“Women don’t  like to be competitive”, satirist Jan Ravens wryly noted at the Funny Women Final 2009, but as it’s the time of year when we’re being subjected to ‘Best this’ and ‘I love that’ countdowns, which tend to feature the inane cultural insights of minor celebrities, it seemed an opportune moment to discover which comediennes have most tickled the fancy of comics here at Funny Women, as chosen by previous entrants and finalists of our competition. Some are up-and-coming (for want of a better phrase, I know we’re not talking about Dalston or something…) some are relatively unknown and some are more established but regardless of where they reside in the comedy hierarchy, they’ve been entertaining the troops, in Vera Lynn style.  No.. they haven’t, they’ve been on the circuit, entertaining us with gags and one-liners aplenty and here are Funny Women’s favourites.

Past entrant Fiona Simpson saw rising star Isy Suttie (nominated for Best Female Newcomer  in 2008 for her role as IT girl Dobby in Peep Show), at The Laughing Cows show in Manchester. Simpson said: “Suttie was the real star. She did a weird and wonderful set that included an impression of Amy Winehouse down a well. Her IKEA song was a particular favourite of mine too.” Simpson also loved Manchester-based comedy group Lady Garden this year, describing their sketches as “fantastic” adding, “the one based on alternative reality shows gave me belly ache from laughing so hard.”

BBC Award Winner, and one half of double act Domestic Goddi, Helen O’Brien says her favourite one-liner of the year came from Laura Solon’s Edinburgh show, Rabbit Faced Story Soup. The 2005 Perrier Comedy Award winner is well known for her multitude of  grotesque characters and proves it with this contentious line: “And when the planes flew into the twin towers…..I forget the date….”

Comedienne Louise Cousin’s favourite performer this year was Julie Jepson, who won the Funny Women Final in 2005 on only her third gig. “I saw her at at the comedy cabaret club Pinky Moo Moo. What I most recall from the evening was that I found it quite difficult to breathe because I was laughing so much. When she came off stage, there was a room full of women with mascara running down their cheeks, it looked like an Alice Cooper convention.”

Musical comedy double act Adam and Reas (Sarah Adams and Leisa Reas), described by reviewers as the “funniest musical duo since French and Saunders”, have received a lot of accolades for their ragga style song about recycling: ‘Put it in me bin’. Cousin says: “I was hyperventilating with laughter.”

Tiny gigs can often be the worse and when I say tiny, I’m not referring to the size of the venue (none of us expect Wembley proportions when we’re starting out) but an embarrassing lack of people. When there are only four people in the room,  two of which are vaguely staring in your direction, the proceedings can feel about as natural as being left in a room  to make small talk with  a set of godparents you’ve not actually seen since birth. Or just like a total arse.  In these situations, it’s always helpful to have a supportive comic by your side who can help you laugh about it. Past Funny Women entrant Carly Smallman found that in comedienne Luisa Omielan – a semi-finalist in this year’s Laughing Horse New Act of the year competition. Smallman says: “She read from the bestselling book, ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’, in a variety of accents as chosen by the (very small) audience.  The best moment was when she was asked to read it as a cat; Luisa rose to the challenge and I was absolutely helpless with laughter. ” She adds: “She is always so engaging, fun, and full of energy – I think she will go far!”

Eve Webster, impressionist and Funny Women finalist (she took second place) has also attracted a lot of attention this year with her brilliant takes on everyone from Cheryl Cole to Anne Widdecombe, and the ovation she received at the Funny Women Final in September was proof of her clear ability to woo audiences. Funny Women Final winner Miss London says her favourite performance was Webster’s  impression of Gwyneth Paltrow, referring to the naming of baby Apple: “It’s not like we called her shithouse.., as though that was the only other option eh Gwyneth?!”

The lady who’s received the most gushing praise this year however, has to be Sarah Millican. The comedienne, who won the If.Comedy award for Best Newcomer at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008, continues to attract a loyal fan base, a popularity that has been cemented with her Live at the Apollo performance and appearances on Mock the Week.  Her gentle and non-threatening demeanour often belies the shocking content of some of her material – reminds me a little of Frankie Boyle delivering  his caustic lines with all the cheery glee of a Just William character proclaiming his innocence, after getting caught lifting a girl’s skirt up (sorry, had to shoehorn Frankie in somewhere, I love him).

Anyway, enough of Frankie, the girls love Sarah. Past Funny Women entrant Anna Devitt says: “My ultimate line of this year has to be when Sarah Millican performed on Live at the Apollo and was discussing a conversation between her and a friend about their lady parts. They decided to draw them to compare but the punchline was: ‘we could have  just done a potato print and bent down!’”

Helen Arney, Funny Women semi-finalist in 2008 agrees: “She’s just totally brilliant right now. Her Apollo set proved that she stands up there with the big players, male or female.”

We look forward to seeing more of Sarah Millican next year and watching the rise of new and talented female acts.

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