What happens when you give stand up comedians a topic for a new bit, with little time to prepare and no opportunity to test their material? Find out on Joke or Choke! Tune in to The Comedy Network on Friday, December 12th at 9 p.m. A half-hour stand-up comedy competition show that takes four of Canada’s funniest comics and pits them against one another on stage in front of a live studio audience in a no-holds barred comedic throwdown.
Discovered during Insight Productions’ Pilot Week, Joke or Choke features host Jonny Harris (Just For Laughs, Murdoch Mysteries) guiding the comics through three rounds in their quest to impress the ever-fickle judge Mark Forward (The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Mr. D). By the end of the episode, one comic stands alone as Joke or Choke champion! Going head-to-head in the pilot episode are comedians Steve Dylan, Amanda Brooke Perrin, Daniel Woodrow, and Fraser Young.
“Stand up comedy was and always will be my true love,” said Howie Mandel. “Canada has a great tradition of stand up and I’m proud to be a part of Joke or Choke.”
“Insight made a big push into creating original content for online this past year and we are thrilled to have produced the very first digital pilot for CTV EXTEND,” said Supervising Producer Shannon Farr. “Joke or Choke gives the audience a glimpse into the process of the stand up comedian and how difficult it is to write a set with virtually no time and no chance to test the material before being judged on it.”
Joke or Choke was discovered during Insight’s Pilot Week, a grassroots search for Canada’s next great TV comedy. The annual six day event held at Toronto’s Comedy Bar features approximately 20 comedy pilots performed live on stage. Previous Pilot Week competitions have resulted in six shows being picked up for development and several performers being cast on screen and stage.
In addition to the pilot, fans can visit CTV EXTEND to catch Joke or Choke extras from comedians Eric Andrews, Matt O’Brien, Pat Thornton, and Christina Walkinshaw. The first batch of extras will be available beginning Tuesday, July 22, followed by additional content on Tuesday, July 29, and Tuesday, Aug. 5.
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