Chortle award nominees announced

Daniel Kitson, Stewart Lee and visiting Australian comedian Tim Minchin lead the nominations for this year’s Chortle awards.

Kitson and Lee, pictured, go head-to-head in categories for best headliner and best show for their Edinburgh offerings.

Minchin, the breakthrough star of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival who played runs at Edinburgh’s Gilded Balloon and London’s Soho Theatre, completes the nominees for best show. He is also up for best character, sketch or variety act against Justin Edwards’ creation Jeremy Lion and We Are Klang.

New Friday Night Project star Alan Carr joins Kitson and Lee on the best headliner shortlist.

Kitson has won more Chortle awards than any other performer, eight so far, including best shows in 2005 and 2003.

The full list of nominees is:

Best headliner

Alan Carr
Daniel Kitson, right
Stewart Lee

Best compere

Russell Howard
Alfie Joey
Andrew Maxwell

Best breakthrough act

Hal Cruttenden
Josie Long
Jason Manford

Best newcomer

Lee Bannard
James Branch
Sarah Millican

Best sketch, variety or character act

Justin Edwards as Jeremy Lion
Tim Minchin, right
We Are Klang (Greg Davies, Steve Hall, Marek Larwood)

Best full-length solo show

Stewart Lee: 90s Comedian
Daniel Kitson’s Edinburgh stand-up show
Tim Minchin: Dark Side

Prizes for innovation and for best off-stage contribution will also be handed out as well as People’s Choice and Comics’ Comic.

Readers of Chortle have also voted for the winner of the outstanding contribution award, as well as venue accolades across the country.

Next week, in the run-up to the awards, we’ll be releasing the results of surveys conducted at the same time as the voting.

Published: 8 Mar 2006