Drag act scoops £1,500

Drag comedian Crudi Dench has won an award for the best show from an artist with a low-income background at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The alter-ego of Matt Stallworthy, from Garston in Liverpool, won £1,500 in the London Arts Facilitation Society’s Bannerett Award last night.

Their winning show Someone Help Her! – which is on at Underbelly Cowgate – examines creative burnout in the guise of a glitzy Saturday night television show.

Dench said she was shocked and surprised to win and that the prize money would help the ease the financial pressure that comes with bringing a show to the festival. 

The award takes its name from a knight qualified to raise their own banner and lead their own forces into battle – a military position gifted to the working class rather than the nobility.

Published: 25 Aug 2026