Now in their 42nd year, ‘the Oscars of Comedy’ will light up the Edinburgh Fringe throughout August, spotlighting the next generation of comedic talent. The Edinburgh Comedy Awards continue to be the hallmark of comedy excellence and potential, with previous winners and nominees having 3088 screen credits between them. This year, a total of 563 comedy shows are eligible for the Awards.

 

Joining Nica Burns CBE, the long serving Awards Director, in sponsoring the Awards and returning from last year, are Donald Taffner, Jr. of DLT Entertainment and The Victoria Wood Foundation. Donald, alongside Nica, continues a long-running commitment to supporting live comedy by continuing to sponsor the DLT Entertainment Best Newcomer Award and, in honour of his parents, is also sponsoring the Donald and Eleanor Taffner Best Comedy Show. 

 

The ‘spirit of the fringe’ panel prize, which was popularly renamed The Victoria Wood Award, celebrates a much-loved comedy genius and continues to be sponsored by The Victoria Wood Foundation.

Nica Burns CBE, Director of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, said: “Comedy has grown to a whopping 39% of the Fringe, showing nearly 20% growth in 20 years. In a year that the economics of taking a show to the Fringe are tougher than ever with accommodation costs going through the roof, comedians continue to make an enormous commitment to the development of their careers at the Fringe with all the possibilities that it offers. With audiences on budgets too, remember that every ticket you buy or  every pound you put in the hat counts and is appreciated. Everyone going to the Edinburgh Fringe, whether performing or watching, is in their own way investing in the arts. Dear new government, please take note!”

 

Donald Taffner, Jr., Chairman of DLT Entertainment UK Ltd, said: “The Edinburgh Comedy Awards play a vital role in the success of the Fringe by not only honouring excellence but also spotlighting the comedy industry as a whole. We look forward to our involvement with the Awards again while also honouring my parents who founded our company 61 years ago and always enjoyed helping people advance their careers in entertainment.”

 

 

The carefully curated 2024 judging panel of seven industry experts are joined by three knowledgeable and avid comedy fans from the general public who are selected from an open application process. They are:

 

Nana Hughes: Head of Scripted Comedy at ITV

 

Dominic Cavendish: Theatre Critic at The Daily Telegraph

 

Liz Daramola: Creator in Residence at Baby Cow Productions

 

Georgia Keating: Producer at BBC Studios Comedy & Entertainment

 

Dominic Maxwell: Comedy & Theatre Critic for The Times and The Sunday Times

 

Anya Ryan Comedy & Theatre Critic at The Guardian, The Times, Time Out, The Stage

 

Darren Smith: Creative Director at DLT Entertainment Ltd

 

Sam Anderson: Public panellist

 

Jake Helliwell: Public panellist

 

Beth Moon: Public panellist

 

The Edinburgh Comedy Awards has a proven history of spotting comedy brilliance. Past winners have amassed 528 television writing credits, 44 directing credits and over 1,500 acting credits, and nominees have 534 writing credits, 72 directing credits and over 1,200 acting credits on screen. Best Newcomer nominee Alex Horne created the BAFTA award-winning TV series Taskmaster, which has had appearances from 36 winners and nominees across its 18 series.

 

Responsible for launching the careers of the UK’s comedy elite, previous award winners include Stephen Fry, Steve Coogan, Lee Evans, Al Murray, Sarah Millican, Omid Djalili, Eddie Izzard, Tim Minchin, The League of Gentlemen, Jenny Eclair and Frank Skinner. Founded in 1981, many award winners and nominees have gone on to have a significant impact on mainstream popular culture, going on to write, direct and act on screen, in some of the most iconic television and film over the last four decades - including Green Wing and Smack The Pony (Victoria Pile), Sherlock (Mark Gatiss), Alan Partridge and Philomena (Steve Coogan), Car Share (Peter Kay), The IT Crowd (Richard Ayoade), Benidorm and No.9 (Steve Pemberton), Doctor Who and her eponymous TV show (Catherine Tate), W1A (Sara Pascoe), Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (Romesh

Ranganathan), Sex Education (Hannah Gadsby), Baby Reindeer (Richard Gadd) and Starstruck (Rose Matafeo).