'Show Me the Funny' eliminates two more hopefuls...

[dutchman]

Ellie Taylor and Stuart Goldsmith were eliminated during the penultimate episode of ITV1's Show Me the Funny.



After six weeks, former model Taylor and ex-circus performer Goldsmith were both evicted from the show, leaving three contestants to battle it out during Thursday's live final.

Ex-undertaker Dan Mitchell, Patrick Monahan and Tiffany Stevenson were put through to the final during Monday's episode, for a chance of winning £100,000, a DVD deal and a nationwide tour from September 17.

The three hopefuls will each perform a set of new material at the Hammersmith Apollo for the final. Host Jason Manford will be joined by judges Alan Davies and Kate Copstick, along with former guest judges Bob Mortimer, Ross Noble and Johnny Vegas.

Each of the guest judges will partner with a finalist to help them prepare for the performance. Noble will put Mitchell through embarrassing situations in public, Vegas will take Monahan to Speaker's Corner, while Mortimer will guide Stevenson through the use of anecdotal stories.

On getting to the final, Mitchell said: "Somehow, I'm in the final, which means the Hammersmith Apollo. That is both scary and exciting. I've been preparing myself by talking nonsense to increasingly large numbers of people, working my way up from one old man to the entire population of Wales (27). Vote for me if you want someone who thinks outside the box, largely because I haven't got a box."

Monahan added: "I'm so thrilled to be in the final. I'm hoping to put Middlesbrough and the North East of England on the map and make my parents proud."

Stevenson said: "I'm very excited and nervous, it's like I've taken a big laxative. I really hope the viewers like what I do and vote for me."

Manford said of the live final: "Playing to a crowd of 3,000 people is hard work for any comedian. But I know these finalists will rise to the challenge and all the weeks of gigging will have finally paid off. They're here because they deserve to be here, so they need to just go out and enjoy themselves."

The Show Me the Funny live final will air on ITV1 on Thursday August 25, at 9pm.