Yuriko Kotani

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Yuriko Kotani, Glastonbury Festival, 2019

Yuriko Kotani is an England-based Japanese comedian and the BBC Radio New Comedy Award 2015 winner.[1][2][3] She was the first Japanese person to win the award. She debuted her solo show, Somosomo, at Edinburgh Fringe in 2019.[4] Kotani's comedy makes fun of the cultural differences between London and her homeland of Japan.[5] She has been noted for delivering her comedy in English, despite Japanese being her first language.[6]

Early life and career[]

Born and raised in Japan,[7] Kotani moved to the UK in 2005 and began performing stand-up in 2014.[4]

Breakthrough[]

In 2015 Kotani was nominated for a number of awards for her comedy. Most notably, in November 2015 she won the BBC Radio New Comedy Award.[8]

She was named as "One To Watch" by Time Out in 2015.[9] She went on to become first runner-up in So You Think You're Funny 2015?,[10] won the Brighton Comedy Festival Squawker Award 2015,[11] placed third in the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year 2015,[12] and was nominated for Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year in 2016.[13]

On the radio, Kotani has been interviewed on The Comedy Club on BBC Radio 4 Extra.[14]

Kotani has made a number of appearances on British television. In 2016, Kotani appeared on series 2 of Russell Howard's Stand Up Central.[15]

In March 2017, Kotani made her TV acting debut in the BBC Three series, Pls Like.[16]

In January 2018, Kotani appeared on the CBBC panel show, The Dog Ate My Homework. In 2020, Kotani appeared in an episode of Paul Hollywood Eats Japan on Channel 4.[17]

In May 2021 she starred alongside Rich Keeble as a scientist extracting DNA from present and former players in a comedy film unveiling Southampton Football Club's new 2021/22 season kit. Players featured in the film included James Ward-Prowse, Matt Le Tissier and Francis Benali.[18]

References[]

  1. ^ "BBC - BBC Radio New Comedy Award 2015 winner announced - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  2. ^ British Comedy Guide (20 November 2015). "Yuriko Kotani wins BBC New Comedy Award - News - British Comedy Guide". comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
  3. ^ Solutions, Powder Blue Internet Business. "Yuriko Kotani scoops BBC New Comedy Award : News 2015 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  4. ^ a b Wortley, Kathryn (2020-05-11). "Yuriko Kotani embraces Britain's penchant for irony and dark comedy". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  5. ^ Dessau, Bruce (2018-01-16). "Go underground and get giggling at Vault Festival 2018". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  6. ^ "For one night only: how Edinburgh's standups spend their day off". the Guardian. 2019-08-11. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  7. ^ "Feature: 'In Japan, if you do something different, people won't like it'". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  8. ^ Osumi, Magdalena (2015-11-25). "Japanese woman wins BBC newcomer comedy award". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  9. ^ "One to watch: Yuriko Kotani". Time Out London. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  10. ^ "So You Think You're Funny | Gilded Balloon". gildedballoon.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  11. ^ "Jill Edwards | Comic Boom Comedy Club | Komedia Brighton | Seann Walsh". jill-edwards.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  12. ^ "What's On - New Comedian of the Year - Museum of Comedy". www.leicestersquaretheatre.com. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  13. ^ http://www.comedy-festival.co.uk/events/show.php?event_id=5371&showdate=2016-02-20&venue=270[dead link]
  14. ^ "BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Comedy Club Interviews, 20/03/2016". BBC. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  15. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Stand Up Central - Comedy Central Stand-Up - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  16. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Pls Like Series 1, Episode 5 - Technology - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  17. ^ Guide, British Comedy (2020-05-26). "Yuriko Kotani - Random 8". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  18. ^ THE SOUTHAMPTON DNA: Saints unveil 2021/22 home kit in partnership with hummel, retrieved 2021-09-04

External links[]

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