At the 42nd Edinburgh Comedy Awards, three comedians were announced as winners for their “talent for comedy and how to use it”.
On Saturday morning, the 2024 winners were announced at the event at Ghillie Dhu, Rutland Place, presented by writer and presenter Richard Osman and winner of the 2023 Best Comedy Show award, Ahir Shah.
This year, Amy Gledhill won the award for Best Comedy Show at the Edinburgh Fringe for Don & Eleanor Taffner with her performance of “Make Me Look Fitter On The Poster.”
Joe Kent-Walters won the DLT (Donald L Taffner) Entertainment Best Newcomer Award for his show “Frankie Monroe: LIVE!!!” and the Victoria Wood Award went to Rob Copland for his performance of “Gimme (One With Everything)”.
For the first time in the 43-year history, male comedians were in the minority on the shortlist for best comedy show, and Ms Gledhill is the sixth solo female comedian to win the award for best comedy show.
Nica Burns CBE, director of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, said Gledhill and Kent-Walters both had “a talent for comedy and knew how to use it to its best advantage”.
She added: “The result: raucous laughter and a very happy audience. Their comedy appeals to everyone – they are both clearly on their way to stardom. I predict that in a few years they will all be household names.”
“Amy Gledhill’s show is joyful, delightful and full of laughter. The judges were delighted by the fact that she combines writing that reflects the genius of Victoria Wood combined with the magical physicality of Julie Walters.
“It’s a show full of jokes and so much heart that everyone in the audience falls completely in love with it and has a wonderful time.
“Joe Kent-Walters has created the extraordinary character of Frankie Monroe, who is both a love letter and a satire of the working-class club MC. His performance is so great that it’s hard to believe this is Joe’s first appearance at the Fringe.”
She added: “Joe draws on a range of skills including mime, musical comedy and stand-up to take you into Frankie’s world.
“Like many of the greats, anyone who saw him that year will brag in later years that they saw Joe Kent-Walters’ show the year he won Best Newcomer.
“Our 2024 winners are amazing comedians who fill the room with jokes and laughter and appeal to everyone. As our brilliant shortlist shows, the standard of comedy at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe was exceptional.”
Nana Hughes, chair of the judging panel, said: “The Edinburgh Festival Fringe offers artists a space to be bold, original and spontaneous. A show can break through here and find an audience.”
“Recommendations from strangers in lines for other shows can lead to exciting new discoveries; the phrase ‘Have you seen this?’ is uttered in late-night bars, or audiences line the sidewalks outside venues vying for tickets.
“This is the true spirit of the Fringe Festival. Our Victoria Wood Award winner, Rob Copland, has grasped that spirit with both hands, in a performance that barely pauses for breath, yet ends with 10 minutes of silence.
“In just his second full year at the festival, he has established himself as a cult favorite, creating a legion of fans with his eccentricity and bravery.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub
