N40m at stake as Basket Mouth hosts Last One Laughing comedy contest

The first unscripted comedy show of Prime Video tagged: ‘LOL: Last One Laughing’, will be released today, Friday July 14.

Bright Okpocha aka Basket Mouth will host the show while 10 comedians/content creators including Sabinus, I Go Save, Dat Warri Girl, Senator, Buchi, KieKie, Acapella, Taaoma, Okey Bakassi and Gandoki would do their best not to laugh in order to win the N40 million prize money at stake. 

However, who-ever wins the competition will receive N40 million cash prize and donate to any local charity of his or her choice. According to Head of Originals, Africa and Middle East, Prime Video, Ned Mitchell, the show is a big deal for comedy everywhere, especially in Nigeria. “We are excited to take Nigerian comedy to the world. For us, it is about being authentic and raw,” he stated.

Mitchell gave kudos to the producers of the show, Darey Art-Alade and wife, Deola’s Livespot 360 Productions. “The show’s format looks simple but it was a complex show to produce. The set had to be built from scratch, and the producers did a good job. People often say it is hard to shoot in Nigeria, but that does not make it impossible,” he noted.

On her part, the company’s Head of Nigerian Originals, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, noted that the service was ready to support Nigerian comedians to take their contents to the world.

“Any shoot in any country of the world comes with challenges. One can only prepare so well. There were different factors to consider but I wouldn’t describe them as challenges. There is no obstacle that cannot be surmounted. There is a saying that ‘Naija no dey carry last’. There will always be a way to get things done. Everybody came with their A-games and we were able to produce a good show,” she said.

The show host, Basket Mouth, said Afrobeats is doing so well all over the world, but Nigerian comedy is yet to get its own spot. “When I was approached with this idea, I embraced it because it seemed like the best thing to do. The streaming platform is in over 200 countries, and it is the right platform to project Nigerian comedy to the rest of the globe,” he explained.