Trio of new sponsors join director Nica Burns to make it happen

The Edinburgh Comedy Awards are to go ahead this year after a trio of sponsors came forward at the last minute.

Last month, the accolades’ long-standing director Nica Burns warned that they were not likely to take place after failing to secure a sponsor to replace broadcaster Dave, whose three-festival deal had come to an end.

But after she put out a call for backers, Sky, DLT Entertainment and The Victoria Wood Foundation - have joined her in sponsoring the biggest prizes in live comedy.

The categories will be renamed as the Sky Best Comedy Show, DLT Entertainment Best Newcomer and the  Victoria Wood Award, previously known as the Panel Prize.

Burns – a West End theatre owner and producer, pictured above, – said: ‘In only five weeks, three companies who are as passionate about comedy as I am have joined me to enable the 41st Edinburgh Comedy Awards to go ahead this August. 

‘I cannot thank Sky, DLT Entertainment and the Victoria Wood Foundation enough for responding so swiftly and decisively in the true spirit of the Fringe. It’s an amazing commitment from them and a wonderful endorsement of the awards’ place in the fabric of Edinburgh. 

‘So it’s business as usual for 2023 and plans for the long-term future of the comedy awards are speeding ahead. To all the comics and those in the comedy industry who have voiced so passionately how much they love the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, our heartfelt thanks." 

Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society added: ‘It is absolutely wonderful news to hear that the Edinburgh Comedy Awards will go ahead as usual this year. The Awards are such a vital part of the Fringe ecology and an important source of motivation, validation and support for the comedy sector.’

The awards cost around £200,000 to stage. The lions’s hare  of the costs come from the army of scouts and panelists needed to ensure the hundreds of eligible shows are seen. The winner receives £10,000 with best newcomer and the panel prize winner receiving £5,000 each.

A Sky spokesman said: ‘The Edinburgh Comedy Awards are massively important to the whole comedy community, with a more than 40-year history of identifying and nurturing the best new comedic talent, as the list of household names amongst past winners is testament to. At Sky, we are relentless in searching for the next generation of performers who'll entertain, surprise and, most importantly, make us laugh.’

DLT Entertainment owns the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, has produced TV shows such as My Family and Dara O'Briain's Go 8 Bit,  and has stakes in live comedy agents and production companies including The Galton Agency, Blue Book Artist Management, Gag Reflex Productions, and Impatient Productions. 

Its president, Donald Taffner Jnr, said: ‘Comedy has been part of my life since childhood. I have been coming to the Edinburgh Fringe for years to watch comedy, always seeing one more show than the previous year – 126 shows last year. I love the Fringe. 

‘As part of that, I have enjoyed the buzz the Edinburgh Comedy Awards bring to it so when I heard they needed support to make them happen this year, I reached out to Nica immediately. I feel privileged to be part of making the ECAs happen this year.’

A spokesperson for the Victoria Wood Foundation added: "Victoria Wood was a wonderful human being and an extraordinary talent.

‘Immensely generous in spirit, she had an incredible eye for new talent, often giving young actors with comedic talent their first opportunities in television. We are delighted in the spirit of Victoria Wood to be supporting emerging comedy talent at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe through these fantastic awards.’

No sponsor has come close to achieving the brand recognition that Perrier achieved for its support of the award since their launch in 1981 until 2005, by which time it had become a lightning rod for protests about parent company Nestlé’s ways of promoting powdered baby milk in the developing world.

It was subsequently sponsored by Intelligent Finance, Fosters and Last Minute, as well as Dave and Burns herself. 

This year’s shortlist will be announced on Wednesday August 23,  with the awards announced the following Saturday.

Published: 7 Jul 2023