Madeleine Brettingham has been crowned the newest winner of So You Think You’re Funny?. Now in its 38th year, with Gilded Balloon celebrating 40 years at the Edinburgh Fringe, she beat out over 435 initial entrants to take the crown.
Hailing from London, Brettingham allegedly took to standup at the behest of a famous comedian in a dream, having until recently avoided the spotlight in favour of writing for TV and theatre. Her winning set played on her geezerish persona, the result of a loving but laddish upbringing. Despite being first on the lineup and thus tasked with the tricky opening set, her polished confidence instantly won over the crowd.
Laura Lexx hosted the final, and presenting the award was celebrity guest judge Doon Mackichan who said: “I’m absolutely bowled over and amazed at the talent tonight – it was a really difficult decision and such a high standard. I laughed at every single person, but we had to make a decision. This is brutal – it’s worse than The Voice and X Factor!”
Also on the judging panel were: Gilded Balloon’s artistic directors Katy & Karen Koren; Angela Squire, artistic director of the Kilkenny Cat Laughs Festival; Beyond the Joke’s Bruce Desseau; SYTYF producer Julia Chamberlain; and Fest’s own Arusa Qureshi.
2nd and 3rd place went to Reb Day and Joel Walker, respectively. Day’s standup was described as brave and bold, while Walker was praised for his originality and deadpan delivery. As runners up, they will each receive a cash prize, be invited to perform in professional Gilded Balloon mixed bills at the Edinburgh Fringe, and receive mentoring from the SYTYF team.
The other finalists included Noni, Oro Rose, Peter Josip, Qasim Akhtar, Rachel Porter, Sean Chalmers and Valeria Vulpe.
Katy and Karen Koren said: “This year’s competition was extremely competitive with over 435 applications, so it’s an outstanding feat for these 10 finalists from across the UK to have made it this far and perform in front of our sold out crowd tonight. Each year it’s fantastic to see so many So You Think You’re Funny? alumni return to the Fringe to make their debut or take part in mixed bill runs. 2024’s winner Alana Jackson has had a huge sold out run with us this August, as well as brilliant shows from the likes of Sophia Wren, Christopher Donovan, our Best of So You Think You’re Funny acts and many more.
“A massive thank you to every comic who entered the competition this year, and all our esteemed judges who joined us at heats across the UK to ensure we could provide a platform to some of the very best new up and coming comedians in the country. We’ve all been blown away by the talent on display tonight and we’re sure they will go on to do wonderful things!”
As the winner, Brettingham receives a cash prize, a fully paid-for solo (or mixed bill) run at the Gilded Balloon as part of their Fringe programme, mentorship from Channel 4’s commissioning team and further mentorship, professional and promotional opportunities and support. She joins the ranks of past winners including Maisie Adam, Ivo Graham, Dylan Moran and last year’s winner Alana Jackson.
So You Think You’re Funny? Grand Final performed at Gilded Balloon Appleton Tower on 21 August as part of the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe