Second woman to take the title

Bexie Archer has won this year’s Chortle Student Comedy Award.

The 26-year-old took home the £1,000 prize at the Edinburgh Fringe after impressing judges with a routine which she performed in a potted plant costume – which she never made any reference too.

Originally from Shropshire, she is studying comedy writing and performance at the University of Salford, but had only performed around 20 gigs before entering the competition earlier this year. 

Archer – only the second woman to have scooped the Chortle title after Rio Bauer in 2013 –  had previously been working as a professional actor.

Chortle editor Steve Bennett said: ‘Bexie has funny bones - she had the audience chuckling along with her infectious giggle before she had said a word, but backed that up with very strong material.

‘All eight acts in the final were excellent – and in a diverse range of styles – and all can hopefully look forward to a successful future in comedy.’

Runner-up was 21-year-old James Trickey, who is studying maths at Bristol University.

Also in the final were three Cambridge students – Rhiannon Shaw, Ania Magliano and Alex Franklin – plus  Jamie Dalgleish from Strathclyde University and Lulu Poppelwell from Regents University, London.

Previous winners and finalists have included  Joe Lycett, Simon Bird, Chris Ramsey and Iain Stirling

Videos from the night and a full review will be published later, but here is Archer's performance at her heat in Salford.

Published: 14 Aug 2018