Here is the full text of the welcome speech Nica Burns, who runs the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards, made today at a lunch attended by industry folk and journalists at Ghillie Dhu in the city centre. It is interesting that while Burns passionately champions comedy, she talks mainly about comedy on television here, attacking the forthcoming cost-cutting measure of moving BBC3 online and hoping that other networks do not follow suit. It's certainly a provocative piece and was powerfully delivered.