Sandwell comic Ryan S Lewis has been announced as winner of the prestigious Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award 2025.

Ryan was presented with his award on Friday 3 October 2025 at a packed Glee Club by Black Country comedian and broadcaster Darren Harriott.

On how he felt winning the award, Ryan said simply: “I absolutely love it!”

Hailing from Smethwick, in Sandwell, West Midlands, Ryan recognised the power of humour from an early age. “When I was five-years-old I made a good friend laugh by quoting Elmo,” he recalled, referring to the Sesame Street character. “I wanted to be a clown. Then, at seven, I saw I Spy with Eddie Murphy …”

Discovering movie actor Eddie was originally a comedian, the young Ryan declared: “I need to do that … and then procrastinated for 20 years.”

Eventually making his stand-up debut at The Holly Bush, in Cradley Heath, in 2022, Ryan has gone on to appear at numerous comedy nights around the region, including Sham Zaman’s Project Mayhem.

After collecting his trophy, The Mug Of Victory, Ryan acknowledged his drive to perform as much as possible had given him essential experience in front of diverse audiences, allowing him to test and hone his material.

“[This award is] a testament to all those late nights travelling [to gigs], trying out material,” he said. “It’s a benchmark in my career. This is a stamp that tells me to keep going ... so watch this space.”

The award’s Judging Panel, who included Darren Harriot, The Glee Club's founder Mark Tughan and a representative from the comedy festival, commended Ryan for his commanding presence, energy and ability to engage the audience with a set that saw him tap into his upbringing, and discuss his Jamaican grandfather and relationship with his mother with warmth and humour.

Joining Ryan on stage were the award's regular MC James Cook, Special Guest Josh Pugh (who closed the night), and four other shortlisted acts from the West Midlands.

First on, Harry Jenkins (from Selly Park, Birmingham) pondered the differences in attitudes between Gen Z and elder generations, and recalled former PM Rishi Sunak; decked in pink and glugging a bottle of rosé, character comic Abbie Hale (from Bilston, Wolverhampton) led the audience through a game of pass the parcel; sketch duo BAB (aka Amy Spinks and Lauren Soley, from Dudley) appeared as a ukulele-playing singing duo and struggled with a life modelling class; while Abbie Edwards (from Solihull) recalled her religious upbringing, relationship challenges, romantic tension and loosing her virginity.

A spokesperson for Birmingham Comedy Festival said: “Despite the considerable strengths of all the acts shortlisted for the award - probably one of the most diverse we’ve had in terms of style for a long time - Ryan shined, delivering an accomplished and confident set that kept the energy high. He never missed a beat.

“We wish him the very best over the coming months, and can’t wait to see what he does next.”

A collaboration between the award-winning arts festival and The Glee Club, the prestigious Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award was set up in 2014 to celebrate emerging comedic talent exclusively from the city and wider West Midlands. Previous winners have included Josh Pugh (Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, Channel 4’s Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice), Celya AB (Live At The Apollo), the late Andrew McBurney (Gary Powndland and Friends), and Hasan Al-Habib, while Lindsey Santoro (NextUp’s Biggest Award In Comedy 2023), Eric Rushton (Channel 4 Sean Lock Comedy Award 2023) and Jack ‘Gary Powndland’ Kirwan were all previous participants. Nominated acts are selected by a panel of comedy professionals based on their performances over a 12 period.

Birmingham Comedy Festival runs from Friday 3 to Sunday 12 October 2025 and boasts more than 90 performances, including appearances from Babatunde Aléshé, Inside No.9, Henning Wehn, Dom Joly’s Trigger Happy TV and Kane Brown, as well as dozens of free/ pay what you want (PWYW) shows. For tickets and more information, see: bhamcomfest.co.uk