Chortle Award winners announced

The grumps have triumphed at the Chortle Comedy Awards, with accolades going to professional miseries Stewart Lee, Charlie Brooker and Dylan Moran.

Lee won the DVD prize for the second series of his BBC show Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle; Brooker won the TV award for his range of work including 10 O’Clock Live, the Wipe series, and Black Mirror, while Moran was deemed to have had the best live tour of the year.

Lee’s former double-act partner Richard Herring triumphed in the internet category for his prodigious output, that includes a daily blog and a minimalist Me1 vs Me 2 Snooker podcaster.

Meanwhile, another of Lee’s frequent collaborators, Simon Munnery, won the innovation award for La Concepta, a conceptual restaurant that popped up at various secret venues around the Edinburgh Fringe last year.

In other categories, Susan Calman, controversially one of only two solo female comedians across all the shortlists, scooped the title for best compere; bizarre Irish musical duo The Rubberbandits, who perform with plastic-bag masks across their face, won the variety and music award; and 2010 Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Tim Key won best show for Masterslut.

And the outstanding contribution to comedy award was given to John Lloyd, producer of Blackadder and QI, among others.

Chortle editor Steve Bennett said: ‘We had an eclectic range of winners tonight, from old hands known for their grumpiness, to the smart comedy of Tim Key or the science-based radio show Infinite Monkey Cage, to those such as The Rubberbandits, Tony Law and newcomer Patrick Cahill who revel in the absurd.

‘I think that’s a good reflection of the great diversity on the British comedy scene, which is by far the most vibrant in the world.’

Almost 13,000 comedy fans voted online for the awards, which were presented in association with Universal Pictures, after the shortlists were drawn up by a panel of critics.

Click here for pictures from the night.

The full list of winners is:

BEST NEWCOMER: Patrick Cahill
Nominees: Mark Cooper-Jones, Mark Stephenson, Matt Rees

BREAKTHROUGH ACT: Tony Law
Nominees: Adam Riches, Humphrey Ker, Sam Simmons

CLUB COMIC: Alun Cochrane
Nominees: Adam Bloom, Dana Alexander, Hal Cruttenden, Michael Fabbri

COMPERE: Susan Calman
Nominees: Jimmy McGhie, Ray Peacock, Toby Hadoke

CHARACTER OR SKETCH ACT: Idiots of Ants
Nominees: Adam Riches, Beta Males, Humphrey Ker

VARIETY AND MUSIC AWARD: The Rubberbandits
Nominees: Kunt & The Gang, La Soiree, New Art Club

BEST SHOW: Tim Key: Masterslut
Nominees: Bring Me The Head Of Adam Riches, Doug Stanhope, Sam Simmons: Meanwhile

BEST TOUR: Dylan Moran: Yeah, Yeah
Nominees: Dave Gorman's Powerpoint Presentation, Jerry Seinfeld European tour, Mark Thomas: Walking The Wall, Stephen Merchant: Hello Ladies

TV AWARD: Charlie Brooker
Nominees: Fresh Meat, Sorry I've Got No Head, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle

RADIO AWARD: Infinite Monkey Cage
Nominees: Danny Baker, John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme, Party

INTERNET AWARD:Richard Herring
Nominees: Business Mouse, Do The Right Thing podcast, Fast Show (Fosters revival)


BEST STAND-UP DVD: Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle Series 2
Nominees: Dylan Moran: Yeah, Yeah, Greg Davies: Firing Cheeseballs At A Dog, Tim Minchin And The Heritage Orchestra Live At The Albert Hall

VENUE AWARDS:
Comedy Store (London, purpose-built); 99 Club Leicester Square (London club); Komedia Brighton (The South); Komedia Bath (Wales and the West); Glee Birmingham (Midlands and the East); XS Malarkey (The North); The Pleasance (Scotland)

AWARD FOR INNOVATION: Simon Munnery for La Concepta
Nominees: Sanderson Jones for comedysale.com, Set List, The Wrestling

OFFSTAGE CONTRIBUTION: Mick Perrin

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO COMEDY: John Lloyd

Published: 20 Mar 2012