As Eva Peroni wins a separate fund to help Fringe newcomers

Paul Hilleard has been named the first Chortle Hotshot of 2026, following a showcase at The Gaffe comedy club in Bristol.

The comic is making his Edinburgh Fringe debut with a show called Grog, about the odd characters and cultures of the South Wales valleys where he grew up, and Bristol where he lives now. It will be on at Monkey Barrel at 10.40pm

Chortle will be paying his Fringe registration fee and offering free advertising and publicity as part of his Hotshots package.

Hilleard was previously named BBC New Comedian of the Year in 2024 and was a finalist in Channel 4’s Sean Lock awards last year.

Here's an extract from his set:

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Our second Hotshots showcase takes place at the Top Secret Comedy Club in Central London on Wednesday. 

Taking part are Rob Duncan, Jonathan Oldfield, Sam Coade, Lady Bolognese (aka Tanika Lay-Meachen & Matt Straker), Sam Eley, Prateek Kohli, Fab Goualin,  Mark Daniels and Alexandra Mason.

Tickets are available here.

Meanwhile, Eva Peroni has won the Brass Tacks Debut Fund fund designed to help working-class Scottish comics perform at the Fringe – meaning she will have the upfront production costs paid for her show Jungled at Gilded Balloon.

The 21-year-old said: 'I knew I wanted to debut this year but that didn't really feel possible knowing how much it costs to bring a show to the Fringe,' she said. 'This fund makes it possible not only to do a show, but to give it a real chance too.’

'It's almost impossible for working-class acts to properly debut and make their show a success. With venue hire costs it's unlikely you'll then be able to pay for directing, marketing, production and tech, PR and more, meaning that so many incredible debut acts get lost behind acts with big agents or who are able to spend more money on their show.’

Last year's recipient, Edinburgh comedian Ayo Adenekan,  returns to the Fringe this year with a new show at Monkey Barrel.

The fund is run by agency Brass Tacks comedy and backed by Red Bull. Katie Palmer of Brass Tacks said: ’It gave Ayo the chance to fully focus on his debut show at what can be a very intimidating and intense festival, without worrying about the huge financial risk that so many young working-class comics have to take. I am so confident that Eva is the perfect person to fill those boots.’

Peroni started performing comedy in Costa Rica in 2022 and now regularly performs at Scotland’s biggest comedy clubs.

Published: 27 Feb 2026