Comedy Store Players named legends of comedy

Leicester Comedy Festival hands out its annual awards

The Comedy Store Players were named Legends of Comedy at Leicester Comedy Festival’s annual awards ceremony last night.

Also honoured were comedians including Helen Bauer, Jody Kamali, Kyrah Gray and Katie Norris for their performances at this year’s festival.

Comedy Store Players Neil Mullarkey, Josie Lawrence, Richard Vranch, Lee Simpson and Ruth Bratt all attended the ceremony to collect their award, previously won by the likes of Stewart Lee, Jo Brand, Lenny Henry and Victoria Wood.

In a statement, the improv group said: 'Leicester Comedy Festival’s Legends award is a delightful way for us to mark our 40th birthday. We believe this may be the first award we've ever won, and it only took us just under half a century to get it.’

Charlotte Laidet, programme director at Big Difference, the charity behind the festival, said: ’We wanted to celebrate improv, an often-underappreciated comedy genre by giving the Legend of Comedy Award to the Comedy Store Players. This long-running organisation has had such a huge impact on the comedy scene that we wanted to celebrate them for their 40^th anniversary.’

The other winners were:

Best Show: Katie Norris: Farm Fatale

Best New Show: Helen Bauer: Work in Progress

Best Debut Show: Kyrah Gray: Work in Progress

Best Kids Show: Mr Sleepybum's Dream Machine

Best Variety Show: The Great Divinator: Touched By The Spirits

Audience Choice: A Very Serious Detective Play

Best Small Venue: The Black Horse

Best Large Venue: The Y Theatre

Best New Venue: Inside No9

Best Poster: Keep It Clean: Family Comedy Club

Liberty Award: The Worst Record Cover of the World Exhibition