Victory at Melbourne Comedy Fest

Sam Simmons has won Australia's top live comedy award, the Barry.

His absurd show, Spaghetti For Breakfast, was named the funniest at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

Simmons is a regular visitor to London and the Edinburgh Fringe, and recently recorded a series of online Comedy Blaps for Chanel 4.

Click here to read our review of Spaghetti For Breakfast

He beat off opposition from Brits Luisa Omielan and John Kearns and Australians Lawrence Mooney, Damien Power and Steen Raskopoulos, who were also all nominated. Raskopoulos and Kearns are about to star in the BBC Three comedy Top Coppers together.

Best newcomer – which is only open to Australian and New Zealand acts – went to Corey White (Review). Also nominated were Barnie Duncan as Juan Vesuvius, who will be returning to Edinburgh this summer with his second solo show, Sam Campbell and Heidi O'Loughlin.

The Barry is named in honour of Damew Edna Everage creator Barry Humphries.

The Festival Director's Choice went to Matt Okine; the Golden Gibbo for an independently produced local show went to Laura Davis; the Piece Of Wood award for comics' comic went to Anne Edmonds and the people's choice for the act with greatest ticket sales to Wil Anderson.

Here is one of Simmons' Channel 4 Blaps:

Published: 18 Apr 2015