Tommy Rowson scoops £2k prize

Tommy Rowson has been crowned the best new comedian of 2011 in the So You Think You’re Funny? final at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The Welshman takes home £2,000 after triumphing at the Gilded Balloon tonight. In a callback to his set, he thanked ‘God… we’ve had some great chats’. And then his mother ‘for everything;.

Second place, and £1,000 went to Australian Dayne Rathbone, who won his place in the final after taking the Raw Comedy title at the Melbourne Comedy Festival earlier this year.

And third place was shared between and Fern Brady, a former comedy reviewer for Fest magazine turned stand-up, and Hull’s Liz Beaumont – who had only done four gigs before taking part in the competition.

The prizes, sponsored by The Sims 3 and Universal Pictures, were handed out by Lee Mack, who won the competition in 1999.

Published: 25 Aug 2011