CityLife

Double joy at Chortles for Manchester

ON THE RISE: Sarah Millican

PERHAPS second only to the if.comedys in prestige for the nation’s stand-up comedians, the Chortle Awards have been dished out and there was good news for Manchester.

Fast-rising Geordie and Manchester-based stand-up Sarah Millican beat off competition from Andrew O’Neill, Bridget Christie and Carl Donnelly to scoop the Breakthrough Act gong, adding to the if.comedy newcomer award she bagged last summer.

Elsewhere, in the Best Comedy Club category, Fallowfield institution and previous winner, XS Malarkey, again came up trumps ahead in the Northern category.

The blue ribboned prizes went outside of the city though, with acclaimed Welsh man Rhod Gilbert claiming the Comic's Comic prize and musical Australian Tim Minchin taking the Best Full Show award for Ready For This.

Voted for by the public, the original shortlist was drawn up by a panel including CityLife’s own comedy critic Marissa Burgess.