Greenwich comedian wins national comedy competition, bagging £1,000 prize

Greenwich comedian, Vyvyan Almond, has won a national comedy competition, bagging £1,000 prize money for his hilarious video sketch.

Vyvyan, 28, works for a tutoring company by day, wrote and produced a short film with his comedy partner, Ralph Jones, 30 – they are known as The Awkward Silence.

The winning entry, filmed in Greenwich Park, tells the peculiar history of a common household utensil, the spoon.

The competition, run by Horse Feathers Comedy, asked entrants to record and submit funny video clips to its website, where members of the public voted for their favourites.

The top 10 most popular entries were then reviewed by a panel to decide on the funniest.

Vyvyan and Ralph have amused audiences with their fast-paced surreal comedy stylings at numerous comedy venues around London and have written and performed a range of stage shows.

The pair began working together when they met in Oxford in 2010, meeting through the Oxford Revue comedy sketch group.

Vyvyan said: “It feels fantastic to win a competition during this very surreal time, especially when everything to do with the arts has stopped in its tracks.

“It’s great to have something positive to focus on. I am glad that we managed to make the film before the world ended.”

The coronavirus pandemic has seen live events put on hold, but the comedy duo plan to use the time wisely, developing new material.

“We will be doing whatever we can to work remotely on new shows and ideas. There’s a potential podcast in the pipeline too,” said Vyvyan.

The prize money will be put towards their next show at Edinburgh Festival, a new comedy musical, The Awkward Silence’s Big Break.

A spokesman from Horse Feathers said: “We couldn’t help but be impressed by The Awkward Silence’s entry.

Unashamedly original, clever, downright odd and very funny, this comedy duo nailed it with their slick sketch production.”

Launched in January this year, Horse Feathers is an online platform that looks for fresh comedy talent, finding the people who are making their mates laugh in the living rooms, pubs and clubs across the nation and showcasing their skills.