burt, and Comedy Republic director Kyran Wheatly.
The full list of contestants to keep an eye on for performances in the near future were Alexandra Hudson (NSW), Aves Robins (WA), Blake Pavey (VIC), Bron Lewis (QLD), Cathal Leslie (ACT), Delhi Buoy (SA), Dom McGovern (WA), Guneet Kaur (NSW), Heather Joan (VIC), Iona Colville (TAS), Joshua Coutinho (QLD) and Nathan Powell (NT).
The 2022 RAW Comedy National Grand Final will be broadcast on SBS Viceland later this year.
For more information about the Melbourne International Comedy Festival visit their website here.
