The increasingly prestigious Malcolm Hardee Awards, started in memory of one of comedy’s most outrageous comedy pioneers, has announced its shortlist.
There are three categories of awards; Comic Originality, Act That Should Make A Million Quid, and the Cunning Stunt award, in honour of the act who has found the most inventive way to publicise their Edinburgh Fringe show.
The shortlists have been revealed for The List Festival Awards. Returning for a third year, The List Festival Awards pay tribute to the artists and creatives making a mark across Edinburgh’s festival scene.
The shortlists are as follows:
Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Best Comedy Show (Supported by Whyte & Mackay)
I love Ele McKenzie’s poster for her show. Based on the 1965 Bob Dylan album cover for Bringing It All Back Home, it features Ele, lounging in bohemian splendour, in the place previously occupied by Sally Grossman.
Ele herself takes the stage peering from behind octagonal glasses, between curtains of long dark hair and begins her introduction.
With a measured droning voice, she tells us she’s thrilled to be here at the Fringe, doing her debut show.
Where has Lou Wall been hiding? Well, they’re here now, with a show that’s hilarious from start to finish.
Kicking off with some adorable childhood nostalgia Lou comes up with a conundrum. Why are all the grannies so small. What has happened to all the tall grandmas?
Lou is on a mission to find out.
The show mixes song, PowerPoint, cartoons mock documentary footage, prank calling, animal footage and real-life scientific research.
Well, the title makes this pretty clear. This is a new show, created every day, with a fresh topic chosen the day before.
In the womb-like interior of the Cinema Room at Banshee Labyrinth, Smurthwaite invites the audience to watch each new concept come to life.
So far, she has created Aging Bull – a Rocky-themed show about turning fifty.
I've always been a fan of awkward comedy. While it's nice to have humour that feels like a cosy warm blanket it's also good sometimes to have comedy with a jolt. That's what Huge Davies (Monkey Barrel, four stars) is doing in his current show. Sleep Paralysis Princess, in which he ruminates on the fact that he hasn't had a proper night's doze due to insomnia for ten years and it has dramatically affected his life. I know what he means.
Edinburgh, 20 August 2026 — Comedian Olaf Falafel, from Luton, has been crowned winner of the (some guy called) Dave Joke of the Fringe 2026, part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026, with the joke:
“I remember thinking, as I taped a piranha to my boomerang, this could come back to bite me.”
The Taskmaster, Greg Davies, returns to our screens with Alex Horne in the highly anticipated brand-new series of the BAFTA and Rose D’Or winning show. Taskmaster is set to return at 9pm on Thursday 3rd September on Channel 4 and 10pm BST / 5pm EST / 2pm PST on the Taskmaster YouTube Channel across the rest of the world.
The five acts in the running for the annual Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award 2026 have been revealed.
A collaboration between Birmingham Comedy Festival and The Glee Club Birmingham, the award show officially opens the long-running comedy/arts festival on Friday 2 October 2026.
Mock the Week returns to TLC from Sunday 13th September at 9pm, and as Parliament’s recess concludes and Britain emerges from a summer of record-breaking heatwaves and football fever, the show gets straight back to business, pulling apart the week's headlines in real time.
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