A STAND-UP comedian from Blackburn is dreaming of launching his career by winning a BBC Radio 2 competition.

Tez Ilyas, 28, hopes to follow in the footsteps of hometown hero Lee Mack and fellow Lancashire comic Peter Kay by reaching the final of the 2011 New Comedy Award.

Tez is already in the top 20 following an online vote, but needs more votes to reach the semi-final stage.

And the former Lancashire Telegraph paperboy hopes the backing of the town’s comedy fans will help see him through.

He said: “I don’t really do one-liners. It's a lot of anecdotal stuff and story telling, subverting my cultural experiences.

“A lot of it is about my family, stuff about Lancashire and different areas I've been.

“I've only been doing it for 11 months, but I’m doing relatively well and holding my own against acts that have been doing it for three or four years.

“Now I need to become more well known in the industry to get more progress.”

Originally from Whalley Range, Tez moved to London in 2006, settling in the capital permanently in 2009.

A biochemistry graduate who ‘fell out of love with science’, he spends his days working for the Home Office, handling security for the forthcoming Olympic games.

But two or three nights a week he can be found honing his craft on stage, and in January won the much-coveted Comedy Store ‘King Gong’.

He said: “It's quite a serious day job so I try and keep the two things separate!

“I'd had an idea in my head of writing a TV show since I was in university. I wanted to do a creative writing course and I came across a stand-up comedy course instead.”

The former St Barnabas Primary School and Witton Park High School pupil is performing short five to ten minute stints as he learns his trade.

He said: “I'm glad to say I've surprised a lot of people which is nice, because it's one thing being funny but it's another trying to be a stand-up comic.”

Tonight Tez will perform only his second gig in the north west at the Frog and Bucket in Preston, as part of a showcase that starts at 8pm.

You can vote for Tez at bbc.co.uk/radio2/comedy/ new-comedy-award-2011/vote/ and find out more about his comedy at tez-the-comedian.co.uk or facebook.com/tezcomedy