Longlists announced

The longlists have been announced for the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards – and they are VERY long.

A total of 38 shows are up for the main prize  and 22 for nest newcomer.

The awards were founded by comedian Nathan Cassidy and producer Sarah Bowles last year when it seemed that the long-running Edinburgh Comedy Awards may have been cancelled over a lack of sponsor.

And this year they secured their own backer, Jones Bootmaker, to be able to offer both winners £5,000  prizes, plus the same again for a Panel Prize. 

Here are the longlists

BEST SHOW

• Abby Wambaugh: The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows - Pleasance 19:15 
• Alfie Brown: Open Hearted Human Enquiry - Just The Tonic 23:35
• Amy Gledhill: Make Me Look Fit on the Poster - Monkey Barrel 18:10
• Ashley Haden: Political and Correct - Free Festival (Counting House) 18:00
• Chelsea Birkby: This is Life, Cheeky Cheeky - Just The Tonic 21:20
• Colin Hoult: Colin - Pleasance 20:20
• Dan Rath: Pariah Carey - Underbelly 21:50
• Dan Tiernan: Stomp - Monkey Barrel 21:00
• David Eagle: The Eagle is Candid - Just The Tonic 21:30
• Elf Lyons: Horses - Pleasance 21:20
• Eric Ruston: Real One - Monkey Barrel 15:20
• Finlay Christie: I Deserve This - Monkey Barrel 22:40
• Flat and the Curves: Rosé-Tinted - Underbelly 20:20 
• Gareth Mutch - Modern Man - The Stand 18:50
• Henry Ginsberg: Cuddle Slut - Free Festival (Counting House) 21:15
• Henry Stachini: Grenade - Underbelly 17:45
• Ian Stone is Keeping it Together - Free Festival (Counting House) 16:00
• Jo Caulfield: Pearls Before Swine - The Stand 19:25
• John Tothill: Thank God This Lasts Forever - Pleasance 20:45
• Jojo Sutherland, I Wish You Were My Mum (Careful What You Wish For) - The Stand 11:30
• Jordan Brookes: Fontanelle - Pleasance 20:30
• Kelly McCaughan: Catholic Guilt - Underbelly 22:00
• Larry Dean: Dodger – Monkey Barrel 20:30
• Laser Kiwi - Rise of the Olive - Assembly 20:05
• Lauren Pattison: Big Girl Pants - Monkey Barrel 12:30
• Louise Atkinson: She's Got The Look - Gilded Balloon 17:00
• Lou Wall: The Bisexual's Lament - Pleasance 22:20
• Mark Thomas: Gaffa Tapes - The Stand 18:30
• Mat Ewins: Some You Lose Some - Monkey Barrel 21:15
• Ollie Horn: Comedy From Toxic People (and Their Friends) - Hoots @ Potterow 21:00
• Phil Ellis: Come On and Take The Rest of Me - Monkey Barrel 12:45
• Raul Kohli: Raul Britannia - Just the Tonic 18:30
• Sam Lake: Esméralda - Monkey Barrel 13:30
• Seymour Mace - Seymour F*cking Mace You C*nts! - The Stand 12:10
• Sian Davies: Band of Gold - Free Festival (City Café) 16:15
• Six Chick Flicks - Underbelly 21:30
• Ted Hill: 110 Percent Normal - Assembly 14:40
• Trevor Lock: Audience Anonymous - PBH Free Fringe (Bannermans) 14:45

BEST NEWCOMER

• Alex Kitson: Must I Paint You a Picture - Hoots @ Potterow 22:55
• Amy Annette: Thick Skin - Pleasance 16:25
• Bella Humphries: Square Peg -  Just The Tonic 18:10
• Body, Pauline Eyre - Just The Tonic 12:30
• Catriona Dowden is Holier Than Thou - PBH Free Fringe (Banshee Labyrinth) 12:50
• Dee Allum: Deadname - Pleasance 16:30
• Demi Adejuyigbe Is Going To Do One (1) Backflip - Pleasance 18:20
• Devin Gray: How To Get Away With Marriage - Free Festival (City Café) 21:55
• Good Boys Good Time - PBH Free Fringe (Burrito and Shake) 01:45
• Hannah Platt: Defence Mechanism - Pleasance 20:10
• Henry Rowley: Just Literally - Pleasance 19:30
• I Know a Guy - PBH Free Fringe @ Uno Mas - Bar 19:15
• Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: LIVE - Monkey Barrel 23:25
• Kyle Ayers presents: Hard to Say - Just The Tonic 19:25
• Kemah Bob: Miss Fortunate - Pleasance 19:05
• Maria Fedulova: Russian. Mafia. Family - Hoots @ The Apex 22:50
• Mark Bittlestone: I Need a Straight Guy - Pleasance 21:40
• Melanie Bracewell: Attack of the Melanie Bracewell - Pleasance 17:50
• Metroland Live: The Box - Pleasance 21:45
• Mhari Black: Politics Isn't For Me - Gilded Balloon 13:15
• Peter Bazeley: Ahh I Appear to Be Having a Breakdown - Free Festival (Three Sisters) 5pm
• Runi Talwar as 'Runi Talwar' in Runi Talwar: The Runi Talwar Story - Pleasance 20:40

The lists where whittled down from 700 eligible shows by around 30 volunteers.

 Bowles, above, said: ‘As last year, this is by no way a list of everything that is exceptional at the Edinburgh Fringe. 

‘As we all know, being judged as well as judging is hard and unscientific, but our main rule was: did the show make the audience and/or judge laugh lots on the day we saw it, and do we think it could be judged as the best show or the best newcomer on the Fringe. That's quite a high bar.

‘We now have the almost impossible job of getting this down to a list of five for the two shortlists which will be released in the morning of August 21.’

Published: 16 Aug 2024