Laura Smyth, an English teacher and mother of three from Forest Gate, scooped first place at the Funny Women Awards in September 2019, beating more established stand-up acts to win the prize.

Smyth had been performing for just a few months before taking part in the competition and eclipsed over 400 entrants to get first place. The comic, whose husband encouraged her to get into stand-up because he was 'concerned about the amount of time she spent sitting down', describes her autobiographical routines as 'daft'. Smyth will now be mentored by Funny Women Awards patron Jo Brand.