London – 20/09/10 – Annual Funny Women Awards

Leading female comedy brand Funny Women has selected OBJECT, an award-winning human rights organisation that addresses the challenging issues of the pornography and sex industries and their increasing normalisation, to benefit from the final of the Funny Women Awards which takes place on Monday 20th September at the Leicester Square Theatre.

The show will be hosted by 2007 Funny Women Awards Winner, Andi Osho, now a major breakthrough act with TV credits including Channel 4’s Tonightly, regular appearances on BBC2’s Mock the Week and the new Friday night show, Stand Up for The Week on Channel 4. Andi will guide 12 of the newest acts through their best five minutes in front of an impressive array of judges from all corners of the comedy industry.

Through a mixture of lively grass roots action and high-end lobbying, the success of OBJECT has been prodigious. Most recently it has seen an end to the licensing of lap dancing clubs as cafes and new laws to protect women who are pimped, trafficked or otherwise coerced into prostitution.

“We are thrilled to be working with OBJECT – the plucky organisation that addresses some of the most difficult issues of our time head on,” explains Lynne Parker, founder and producer of Funny Women. “We work with and represent women from all walks of life through our comedy competition, workshops and other events, it makes sense for us to take the lead with OBJECT to get women’s voices heard and minimize all types of objectification.”

Eight years on and the 2010 Funny Women Awards have broken all previous records with over 350 entries from across the UK and beyond. A programme of 21 live heats around Great Britain, which included appearances at leading cultural festivals like Hay, Latitude, Edinburgh and the London and Camden Fringe Festivals, has ensured that new female acts are at the leading edge of comedy.
“It’s very exciting for us to be working with Funny Women,” comments Dr Sasha Rakoff, director of OBJECT. “Like OBJECT, Funny Women is challenging social norms and empowering women – and using the incredibly powerful tool of humour to do so.”

The Funny Women Awards are open to any woman who can perform comedy in front of a live audience. The producers and judges are looking for stand up, impressions, sketches, characters, musical comedy, ventriloquism … anything – as long as it’s funny. Up to 24 acts are selected from across the UK to take part in the semi finals on Monday 6th September, with 12 acts going on to perform at the national final on Monday 20th September.
First prize for the winner will be a week’s luxury holiday for two at the five-star contemporary boutique Londa Hotel in Limassol, Cyprus. The winner and other finalists also have the opportunity perform at the Londa as part of the increasingly successful Funny Women tour which takes place at the hotel and attracts big audiences on the island.
The success of last year’s winner, 20 year old London Hughes, who performs as the irrepressible Miss London, has been fantastic for the visibility of the competition. London has already signed a management deal and filmed several projects for the BBC following Funny Women’s 2009 collaboration with BBC Comedy Extra, and continues to both appear at Funny Women events and showcases – even meeting Prince Charles at Armed Forces Day.
“Last year’s winner, Miss London, is a unique talent and epitomises exactly what Funny Women is all about,” explains Lynne. “The Awards are a kick start for a lot of new acts who might not have given comedy a try without the platform of an all female comedy environment.”

Previous winners include Zoe Lyons who won in 2004, Sarah Adams, who performed as Jade The Folk Singer in 2003, Debra- Jane Appelby who won in 2005, Suzy Bennett who took the title in 2006, Andi Osho in 2007 and Canadian Katherine Ryan in 2009. Other successful Funny Women Awards finalists include Katie Wix, Anna Crilly, Bridget Christie, Emma Fryer, Sara Pascoe, Diane Morgan, Holly Walsh and Sarah Millican who have all gone on to have successful comedy careers appearing regularly on the circuit, radio and television.

“Despite the greater proliferation of women now being seen on the small screen performing comedy, the circuit is still very chauvinistic,” says Lynne. “Our competition does fast track brilliant new female acts who might otherwise have gone under the radar. We make sure that they get seen and signed.”

Tickets for the final are £18 and £15 to members of OBJECT. To become a member of OBJECT visit www.object.org.uk/membership. To book tickets visit www.leicestersquaretheatre.com.

‘If this is the future of womanly comedy, then it’s in safe, exciting hands.’ – Tim Arthur, Time Out

‘A superb champion of talent.’  - Shane Allen, head of comedy, Channel 4

For more information about Funny Women please visit: www.funnywomen.com or email [email protected]

For more information about OBJECT please visit: www.object.org.uk or email [email protected]

FOR PRESS AND PUBLICITY please contact: Funny Women 020 8948 4444
Funny Women was started in 2002 by Lynne Parker as a platform to find and celebrate female comedy talent.

OBJECT – challenging ‘sex object’ culture

OBJECT is the leading organisation challenging the sexual objectification of women – the normalising of the porn and sex industries in the media and popular culture.

In 2009, OBJECT received: the Emma Humphries Memorial Prize, for work on violence against women; a Government-backed Capacity Builders Award and were ‘highly commended’ in the leading Third Sector Charity Awards.

To find out more visit www.object.org.uk

Become a member of OBJECT now at www.object.org.uk/membership