Censored comic wins PR award

Stuart Goldsmith has won the ‘Cunning Stunt’ award for the best publicity gimmick at the Edinburgh Fringe.

He won the Malcolm Hardee Cunning Stunt award for exploiting the festival’s ban on even the mildest of rude words to promote his show Prick – or Pr!ck as the programme would have it.

As well as highlighting the issue of censorship, Goldsmith also challenged critics to review his show without using double entendre – vowing to deduct £100 from a £1,000 charity donation for each one he found.

The award for comic originality was won by Irish musical duo The Rubberbandits, who won the Chortle award for best music or variety act last year.

Award organiser John Fleming said: ‘Like 2010 award winner Bo Burnham, their work on the internet may mean they break through massively to a worldwide audience.’

He added: ‘We also want to suck up to the youth audience who may not know of Malcolm’. Hardee, who died in 2005, is usuall described as the godfather of alternative comedy in the UK.

South African comedian Trevor Noah was judged to be ‘the act most likely to make a million quid’. Organisers said: ‘We think he is going to be snapped up and will be playing Carnegie Hall type venues soon.’

Published: 25 Aug 2012