This year’s eight-strong Foster’s Award nominations list was the longest-ever list, but that didn’t stop plenty of grumbling in Edinburgh's bars last night. Unless every Fringe show is nominated – and there were more than 600 eligible this year – there will always be those that are disgruntled. I was pretty happy with the list but still surprised at some omissions.
Comedian Mark Watson is doing a secret gig in a toilet. And you could join him.
To celebrate the seventeenth annual Gut Week (31 August – 6 September), Watson is performing a set in the toilets of the London Wonderground on the South Bank on Tuesday 1 September at 11am. He is gigging there to highlight the importance of breaking the ‘Poo Taboo’.
Website Fringepig has announced the shortlist for its inaugural Ham Fist award. The idea is that the award goes to the Edinburgh reviewer who most misunderstood what they were looking at.
The finalists are:
Graeme Connelly for his review of Stewart Goldsmith in The List.
Paul Fleckney for his review of Bobby Mair on Chortle.
Mark Divine Calvert for his review of Lieven Scheire on Mumble comedy
Laura Geoff for her review of The Beaux Zeaux on One4review
Last year while I was waiting for the Foster’s Award nominations to be announced I posted some predictions online. For various reasons it was assumed by some that my predictions were the official nominations so I'm being very careful what I write now.
Comedian Stephen Carlin says that he has been "fired" from PBH's Free Fringe and has had to find a new home for his show. He posted the following on his Facebook page last night.
'I have been duly fired by PBH from the PBH Free Fringe for also appearing at another show in a Laughing Horse venue. My show will no longer be appearing at the Canon's Gait. Apologies to all of you who turned up tonight only to be faced with a no show.
"The Gospel According to Stephen" has been the subject of ex-communication.
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When you’ve set the bar extremely high where do you go from there? Alex Edelman’s debut Fringe show last year bagged him the Foster’s Best Newcomer Award. So now for the comedy equivalent of second album syndrome. Follow that.
Everything Handed To You On A Plate certainly confirms that 2014’s show was no fluke. The polite 26-year-old is as skilful as they come, weaving together stories and strands and coming up with another personal piece that both entertains and illuminates.
TV channel Dave has announced the winner of the eighth annual award for Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe.
In his first ever full length show, Edinburgh pun-dit Darren Walsh has this year come top with 23% of respondents voting “I just deleted all the German names off my phone. It's Hans free” their funniest joke of the Edinburgh Fringe. Previous acclaimed winners include Tim Vine, Rob Auton, Stewart Francis, Zoe Lyons and Nick Helm.
The nominations for this year's Malcolm Hardee Awards have just been announced. They are as follows:
Katie Hopkins is to appear at the Edinburgh Fringe to take Dr Philip 'Dr Death' Nitschke's euthanasia machine for a test drive.
In July Hopkins advocated the introduction of euthanasia vans to deal with the problem of ‘too many old people’.
Hopkins will be having a go on Dr Death’s Destiny Euthanasia Machine, which delivers 100% pure nitrogen. She will be encouraged to press the ‘Yes' button to the question 'Do you want to die?'
This year’s Edinburgh Fringe seems to be wide open when it comes to awards. Is a newcomer going to win the main Foster’s Award? And if so who? Meanwhile the first major Fringe comedy competition may – or may not – have offered some hints with a final that featured an intriguing mix of newcomers and familiar names.
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