Comedian scoops breaking talent award at festival

But now Andrew McBurney has got his sights set on the big time after scooping an award for best breaking talent at Birmingham Comedy Festival.

Mr McBurney, from Cradley Heath, began getting into comedy around three years ago.

"It was me and a few other friends," he said.

"I said 'you know all these things talk about when we're on our own, why don't we film them?'

"We started making our own sketches and it went from there."

Lenny Henry, who hails from Dudley, usually comes top of the list when people think of Black Country comedy.

Much like Mr McBurney, Henry spent his early years in comedy at working men's clubs and pubs playing characters and doing impressions.

Frank Skinner, originally from Oldbury has also gone on find fame.

From winning the Perrier Award in 1991 at the Fringe Festival he has become of the the nation's best known TV faces.

And Mr McBurney is not the only rising star from the region either.

Earlier this year, West Bromwich comic Masai Graham came second in the Funniest Jokes competition at the Edinburgh Fringe festival with his joke 'I've written a joke about a fat badger but I couldn't fit it into my set'.

"Just after, a girl I had been with for about eight years left me, and from that I made my first sketch which was about a guy who had been dumped trying to make himself feel better.

"I tried to make the piece deliberately not 'funny' and although it worked as a sketch I was worried it wouldn't work on a stage."

Mr McBurney describes his humour as alternative and much of his act is based around characters he has created.

He first took his show to an open mic night at the Holly Bush pub in Cradley Heath.

"People actually really liked it so I kept doing it," Mr McBurney said.

Mr McBurney was given the Breaking Talent award at the Glee Club in Birmingham last month by Jasper Carrott, who took a break from his first tour in over a decade to help judge the contest.

Accepting his prize, Mr McBurney simply said: "I'm buzzing."

"The first sketch was based on me as it was quite deadpan and sensitive," Mr McBurney said.

"I have expanded into other characters now including one who is a sort of African American comedian called Mac Bernie, who is based on Bernie Mac, because my name is McBurney."

Mr McBurney, who moved to the Black Country 21 years ago from Glasgow, said he has toured the country with his act including a return to Scotland with a show at the Edinburgh Festival.

"A friend said to me before I go that people might only be laughing down here because my accent is funny and that wouldn't matter up there," Mr McBurney said. "Luckily that wasn't the case."

Mr McBurney said although his act is alternative comedy he doesn't believe the term means anything.

"Vic and Bob were alternative and they were hugely popular," he said. "Charlie Chaplin ate a shoe and that is some of the biggest comedy of all time."

"Some people hear the term and immediately turn off. I do think its popularity comes in cycles however and with the popularity of alternative comedians like Limmy and Stewart Lee hopefully it could be making a return."

Mr McBurney said he hopes to start doing more shows and would like to work as a comedian full time and give up his job making t-shirts.

"I think if you want to be a comedian you will feel it in yourself." Mr McBurney said. "You just need to get over the self doubt, go out there, and do it."