Joshua Khoury crowned So You Think You’re Funny? 2026 winner
The Australian one-liner comic beat a selection of newcomers to the comedy circuit
Joshua Khoury, an oddball comedian from Australia, has bagged this year’s top spot at Gilded Balloon’s So You Think You’re Funny? competition, which gives comedy newcomers the chance to perform in front of a massive audience.
Khoury faced off against a strong line-up of contenders, including Bobby Jethro, Chris Byfield, Matilda Humphreys, Omar Bouzad, Sarah Lewis, Victoria Blunt, Naph, Lucas Jones Ho and Sarah Dungworth, Khoury won for his off-centre, consistently surprising one-liners, which featured echoes of Sam Campbell’s absurdism and Dan Rath’s recalcitrance.
The winner of the So You Think Your Funny? competition receives a cash prize, a run at Gilded Balloon, a place on Soho Theatre’s Comedy Plus lab, paid slots at Latitude, Glee Club, the Boat Show and more, plus mentorship from the So You Think Your Funny? team.
Judges on this year's panel were Karen and Katy Koren, the joint artistic directors of Gilded Balloon; Bruce Dessau, comedy critic and biographer; Angela Squire, artistic director of the Kilkenny Cat Laughs Comedy Festival; Julia Chamberlain, So You Think You’re Funny producer; and feted comedian Nina Conti.
Last year’s winner of the contest, Madeleine Brettingham, has gone on to gain widespread critical acclaim for her Fringe debut, Legend. ‘How can a show this good be a debut hour?,’ we wrote in a four star review. ‘Its gag rate is through the roof, the delivery sure-footed and the quality of Madeleine Brettingham’s material sky high. No surprise then that she triumphed at last year’s So You Think You’re Funny? competition or that she’s already a respected writer for TV.’ Read the full review.
Picture: Steve Ullathorne.