Having reached the final of no less than five major new talent competitions in her first year, Andi Osho is definitely regarded as one to watch.

As well as an established performer on the stand up circuit, Andi Osho is proving to be a popular guest on radio and TV for her cheeky, quick wit and effervescence. Only this year her appearances included several guest spots on Radio 1, Big Brother’s Big Mouth and Little Brother (E4) and The Culture Show (BBC2).

Andi Osho has also written on several projects including her own e4 pilot, The Andi O Show. She’s also worked as an actor for many years and has several screen credits including Eastenders, Casualty and Paradox.

Quotes about Andi Osho:

“Blazing a trail” – Telegraph

“Translating Osho’s words to the page doesn’t do her proper justice…her work is visual, narrative and pivots on her perfect delivery.” – Guardian

“Hilarious” – The Sun

“Recommended” – Time Out

“The performance is a perfect balance between restraint and confidence, as you might expect from an actress of her experience, and she’s an expert at working the room” – Chortle

Andi Osho Awards:

Winner Nivea Funny Women

Runner up Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year

Runner up Hackney Empire New Act of the Year

Finalist Amused Moose Laugh Off

Finalist Laughing Horse

Television credits include:

Stand Up For The Week (series 1 and 2) Ch4

Let’s Dance for Comic Relief (BBC1)

Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow (BBC1)

Mock The Week (BBC1)

Nevermind The Buzzcocks (BBC2)

Comedy Rocks (ITV1)

Dave’s One Night Stand (Dave)

The Wright Stuff (Ch5)

Children In Need – Mastermind (BBC2)

Under Pressure (ITV2)

Edinburgh Comedy: Live (BBC3)

Tonightly (Ch4)

The Andi O Show (E4)

Alan Titchmarsh Show (ITV1)

Most Annoying People of 2007/ 08/ 09 (BBC3)

Russell Brand And Friends (Ch4)

The Blame Game (BBC.N.I)

Ain’t It Funny Being Coloured – Comedy Lab (Ch4)

BBLB (E4)

BBBM (E4)

The Comedy Store Live (Comedy Central)

The World Stands Up (Comedy Central)

Screen acting credits include:

Life of Riley (BBC1)

Psychoville: Hallowe’en Special (BBC1)

Paradox (BBC1)

Big Top (BBC1)

Footballers’ Wives (ITV)

Casualty (BBC1)

Eastenders (BBC1)

Doctors (BBC1)

Lewis (ITV1)

U Be Dead (ITV1)

Sea of Souls (BBC1)

Waking The Dead (BBC1)

Swinging with The Finkels (Feature)

Andi Osho Radio credits include:

Act Your Age (BBCR4)

Comedy Club (guest host) (BBCR7)

Black History Month: Comedy Night (BBCR2)

A Good Read (BBCR4)

An Audience With Ed Reardon (BBCR4)

Hot Gossip (BBCR2)

The Now Show (BBCR4)

Swots (BBCScot)

Trussed (BBCR4)

NewsJack (series 1 and 2) (BBCR7)

Power Failure (BBC:WS)

The Bullman Story (BBC:WS)

The Proposition (BBC:WS)

Doc Brown on Television and Film

Since moving into the world of Comedy, Doc Brown has taken on various roles in front of and behind the camera in both Film and Television. As an actor he has played roles in the acclaimed BBC series “Rev” and “Miranda”, as well as Channel 4’s ”The Inbetweeners”. Smith also provided voices for the characters Budge and Koggs on the cult CBBC series “Big Babies” for which he also sang the theme tune.

In Film he has played a role in Ben Miller’s “Huge” as well as a co-starring role in the thriller “Other Side of the Game”. Smith is also credited as a songwriter on the Joe Cornish-directed film Attack the Block. The character “Hi Hatz” is often seen and heard playing songs he has recorded. These were written and recorded by Smith and re-voiced by the actor Jumayn Hunter.

Doc Brown is currently shooting a 13 part teen comedy-drama for the BBC called “The Four O’clock Club”, on which Doc Brown is the co-creator, co writer, co-star and musical director. Smith runs his own production company named Bust-A-Gut Ltd, which- whilst focusing on television and film- has also re-released the back catalogue of his music.

Smith is married with two children and is the younger brother of novelist and essayist Zadie Smith. He also has a younger brother Luke who is a professional rapper performing under the name Luc Skyz.

She is also know in the US for her regular, hilarious appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC), as Madame Yashere, The Surly Psychic.

What you don’t know is that Gina Yashere’s sellout live appearances are legendary. Her bombastic delivery, infectious personality and cheeky observations have wowed audiences not just in the UK and the US but also in Japan, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and all over Europe.

Gina hails from London via Nigerian parents and shoots from the hip. Her unique take on being both a cultural insider and outsider never fails to raise the roof. Following an early career as a elevator engineer, Yashere made her comedy debut at the Edinburgh Festival in 1996. The show sold out almost immediately and overnight both audiences and critics were smitten.

Since those early heady days, Gina has continued to take the comedy world by storm and is now one of the most highly sought after comics in the UK and the US, selling out theatres all over the UK, releasing her critically acclaimed DVD ‘Skinny B*tch’, and making numerous appearances on TV, radio, and the big screen.

Her TV appearances have included her own 1 hour Comedy Special ‘Skinny B*tch ‘(SHOWTIME), The Jay Leno Show (NBC), The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien (NBC), Last Comic Standing (NBC), Chelsea Lately (E!), Live at Gotham (Comedy Central), Def Comedy Jam (HBO), Comics Unleashed (ABC), The Mobo Awards (UK Host), Mock The week (BBC UK), The Lenny Henry Show (BBC UK), and The Celebrity Fame Academy (BBC UK). Radio shows have ranged from her own BBC Radio London Show to critically acclaimed radio Sketch show-The Powder Room (BBC Radio UK).

Feature films have included Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Mr. in Between. She has also appeared on the West-End stage in The Vagina Monologues.

It’s a wonder she found the time to pick up her 3rd award in a row for “Best Female” at the recent Black Entertainment & Comedy Awards (UK).

She has also performed numerous times at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and Toronto, and at HBO and TBS’s The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas.

Gina recently played a principal character in the TV series in the UK entitled ‘Married Single Other’ which is currently being aired on ITV in the UK, and in Australia.

She is currently developing a sitcom with the BBC in the UK, and is working on a comedy documentary.

With his infectious energy and huge stage presence it is easy to see why Junior Simpson is a circuit favourite. Simpson has a boundless joy and exuberance that has audiences hooked with hilarity. A true observational comic Simpson finds his humour in the everyday and humdrum with anecdotes of his world travels as a comedian adding a personal originality to his set. Although mischievous and daring, Simpson is never crass or crude and can tailor his set to suit any audience making him a favourite for warm up, TV and corporate work.

Having survived being called ”the new Lenny Henry” – he’s much funnier than that, lapsed choirboy Junior Simpson is a true star of both the black comic firmament and far beyond. He will be a familiar face from the big, bad world of TV, both from the likes of The Real McCoy, as one of the team captains alongside Suggs on Night Fever and as host and star of two of his own series, In the Dark with Junior Simpson and The Hit Man, both for Channel 5. He has also worked with the likes of Jo Brand, Rolf Harris, Frank Skinner and Jonathan Ross.

QUOTES

“The new Lenny Henry” - The Times

“His material is excellent” - Daily Mail

“Simpson’s irresistible energy and evangelical delivery can engage the most jaded of room” – Chortle

RADIO

Numerous spots on most major radio stations around the UK and the world. Including…

London Live

The Edge

The Beaton Generation R4

You Call That A Quiz GLR

Stand Up Two R2

TV

Richard And Judy

Big Brother’s Big Mouth (C4)

Big Brother’s Little Brother (C4)

Meet The Maroons

Armstrong & Miller Show

Casualty  (BBC)

The Comic Side of Seven Days (BBC)

AbbaMania (ITV)

ElvisMania (ITV)

Keen Eddie (Fox)

First Cut (Carlton)

Holby City (BBC)

Oliver’s Twist  (Food Network)

Maximum Exposure (Bravo)

Blankety Blank (LWT)

The Heaven And Earth Show (BBC)

The Live Floor Show (BBC Scotland)

They Think Its All Over (BBC)

Night Fever (CH5)

Never Mind the Buzzcocks   (BBC)

Top Gear

FILM

Don’t Stop Dreaming (Role: Dildar Singh) 2007 (Director: Azjad Nazir)

Love Actually (Role: DJ) 2003 (Director. Richard Curtis)

High Heels and Low Lifes (Role: “Micky”) 2001 (Dir. Mel Smith)

He is one of Britain’s best loved and most versatile performers. He is at home on television and onstage, in drama and in cabaret, fronting his band, voicing film characters, exploring how humour differs around the country, touring Australia and raising money for Comic Relief.

His earliest television appearance was on the New Faces talent show in 1975 where he repeatedly won. The following year he appeared in LWT’s sitcom The Fosters alongside Norman Beaton, Britain’s first comedy series with predominantly black performers. His formative years were in working men’s clubs.

He co-hosted the children’s programme Tiswas from 1978 until 1981, and subsequently performed and wrote for the show Three of a Kind, with comedians Tracey Ullman and David Copperfield. Around this time, he met his future wife, Dawn French, who encouraged him to move over to the fledgling alternative comedy scene, where he established a career as a stand-up comedy performer and character comedian.

Outside comedy and sketch shows, Lenny attracted huge ratings as the obstreperous Gareth Blackstock in Chef. He then made his Hollywood debut in Disney’s True Identity, returning to Britain to film Alive and Kicking with Robbie Coltrane – winning a Golden Nymph Award at the Monte Carlo Television Festival.

Henry is perhaps best known to modern audiences as the choleric chef Gareth Blackstock from the 1990s television comedy series Chef!, or from his 1999 straight-acting lead role in the BBC drama Hope And Glory.

More recently Lenny has picked out the funniest videos on the Internet in lennyhenry.tv. He has also starred in Radio 4′s sitcom Rudy’s Rare Records, and presented three radio documentaries investigating whether life coaches, method acting and Bob Dylan are all they’re cracked up to be. 2009 saw Lenny add another string to his bow, treading the boards as the eponymous Othello; a part which saw him claim rave reviews.

Henry is also one of the celebrities most associated with the British Comic Relief charity organisation, along with his ex-wife, well-known comedienne Dawn French, and Griff Rhys Jones, and has hosted the show and also presented filmed reports from overseas on the work of the charity. He was even the voice of the British speaking clock for two weeks in aid of Comic Relief.

Miles is a versatile television presenter and popular warm up artist, stand-up comedian & host within the comedy & corporate circuits.  Miles performs at many venues around the UK and has hosted overseas tours of Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore – and has even entertained the British troops on tours of Army bases in Bosnia, The Falklands, Kuwait and Belize.

“A guaranteed copper bottomed crowd pleaser” – The Evening

“Miles Crawford is noted as one of the finest comperes working today” – The Stage

As a television presenter, Miles has presented:

Drumbeat – award winning multicultural series (ITV)

Nightlife – factual entertainment (2 series for ITV)

The Warehouse – a showcase for new talent (3 series for ITV)

The National Lottery – roving reporter (BBC)

Super Sunday – London Mayor Elections (ITV)

Schofield’s Quest – reporter, prime-time series (BBC)

Night – film reviewer (Channel 4)

Comedy Café – entertainment series (Living)

The Look – magazine series (Living)

Night Fever – panellist, karaoke series (Channel 5)

Stand Up Live – comic and performer (Sky)

291 Club – presenter

All You Need is Love – comedy sketch show (ITV)

Glam Detectives – comedy drama series (C4)

As a television warm up artist, Miles has entertained audiences on high profile programmes including:

Parkinson, Test The Nation, Friends Like These, Top Gear, In It To Win It, Noel’s House Party, Des & Mel, Friday Night’s All Wright, Tomorrow’s World, An Audience with.. Tom Jones, Kylie, Cliff Richard, Brian Conley & Harry Hill, Perseverance, Ready Steady Cook, Don’t Try This At Home, Night Fever, Hale & Pace, Mastermind, A Question of Sport, Full House, Call My Bluff, Supermarket Sweep, Children In Need, The Kumar’s At No 42, Comic Relief, Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie, National Lottery Roadshow, A Question of Pop, Something For the Weekend, Lucky Numbers and Who Dares Wins.

Nathan Caton has been active on the UK comedy circuit since the tender age of 19. He excels in combining both personal, confessional material with up-to-date social and political anecdotes. This has won him numerous credits and plaudits over the years and has made him one of the hottest rising young stars on the circuit.

He started comedy while studying architecture at University and within his first full year of gigging he had built up a solid reputation having performed at the Edinburgh Festival, finishing as a runner-up in the Amused Moose Comedy Search and winning the award for Chortle Student Comic of the Year.

In 2006 he continued gigging and was rewarded with a nomination for Best Newcomer at the Black Entertainment Comedy Awards, and made his first TV appearances on Richard Hammond’s 5 o’clock show and Little Miss Joycelyn, amongst other radio work. In 2007 Caton appeared on ITV2’s Comedy Cuts, returned to the Edinburgh Festival to perform in a two-man show, and in October 2007 his comedy pilot The Nathan Caton Show aired on Paramount Television. Caton wrote and starred in the 30-minute show where he guised as different comedy characters and this earned him a Hotshot award from Broadcast magazine for his writing.

Caton’s first Edinburgh show in 2009 entitled Can’t Tell Me Nothin’ got him rave reviews from critics including The Guardian, EdFest and Three Weeks and earned him guest writing spots with BBC Radio. His debut Edinburgh show was then followed up with ‘Breakfast At Stephanie’s’ and ‘Get Rich Or Die Cryin’, the latter which became Caton’s debut solo tour show.

Nathan Caton now continues to gig around the country while working on various projects.

He is also a prolific writer and as such has worked on shows including The Now Show, The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4), Rastamouse (CBBC) and The Nathan Caton Show (Comedy Central).

QUOTES

“Caton is probably the most exciting young black comic on the scene.” – Fest

“More than material, presentation is Caton’s strongest suit and he’s confident, charismatic and upbeat.” – Chortle

“He specialises in laidback, on-the-nose material, chopping down fools of all colours, both in day-to-day life and in the media” – The Guardian

Awards:

Black Comedy Awards Best Young Comic 2011

Black Comedy Awards Best Comic On Mainstream Circuit 2011

FHM Stand Up Hero Finalist

Broadcast Hostshot

Chortle Student Comic Of The Year

TV:

Mock The Week (BBC2)

Most Annoying People (BBC3)

FHM Sand Up Hero (ITV4)

The Nathan Caton Show (Comedy Central)

The Wall (BBC3)

World Stands Up (Comedy Central)

Comedy Cuts (ITV2)

Little Miss Joycelyn (BBC3)

Ninia Benjamin is one of the UK’s hottest female comedians with a wealth of television, stage and live stand-up experience.

Ninia was catapulted to stardom as one third of BBC3’s 3 Non-Blondes, which later transferred to BBC2 and BBC America before going to a second series, shown internationally. From this, her talents have been showcased across all the major UK channels in a variety of roles, as a presenter, studio guest, actress and reality TV star.

Ninia was crowned the Winner of Celebrity Scissorhands 2007 (BBC3) in which she and a host of celebrities cut and styled their way through two weeks in a televised salon, raising thousands of pounds for Children in Need. She was also a contestant on the hit Living programme, The Underdog Show in which celebrities were paired up with rescue dogs which they had to train in preparation for a number of obedience tests and she has made two hilarious appearances on BBC1’s Hole in the Wall.

With an infectious sense of humour and effervescent screen presence, Ninia is a favourite guest and commentator for many popular discussion shows, for example Sky Comedy Close Up. Other television appearances include Total Wipeout and Celebrity Masterchef whilst her vocal talents can be heard in CBeebies’ animated shows Tinga Tinga Tales and Chuggington.

A talented actress, Ninia appears in the Ricky Grover feature film Big Fat Gypsy Gangster as part of a cast that includes Omid Djalili, Ray Winstone and Danny Dyer and was released September 2011. Ninia is also an experienced theatre performer and has acted in a number of productions including Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues at the New Players Theatre in 2009.

While Ninia’s popularity on television continues to soar, her stand-up remains at the highest level. She is a regular headliner at all the top venues across the UK. She has also spread her talents overseas and has enjoyed a successful run at the Cape Town Comedy Festival in South Africa in addition to appearances at the ‘Big Night of Comedy’ festival in Holland.

Television:

Chuggington (CBeebies, voiceover 2011)
Tinga Tinga Tales (CBeebies, voiceover 2010-11)
Total Wipeout (BBC1, 2009)
Hole in the Wall (BBC1, 2008, 2009)
Celebrity Masterchef (BBC, 2008, 2009)
The Underdog Show (Living, 2008)
50 Greatest TV Endings – Guest (Sky, 2008)
Sky Comedy Close Up – Guest (Sky Movies Premiere and Sky Movies Comedy, 2008)

QUOTES:

“Bursting onto the stage in an explosion of energy, bombastic Benjamin certainly makes an attention-grabbing entrance.” – Chortle

“Scorching material.” – Gold City News

“Three Non-Blondes is an absolute coup for BBC3. It pisses all over Smack the Pony so cleanly and comprehensively that it’s impossible to believe they’re female.” – The Guardian