Young duo win internet comedy award

27 November 2008 07:36pm

A teenage Harry Potter extra has won a comedy award voted for by a virtual audience watching a live webcast on MySpace.

George Styles, 15, who has been an extra in the Harry Potter movies, and his comedy partner, Ashton Jones, 16, whose previous performing credit is a school play, won the inaugural MySpace Trident Comedy Award.

The pair, who go under the title Ashton and George, were on a shortlist of five acts, which also included Steve Mould, a Blue Peter science presenter.

The acts went to head to head, performing a six-minute routine each, and were voted for by a live audience in London and a virtual audience watching the show on MySpace.

The winners are still studying for their GCSEs and only performed their first show in February.

They bagged a prize worth £250 million which will see MySpace make a show with them, with input from Steve Coogan's production company, Baby Cow. But the pair must finish their exams before this can happen. The show will then be pitched to a broadcaster.

Ashton said of his win: "I'm overwhelmed. I'm sitting here like a potato not knowing what to do."

The pair, who attend Parmiters School in the Watford area, were supported by their classmates as, by chance, they happened to have a day off.

The duo have been honing their act by performing Wayne's World-style sketches on YouTube. Asked how they came up with their ideas, Ashton said: "We put the camera on the desk and talk."

The award coincides with MySpace's launch of its UK comedy site this week.

© The Press Association