If.comeddies
Encyclopedia
The Edinburgh Comedy Awards, formerly the Perrier Comedy Awards, are presented to the best shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. Established in 1981, they are the most prestigious comedy prize in the United Kingdom. The awards have been directed and produced by Nica Burns
since 1984. The most recent awards were given to Adam Riches, Huphrey Ker and The Wrestling.
in 1981 as a way of supporting young talent. The inaugural award was presented to the Cambridge Footlights, a cast that included Stephen Fry
, Emma Thompson
, Hugh Laurie
and Tony Slattery
.
, during which time they were known as the Perrier Comedy Awards. Sponsorship then passed to the Scottish-based bank Intelligent Finance
and for 2006, the first year of their involvement, the awards were known as the if.comeddies—changing to the if.comedy awards for 2007 and 2008.
In March 2009 Intelligent Finance announced it would not be renewing its sponsorship deal. The 2009 awards were known as the Edinburgh Comedy Award, sponsored by AbsoluteRadio.co.uk, the 2010 awards were sponsored by Fosters Lager.
, Toronto
and Chicago
Just for Laughs
Comedy Festivals. The Best Newcomer receives a cash prize of £4,000. The Panel Prize winner receives a cash prize of £4,000.
, the subject of a long-running boycott
based on alleged violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
, leading to calls to boycott or to eliminate the awards taken up by some Fringe venues and performers, including former winners Emma Thompson
, Steve Coogan
, and Stewart Lee
. Rob Newman led a campaign of protest against the award, beginning in 2001, called Baby Milk Action.
The Nestlé boycott also led to the alternative Tap Water Awards which help to promote access to safe supplies of drinking water and sanitation in developing countries; these awards were suspended for 2007 due to "having beaten Nestlé".
.
A Scottish
act has never won the award, and no Scottish acts were nominated between 1993, when Phil Kay
Parrot and Donna McPhail
were nominated, and 2009, when Kevin Bridges
was nominated for Best Newcomer. Phil Nichol
, the winner in 2006, was born in Scotland to a Scottish mother but subsequently grew up in Canada
.
Nica Burns
Nica Burns is director and producer of the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards , the UK's leading live comedy awards, and the joint-owner and Chief Executive of Nimax Theatres Limited since September 2005...
since 1984. The most recent awards were given to Adam Riches, Huphrey Ker and The Wrestling.
History
The award was created by PerrierPerrier
Perrier is a brand of bottled mineral water made from a spring in Vergèze in the Gard département of France. The spring is naturally carbonated...
in 1981 as a way of supporting young talent. The inaugural award was presented to the Cambridge Footlights, a cast that included Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
, Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
, Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
and Tony Slattery
Tony Slattery
Anthony Declan James "Tony" Slattery is an English actor and comedian who has appeared on British television regularly since the mid 1980s, most notably as a regular on the Channel 4 improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? As a film actor, both comedic and serious, his credits include The...
.
Sponsorship
From their inception in 1981 until 2005 the awards were sponsored by mineral water brand PerrierPerrier
Perrier is a brand of bottled mineral water made from a spring in Vergèze in the Gard département of France. The spring is naturally carbonated...
, during which time they were known as the Perrier Comedy Awards. Sponsorship then passed to the Scottish-based bank Intelligent Finance
Intelligent Finance
Intelligent Finance is a Scottish offset bank, a division of Bank of Scotland plc which is part of Lloyds Banking Group. It was established as a division of Halifax plc in 2000 by Jim Spowart, who helped establish other direct financial services firms including Direct Line.Following a...
and for 2006, the first year of their involvement, the awards were known as the if.comeddies—changing to the if.comedy awards for 2007 and 2008.
In March 2009 Intelligent Finance announced it would not be renewing its sponsorship deal. The 2009 awards were known as the Edinburgh Comedy Award, sponsored by AbsoluteRadio.co.uk, the 2010 awards were sponsored by Fosters Lager.
Format
Winner of the Best Comedy Show award receives a cash prize of £8,000 and an invitation to perform at the MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world.- Information :...
Comedy Festivals. The Best Newcomer receives a cash prize of £4,000. The Panel Prize winner receives a cash prize of £4,000.
Nestlé
In 1995 Perrier was bought by NestléNestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
, the subject of a long-running boycott
Nestlé boycott
The Nestlé boycott is a boycott launched on July 7, 1977, in the United States against the Swiss-based Nestlé corporation. It spread quickly throughout the United States, and expanded into Europe in the early 1980s. In Canada, the controversy lasted from 1978 to 1984...
based on alleged violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
The International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes is an international health policy framework for breastfeeding promotion adopted by the World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization in 1981...
, leading to calls to boycott or to eliminate the awards taken up by some Fringe venues and performers, including former winners Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
, Steve Coogan
Steve Coogan
Stephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...
, and Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee is an English stand-up comedian, writer and director known for being one half of the 1990s comedy duo Lee and Herring, and for co-writing and directing the critically acclaimed and controversial stage show Jerry Springer - The Opera...
. Rob Newman led a campaign of protest against the award, beginning in 2001, called Baby Milk Action.
The Nestlé boycott also led to the alternative Tap Water Awards which help to promote access to safe supplies of drinking water and sanitation in developing countries; these awards were suspended for 2007 due to "having beaten Nestlé".
Inclusivity
The 2002 awards were criticised for being the second consecutive year in which no female acts were shortlisted. In 2009 they were criticised for all the nominees being male, white, English and all performing at the same venue, The PleasancePleasance
The Pleasance is a street in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is largely residential, although the University of Edinburgh owns property in the area.-University of Edinburgh union:...
.
A Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
act has never won the award, and no Scottish acts were nominated between 1993, when Phil Kay
Phil Kay
Phil Kay is a Scottish stand-up comedian.-Early career:Kay became known to the public when he won the newcomer's competition, 'So You Think You're Funny', at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1989. He then went on to be nominated for the prestigious Perrier Award in 1993. He also won the award for...
Parrot and Donna McPhail
Donna McPhail
Donna McPhail is a British journalist, and was formerly a television presenter and stand-up comedian.McPhail is from London and was noted for her stand-up comedy in the 1990s, most prominently in her nomination for the Perrier Comedy Award in 1993....
were nominated, and 2009, when Kevin Bridges
Kevin Bridges
Kevin Bridges is a Scottish stand-up comedian.-Stand-up:Bridges began performing on the small stage when he left school shortly after his 17th birthday, doing stand-up comedy gigs at The Stand Comedy Club in Glasgow and then throughout the UK. At 18 he reached the final of Channel 5's So you think...
was nominated for Best Newcomer. Phil Nichol
Phil Nichol
Phil Nichol is a Canadian comedian, singer-songwriter, and actor.-Comedy:Nichol was born in Scotland to a Scottish mother, but raised in Canada. He first found fame as a member of the musical comedy trio Corky and the Juice Pigs, known for the song " Eskimo"...
, the winner in 2006, was born in Scotland to a Scottish mother but subsequently grew up in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.