Comedy boyband Rogue 5 win Jongleurs Comic Idol

Comedy boyband Rogue 5 win Jongleurs Comic Idol

And ‘they’ would be right, after Rogue 5 triumphed in the first ever Jongleurs Comic Idol.I teamed up with the much-loved comedy chain to unearth a unique and undiscovered act.

The judging panel comprised a bunch of legends.

Seventies pin-up and Allo’ Allo! actress Vicki Michelle sat alongside Yes frontman and entertainment stalwart Rick Wakeman and Jongleurs founder Maria Kempinska.

Patrick Monahan also appeared on the panel to give feedback.

The Show Me the Funny champ said: “They were all amazing tonight. I could see all of them performing professionally in a comedy club. Can’t they all win?!”

Casting the net wide, we received hundreds of applications from acts including mime, magic, sketch and music.

Plus a vast number of good old fashion stand-ups.

A lengthy audition process saw the hopefuls whittled down from their hundreds, down to 24 that progressed to boot camp.

One week later, all 24 assembled to work through their routines, using feedback from Jongleurs owner Maria.

The 14 finalists included a milkman from Wigan, a retired lawyer and a burly female ex-cop from North Carolina.

All walks of life, then.

Runner-up was east London skinhead Glen ‘Lenny’ Sherman.

He said: “A lot of people judge me, and think I’m going to be a thug.

“But I’m totally against mindless violence... You should always plan your attacks.”

But it was 17-year-old cheeky boys Rogue 5 that won everybody’s heart with their spoof take on West Life and the Backstreet Boys cheesy harmonising style.

Tracks like ‘How Will I Know (if you’re old enough)?’ and ‘Just a Little Bromance’ had the audience on their feet.

Maria Kempinska was over the moon.

“We set out to find an act that can perform and impress on Jongleurs stages up and down the country, and we’ve found that!”

I spoke to the lead singer, to find out more about the band.

“My name’s Adam, the guy with the big guns is Tommy, our resident mc is Winston and our dark haired soul diva is Seb. I’m the leader but it’s not a big deal, it just means that I do everything... It’s tough but that’s what being the most important guy in the band is all about.”

“Me, Seb and Winston met at a weekend stage school when we were kids. I got all the parts but it wasn’t a big deal, it just meant that I did everything... It was tough. When we were 15 we decided to form a band, but something was missing.

“We met Tommy when he was fitting a kitchen for Winston’s mum. She said he did everything erotically and that maybe we should check him out. It was tough but we persuaded him. We later learned he had a background in strip dancing and Winston’s mum had actually said he did everything ‘erratically’ but it was too late... we’d already bought him a pair of boy band boots.

“A couple of weeks later we had our first gig at Seb’s school and everyone laughed at us. We had no idea it was funny but we kept being asked to perform. “Since then we’ve just finished our UK world tour, playing scout huts and working men’s clubs up and down the borough.

“Last night did get a bit messy after we were named the winners! Tommy’s the player of the group... He got a girls number and he didn’t even have to ask for it! “We danced the night away and I must admit I had a few too many wkds...

"At around midnight we got thrown out because Seb and Winston got into a fight with these two Dutch kids about who was better out of Nikki Minaj and Lil Kim but we didn’t mind... We all went back to mine and spent a couple of hours tweeting about the competition. It was great!

“We want to reach the highest heights of the music industry! We want to be up there with the greats like 911 and Ultimate Chaos.”

See a few choice gags from the final, below...

Jason Kavan

“My worst gig ever was just after my dad died. His Funeral. My ventriloquism act went down terribly.”

Rob Carter

“This song is about my ex-wife. She had a body like an hourglass. Big Boobs, little waist, big bum...

“And no legs.”

Glen ‘Lenny’ Sherman

“A geezer came up to me and said ‘what’s your view on muslims?’

“I said ‘great, thanks, I’ve got a penthouse overlooking the mosque.”

Neil McFarlane

“I learnt something this week. Breast screening, it’s not what it sounds like.

“I cause a right scene in the hospital, with my popcorn.”

Naomi Hefter

“Some people don’t want children. I want children in the future, so they can be alive when Justin Bieber dies.”

Tez Ilyas

“My flatmate, Rachel, told me the other day ‘Tez, I think you’d look better without a beard’.

“I said ‘to be honest, the feeling’s mutual.”