Shortlist out

The nominees for this year’s lastminute.com Edinburgh Comedy Awards have been announced.

They are for best show:

Al Porter: At Large

Health McIvor: Randy Writes A Novel

James Acaster: Reset

Kieran Hodgson: Maestro

Nish Kumar: Actions Speak Louder Than Words, Unless You Shout The Words Real Loud

Richard Gadd: Monkey See Monkey Do

Tom Ballard: The World Keeps Happening

Zoe Coombs Marr: Trigger Warning

And for best newcomer

Bilal Zafar : Cakes

Brennan Recce: Everglow

Jayde Adams: 31

Michelle Wolf: So Brave

Nath Valvo: Happy Idiot

Scott Gibson: Life After Death

The winners will be announced on Saturday lunchtime.The prize money is £10,000 for Best Show, with £5,000 each for the Best Newcomer and the Panel Prize winner.

Nica Burns, director of the awards said: 'Two great nomination lists! 2016 reflects the breadth and quality of comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe with eight nominations for best comedy show for the second year running.

'Four outstanding stand-ups, a female comic performing in character as Dave, a novel-writing puppet, a wonderful story teller and a comic who is as moving as he is funny.  An international list with four UK artists, three Australians and a Dubliner.'

'The six nominees for the newcomer award are equally international with an Australian and an American, and the vibrancy of the Scottish stand up scene is reflected in the nomination of Glaswegian Scott Gibson and the best show nominee, Richard Gadd.

'Our hard-working judging team made over 1,400 visits to shows. Congratulations to all the comics at the festival for a brilliant year of comedy.'

Last year’s main prize was won by Sam Simmons, with Sofie Hagen best newcomer and Gilded Balloon's Karen Koren awarded the panel prize.

This year’s panel is chaired by Alice Jones, the arts editor of i, and comprises Times comedy critic Dominic Maxwell,  BBC comedy editor Sam Michell, assistant Channel 4 comedy editor  Laura Riseam, Scotsman writer  Claire Smith, ITV commissioning editor  Saskia Schuster, Melbourne International Comedy Festival artistic director Susan Provan and public competition winners Jim Johnsone, Niki di Palma and Sam Haslam

Published: 24 Aug 2016