Alek Maxwell has taken the title of Evening Mail Birmingham Comedy Festival New Act of the Year Award 2003 after a heated competition at Birmingham's Glee Club.
Lloyd Langford came a close second, followed by Annette Fagan, from Handsworth, and Dan Smith, from south Birmingham.
The evening, which was a sell-out for the second year running, also featured Rachel Sambrook and magician Lee Thompson, a regular at Solihull's SoreJaw Comedy Club.
Twenty-one year old Alek, also from Solihull, first made his tentative steps into stand-up comedy while still studying psychology at Warwick University. He graduated last year with a 2:1 and now works as the Communications & Venue Officer in the Student Union.
He impressed the judging panel, which included representatives from the Festival, the club, the audience and other comedians, with his confident handling of several rowdy hecklers who interrupted him within moments of his appearance on stage.
Unable to complete his rehearsed set, Alek turned his attention to these people on the front row after they stopped him from telling a story relating to the problems of obtaining decent trainers for size 13 feet!
Speaking after he was presented with a bottle of Champagne and his glass trophy by comperes James Cook and Mrs Barbara Nice, he said, simply: "I'd just like to thank the front row!"
* Alek can be seen on Thursday 23 October at the Comedy Kav', Patrick Kavanagh, Woodbridge Road, Moseley, Birmingham.
Comedy Festival 
