Alternative comedians heading to the Brighton Fringe

Luke Rollason has announced the recipients of his bursary helping alternative comedians come to the Brighton Fringe.

They are:

• Verity Sharpe for Landlord’s Wet Dream a comedy punk-poet’s rage against the UK housing crisis.
• Ellen Turnill Montoya, who performs as a giant hand in Mr Handsome absurd art-comedy set in an illustrated world.

The award is also supporting two runners-up, who are:

• Ozzy Algar for Speed Queen, a darkly subversive character folk-comedy
• Sam Hickman, for Sexy Rude Harp Concert, a harpist presenting camp musical comedy.

The prize for the winners includes the cost of their registration, venue fees, a photoshoot with Rob Trendy, mentorship from comedy agent Daisy Francis. The runners-up will also have their registration costs covered .

All four winners will be featured in an industry showcase on May 24 at Brighton’s Komedia comedy club. Tickets. 

Rollason can be seen in Extraordinary, which has recently been cancelled by Disney+, but both series will begin streaming on ITVX from March 6. He is in the cast of upcoming CBBC series Horrible Science and will tour his recent solo show Luke Rollason, Luke Rollason, Let Down Your Hair this summer.

He said: ‘As the sun sets on the dying twilight of my career, I desperately reach for some kind of legacy that can be inscribed on my tomb. Thankfully, I have single-handedly saved alternative comedy with this ongoing vanity project/PR exercise. I have done all I can. Farewell."

Luke Rollason can be seen in both series of Extraordinary, streaming on ITVX from the 6 March. This year, the alternative comic will join the main cast of upcoming CBBC series Horrible Science. His most recent solo show Luke Rollason, Luke Rollason, Let Down Your Hair will go on tour this Summer.

This is the fourth year of the inappropriately-named Luke Rollason Memorial Memorial Bursary. Previous winners include  Su Mi, Rachel Baker, and Rosalie Minnitt – creator of the hit Clementine.

Where can you see the winners?

• Verity Sharpe: Landlord’s Wet Dream at the Rotunda on May 2 and 8. Tickets here.
• Ellen Turnhill Montoya is Mr Handsome at the Caroline of Brunswick on the May 25, 31 and June 1. Tickets here.
• Ozzy Algar: Speed Queen  at Presuming Ed’s on May 25 and June 1 . Tickets here.
• Sam Hickman: Sexy Rude Harp Concert at the Rotunda from May 3 to 5. Tickets here.

Published: 24 Feb 2025