An extremely early TV appearance from Daniel Kitson has been discovered by an eagle-eyed beyond the joke reader and Kitson superfan Barry Donovan who runs the unofficial fansite kitson.cakeinmilk.com

The early Kitson set at the Edinburgh Fringe was filmed as part of a TV comedy competition. It is believed to date from 1995 and Kitson is just 18 at the time.

This would not be long after Kitson had appeared as a contestant on TV quiz Blockbusters and had said to host Bob Holness that his ambition was to be a stand-up comedian.

Kitson's appearance is part of the The Stand Up Show's broadcast of The Open Mic Award final which went out on the BBC. The judges are Tony Hawkes, Barry Cryer, Sandi Toksvig and BBC One Head of Comedy Chris Pye.

The other finalists included Lee Mack ("he wants to work with animals and children"), Viv Gee, Jeff Mirza, Julian Barratt, Nicko, Ambrose Martos and at 21:22 minutes Daniel Kitson. 

Kitson didn't win, however. The prize of £1000 and a Radio 4 commission went to Julian Barratt. 

Watch the Stand Up Show - Open Mic Awards below

Pictured: Daniel Kitson preparing for a show at Summerhall around two decades later, picture ©BruceDessau