The comedy industry, standups with dreams of glory and canapé waiters all breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday night: the Edinburgh comedy awards have been saved. The awards, considered comedy’s Oscars since their inception in 1981, were under threat after the withdrawal of their previous sponsor, the TV channel Dave, in May. But last night, their director Nica Burns announced three new backers.
The new sponsors are Sky, the TV producer and distributor DLT Entertainment, and the Victoria Wood Foundation, and they will respectively lend their names to the best show, best newcomer and panel prize awards. Burns said: “I cannot thank [them] enough for responding so swiftly and decisively in the true spirit of the fringe. It’s a wonderful endorsement of the awards’ place in the fabric of Edinburgh.” The awards had faced cancellation this summer, after 40 years of star-making on the fringe. Some of its celebrated previous winners include Frank Skinner, Bridget Christie, Hannah Gadsby and Steve Coogan.
