Accolade for Graham Chapman play

A new play about the troubled life of Monty Python star Graham Chapman has won a coveted award at the Edinburgh Festival.

A Very Naughty Boy, written by stand-up Adrian Poynton has been awarded a Fringe First prize by The Scotsman newspaper.

In the citation, judges said: "If you are sick of seeing sub-Monty Python sketch shows on the Fringe (and there are a few every year), don't let it put you off Adrian Poynton's sharp, funny biography of the team's most erratic genius, Graham Chapman.

And the paper's critic Mark Brown said: "Far from being an exclusive hagiography for Pythonists, this is an intelligently crafted play that will entertain a general audience."

The Scotsman awards five Fringe Firsts at the end of every week of the festival.

A Very Naughty Boy, which stars Poynton with fellow stand-up Tom Price, is on at the Pleasance Courtyard at 3.05pm.

Published: 15 Aug 2003