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The judges have been announced for this year’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards.

Seven industry professionals and three comedy punters make up the panel, which will be chaired by Sunday Times comedy critic Stephen Armstrong.

It comprises: 

● Gayle Anderson – Arts writer and Herald comedy critic 

● Jane Dempsey - Public panellist

● Joe Gardner - Public panellist

● Morwenna Gordon - Commissioning editor, Sky Comedy

 ● Richard Morris – Producer, BBC Studios Comedy

● Sarah Asante - Assistant commissioner, BBC Comedy

● Saurabh Kakkar – Executive producer (Comedy), Big Talk Productions

●  Tashi Radha - Public panellist

● Tristram Fane Saunders – Commissioning editor and culture writer, The Telegraph 

Nica Burns, director of the awards said: ‘Comedy remains the largest genre of entertainment at 35 per cent of  the Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme, promising a feast of comedy shows to suit everyone’s funny bone.

‘With nearly 700 shows eligible for the 2018 Edinburgh Comedy Awards, we look forward to discovering exciting new talent and celebrating outstanding shows from the established comics.’

 The shortlist will be announced on Wednesday August 22 with the winners announced at a lunchtime ceremony on Saturday August 25.                                                                    

The prize money for best comedy show is £10,000 with £5,000 each for the best newcomer and the Panel Prize winner.

Published: 1 Aug 2018