The Edinburgh Comedy Awards have announced the 2026 judging panel will be chaired by Liz Lewin (pictured), Director of Comedy Series, Netflix UK. This is the first time the entertainment service has been represented on the panel.
Lewin is known for developing and executive producing the award-winning Derry Girls with Lisa McGee, as well as for shows including I Hate Suzie, The End of the F***ing World, Phoebe Waller Bridge’s Crashing and most recently the acclaimed comedy-thriller How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. She joined Netflix in January 2026 in a newly-created role, signalling Netflix’s commitment to growing its British comedy slate. Prior to joining Netflix, she was a drama commissioner for Sky and a commissioning editor across comedy and drama for Channel Four.
Lewin was previously on the judging panel in 2014, during her time at Channel Four.
The Edinburgh Comedy Awards are judged by a carefully curated panel made up of seven industry experts and three knowledgeable and avid comedy fans from the general public who are selected through an open application process.
The full list of panellists for 2026 is:
- Liz Lewin (Panel Chair): Director of Comedy Series, Netflix UK
- Sasha Bobak: Comedy and Entertainment Producer, BBC Studios
- Sam Bryant: Director of Original Content / Head of Comedy, Audible
- Amar Chauhan: Public Panellist
- Tristram Fane Saunders: Freelance Arts Journalist and Comedy Critic, The Telegraph
- Isabelle Jackson: Public Panellist
- Dominic Maxwell: Comedy and Theatre Critic for The Times and The Sunday Times
- Louise Robb: Public Panellist
- Anya Ryan: Comedy and Theatre Critic at The Guardian, The Times, TimeOut, The Stage
- Darren Smith: Creative Director, DLT Entertainment
Nica Burns CBE, Director of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, said: “We are delighted to welcome our highly knowledgeable 2026 Panel of Judges who bring broad experience from across the sector and a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to be an outstanding comedian. We would like to say a very big thank you to them for their time in Edinburgh and for the careful consideration we know they will bring to the judging process. We are particularly pleased to welcome back 2014 panellist Liz Lewin, now Director of Comedy Series, Netflix UK, as our Panel Chair for 2026.”
Liz Lewin said: “Each year, somewhere in Edinburgh, in a room without air conditioning, someone walks on with a mic, a willing techie and nerves of steel. Occasionally, they walk off having changed British comedy.
I see, at Netflix, just how far a distinctive comic voice can travel, and so many of those journeys begin at the Fringe. That's why I'm thrilled to be on this panel. We're looking for the act which only they could have written, the surprise you can't manufacture, and the live spark that makes an audience start laughing before they've quite worked out why.
The joy of Edinburgh is that you never quite know which room it's going to happen in – but I can't wait to find out.”
In further news, BBC Radio 4 will, for the third year, air a special showcase featuring the nominees for the Audible Best Comedy Show and the Taffner Family Best Newcomer Award. The showcase will be produced by BBC Studios Audio, recorded at The Pleasance in Edinburgh and broadcast on Saturday 29th August at 11pm, bringing highlights of the Fringe to listeners all over the UK. The relationship between the Edinburgh Comedy Awards and BBC Radio dates back to 1998 and there has been a BBC producer on the judging panel every year since.
Julia McKenzie, Commissioning Editor, Comedy & Entertainment, BBC Radio 4, said: “We are delighted to again commission this special Edinburgh Gala as part of BBC Radio 4’s commitment to live comedy and to showcase the next generation of comedy talent to our audience. I’m so looking forward to seeing what this year has in store.”
