January

 January gave us plenty of opportunities to raise a glass of champagne in a toast to graduates past and present. Our congratulations went out to Shappi Khorsandi (left) on her British Comedy Awards nomination for Best Female TV Comic. Seann Walsh (right)  for yet another Chortle nomination. This time he's up for Best Compere. And Toby Whithouse for season three of his tv series "Being Human." 

The January blues just didn't get a look in at another sell-out night at Comic Boom at Komedia Brighton. Crazy funny magic man Pete Firman (right) rocked the room in the headline spot. We just love our regular crowd. Rumour has it that the excitable trio of girls who turned up to see our resident compere Seann Walsh got over their disapointment that he was away on tour and showered Pete Firman with adoring kisses as he left the club. Magic.

We're kicking-off our first news and blog with a round-up of some of our highlights from the fantastic year that was 2010.  Graduates past and present added to their already impressive track records in sell-out solo shows, radio and television. It was an indescribable treat coming home on a Saturday after teaching my latest batch of comedy newbies and watching Shappi Khorsandi, Simon Evans, Hal Cruttenden and Seann Walsh on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow in 2010. All four plus Jimmy Carr brought solo shows to the Brighton Comedy Festival. First time at the festival for Seann Walsh. His show sold out in advance and had to be moved to a bigger room. And my comedy newbies pulled off a spectacular end of term sold-out New Act Night at Brighton's Komedia during the worst weather conditions on record since the 1800's.

Romesh Ranganathan stormed into the Finals of the major new act competitions, winning runner-up in Amused Moose Laugh Off 2010. It was a highlight watching his stunning performance in his SYTYF heat at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Spontaneously leaping into the air and cheering when he won was just not cool. Luckily the two rows of my comedy students and graduates behind me were all doing the same, and it was quite dark. Tim Arthur's beautifully moving and very funny show was another graduate Edinburgh Festival highlight.

Our corporate & private highlight of 2010 was at the comedy night we organised for Bernard Richmond QC to celebrate the opening of the new Lamb's Chambers Brighton branch. He was so delighted with the success of the night he gave all the comics a posh bottle of champagne. And he didn't regret that spontaneous and generous act in the morning.

Comic Boom at Komedia Brighton broke it's own box office records in 2010 and we waved goodbye to the year with a cracking sold out show on the night before New Year's Eve. Our usual friendly audience had escaped from the Christmas family lock-in and were out to have a good time. I nipped out during the second interval and came back to find a few of them up on the stage having a dance. It was just that kind of night.  

2010 was a fantastic year and now we're looking forward to 2011...

We're officially very excited about our new Jill Edwards Comedy Workshops News & Blog. Our thanks go out to the uber talented gang at www.redbiro.com for understanding what I meant by "erm, you know, I want a news box thingy." Welcome one and all to our exciting new space for current news and up to date information and some of those little moments that make it all fun...