A comedy king has beaten performers from across the capital to make the final of a major competition.

Philip Simon, of Elstree, has reached the final round of the Comedy Knights Fresh Comedian of 2014 competition, which will be held later this month.

A big fan of all the “oldies”, he beat more than 160 acts over the past year to earn his position in the final and is looking forward to the final.

Despite having always been told he should try stand-up comedy, Mr Simon has not always been a comedian and has done a variety of jobs including acting, teaching, writing and design work.

But as comedy is his biggest passion, he is eager to continue with his new profession.

He said: “I think comedy is one of the hardest art forms as you’re basically trying to manipulate someone’s mood to bend to your will, especially on the open-mic and open-spot circuits where people haven’t actually bought into you yet as you’re just a name on the bill.

“When you win a crowd over, it’s the best feeling in the world and there’s nothing like standing in front of a room of strangers and making them laugh with something you thought of.”

The final will be held on Wednesday, September 17, where Mr Simon will compete against 11 other finalists at a public event in The Forge in Camden.