Today we decide which female comic has made us laugh the most this year as we announce the Female First Awards' Comedian of the Year. It's a close call, but one of these five nominees has left us coming back for more...
Nominee: Tania Edwards
We spoke to Tania earlier this year and were instantly attracted to her brand of cheeky underhand cattiness. She's as dry as they come and she's an amazing example of what a British female comedian should be.
Tania is an Edinburgh Fringe veteran now, and she premiered her hilarious new show Don't Mention It this year - which really is worth mentioning!
Nominee: Katherine Ryan
Katherine Ryan has always been one to divide opinion; a lot of people just don't like bubbly blonde bombshells who tell jokes, especially ones with lots of opinions, and authority over her love life and sexuality. But we love her glamour and her unapologetic humour and was super excited to tune in to her Netflix special Katherine Ryan: Glitter Room.
Perhaps the best thing about Katherine Ryan is that she always comes across as a clueless Canadian thrust into a confusing British community - even though she's now lived there for more than 10 years. The cultural differences are still present, and make for some brilliant stories.
Nominee: Wanda Sykes
Not only is she a highly respected film and television actress, famous for roles in Monster-in-Law, Bad Moms and Black-ish, but Wanda Sykes is also one hell of a stand-up comedian. She unveiled her first Netflix comedy special Wanda Sykes: Not Normal earlier this year, which was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Variety Special and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special.
She's as down-to-earth as they come, and her brand of observational comedy coupled with her natural bewilderment for what goes on in the world around her makes for an hour of eye-watering hilarity. Plus, she's up there with Ellen Degeneres as one of the greatest gay female icons of the last 20 years.
Nominee: Tiffany Haddish
She was nominated last year for Comedian of the Year, but after her Netflix special Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready and her work bringing back the comedy show Kids Say the Darndest Things, she's made our top five again.
What we love about her latest comedy special was the exposure she gave to up-and-coming performers - comedy is a hard gig to get into and we love that she's sharing her opportunities for other aspiring comics.
Nominee: Rosie Jones
Here at Female First, we love discovering interesting and diverse new comedians, and they don't get much more so than British performer Rosie Jones. She describes herself as a 'triple threat' ("I'm disabled, I'm gay and I'm a p***k"), but really what we love most about her is that she can get away with saying just about anything thanks to that cheeky broad grin of hers.
Rosie has cerebral palsy which affects her speech and her movement, but she's not funny because she's a disabled person making jokes at her own expense; she's funny because she uses her disability as a strength, applying her slow speech to her flawless comedic timing and wildly unpredictable punchlines. We hope we'll be seeing a lot more of her.