Adam Riches wins Edinburgh award

Humphrey Ker best newcomer

Adam Riches has won the main Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award.

He scoped the award for his acclaimed show Bring Me The The Head Of Adam Riches, a mix of characters and intense audience participation.

He said: ‘Wow. Thank you very much. It’s terrific. Very overwhelming. When you come up you have limited ambition, you just want to put a good show together, so thank you to the panel.’

The Wrestling won the panel prize.

Chair of judges Tania Harrison said: ‘There was one show that especially inspired us this year. It was born out of one man’s passion to bring his two passions of comedy and wrestling together.’

'This is an extraordinary story culminating in one of the best nights I’ve had at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. The camaraderie, comedy and feel-good atmosphere, and the sight of comedians and sportsman together, is something I would never have envisaged, but it totally blew me away. Let’s hope this award inspires a rematch.’

Max Olesker from double act Max & Ivan came up with the idea – and broke his ankle during the sold-out show.

Humphrey Ker won the best newcomer award for his show Dymock Watson: Nazi Smasher. The comic, also a member of the Penny Dreadfuls sketch team, said: ‘Thank you so much, this is ridiculous. Fuck me, this is awesome.’

The main winner receives £10,000. The best newcomer and the panel prize winners scoop £5,000 each. There were 505 eligible shows this year.

Awards producer Nica Burns said: ‘An extremely strong shortlist and a very hard decision. Congratulations to Adam Riches who is utterly original, extremely funny and a huge talent. He will no doubt be seen on your television screens in the near future.

‘Humphrey Ker wowed the judges with a beautifully written, witty show performed with consummate skill.’

Omid Djalili, who presented the awards, said: ‘These awards for comedy at the Edinburgh festival are traditionally so prestigious, most acts would be content with just a nomination. Everyone except me. I should have won in 2002. I lost out to a man who looked like a sexual deviant. Fortunately, Daniel Kitson has long since proved he is not. Then again, I haven’t seen him in a while.’

The other nominees for the main prize this year were: