Christian Slater and 2006 if.comedy winner Phil Nichol were on stage at the
Jam House last night to present awards to the winners of 2007 Intelligent Finance
Comedy Awards Announced
Last night at a party in Edinburgh attended by the Culture Secretary James
Purnell and a host of comedy talent including Jimmy Carr, Simon
Anstell and Robert Webb the star of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's
Nest Christian Slater and the winner of the 2006 if.comedy award Phil
Nicholl presented the 2007 Intelligent Finance Comedy Awards.
The nominees for the 2007 Intelligent Finance Comedy Award are:
Andrew Lawrence: Social Leprosy for Beginners & Improvers
Andrew Maxwell: Waxin'
Brendon Burns: So I Suppose This Is Offensive Now
Ivan Brackenbury's Hospital Radio Roadshow
Pappy's Fun Club: Pappy's Fun Club
The award goes to Brendon Burns: So I Suppose This Is Offensive
Now
The nominees for Intelligent Finance Best Newcomer are:
Jon Richardson: Spatula Pad
Micky Flanagan:What Chance Change
Tom Basden: Won't Say Anything
Zoe Lyons:Fight or Flight
The Best Newcomer Award goes to Tom Basden: Won't Say Anything
The Panel decided that the show that has most captured the comedy spirit of
the 2007 Fringe is Arthur Smith - Arturart at the Institute of Zoo
Logic. Arthur Smith, self-styled semi-professional comic, who has now declared
himself as the most outstanding artist in the world and the leader of a new art
movement followed by his devoted his disciples - a comedian's collective.The
exhibition includes contributions from Stewart Lee, Bridget Christie, Simon
Munnery, Shappi Korsandi, Janey Godley, Harry Hill, Ronnie Golden, Martin Soan
and Jack Klaff.
The Comedy Award winner will recieve £8,000 plus the chance to headline The
Intelligent Finance Comedy Award Shows in London's West End. The Best Newcomer
and the Panel Prize winner will both receive a cheque for £4,000 and will also
appear in the West End. Intelligent Finance has an ongoing commitment to the
development of the live work of up and coming comedians from the Edinburgh
Festival Fringe.
Nica Burns, the veteran producer/director of the Awards says: " The
controversial Brendon Burns' edgy and dangerous show has taken him from
Edinburgh regular to this fantastic win. This first solo show from the
multi-talented Tom Basden,(a member of the sketch group The Cowards) - a
delightful musical comedy hour will enchant many audiences. Arthur Smith has
reinvented himself and all things comedic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since
his first nomination in 1982. He founded the National Revew Company, he's been
part of a double-act, a solo stand- up, he's written plays for Edinburgh notably
The Live Bed Show for himself and Caroline Quentin, he has sung and his midnight
Edinburgh walk is infamous. Everything he does is funny and
Arturart is a complete hoot. Arthur Smith is the comedy spirit of
the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Chair of the 2007 judging panel was The Times' Theatre Editor and Chief
Comedy Critic, Dominic Maxwell. The other panellists were Colin
Anderson (Radio Producer, BBC), Tim Arthur (Comedy Critic, Time
Out), Laura Gray (edfringe.com winner- Scotland), Julian Hall
(Comedy Critic of The Independent and author of The Rough Guide to British
Cult Comedy), Kathleen Hutchison (Head of New Comedy, Paramount Comedy
Channel), Veronica Lee (Comedy Critic, Sunday Telegraph), Rosie Morris
(Time Out Winner - London), James Parker (The Times Winner -
Regions), Joe Talbot (Director of Programming, Nuts TV. Former
Commissioing Editor for ITV 2, ITV3 and ITV 4).