Marty Gleeson is best newcomer

 Chris Cantrill has won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for best show – on the fourth time of being nominated. 

On receiving the award at the Fringe,  he said: ‘I’ve got a lot of people to say thank you to because you can't get on this stage without a massive community of people.

‘Top of the list: my wife Nicola… She’s moved our entire lives around so I can do this. I have one day off and then I'm in London for SNL [where he is a writer]

‘I just want to give a shout-out to the two biggest and best bald men in this city: director Tom Parry - he’s come into the city for a shared pressured environment and he's just a great friend as well and big bald man John Stansfield… he’s been fantastic.

‘Apart from that I've just got a ton of people to go thank Monkey Barrel… everyone who worked on the show: Beth Hamilton, the  show operator…  Rachel Fairburn, Amy Gledhill – I’m still on the phone every day talking through various mental health crises and I can't fucking remember everyone else. I'll do it on an Instagram post.

‘Thank you so much. This is a huge honour. Thank you.’

Marty Gleeson won the award for best newcomer.

She said it was 'crazy, crazy' to have taken the prize for her show Dog Ear and dedicated her victory to her dad.

One Joke – a charity benefit in which 60 comedians perform just one gag each – won the Panel Prize for embodying the spirit of the Fringe.

Accepting the award, one of the organisers, comedian Jonathan Oldfield, joked: ‘I’d like to now, really briefly, thank and name each of the individual 60 comedians.'

Co-organiser Benjamin Alborough became visibly emotional as he delivered his speech.

He said: 'One Joke is a crazy idea. It shouldn't work, and it almost doesn't. Running around backstage dressed as Terry Wogan is a nightmare on several different levels.

'I'm so happy that the show has got the recognition for a very important local charity [The Welcoming, which supports refugees]. I would just say a massive part of the story of organising this is the community it brings. It's very easy to lose sight of who we are  and doing this brings together just a small fraction of the group of who's performing here.

'I think we're also losing sight in this country of solidarity,... [The Welcoming] are doing amazing work helping refugees and asylum seekers in Edinburgh and beyond. And I just want to say: refugees are welcome here.'

Ellie BW and Lorna Rose Treen are the other organisers of the gig and also gave their thanks on stage.

Awards director Nica Burns said: 'In Chris and Marty we have two outstanding winners: both are exceptional comedians, writers and performers who have crafted wonderful shows.

'There is so much talent at the Edinburgh Fringe and comedy is again the largest category this year. With so much talent to choose from, the judges’ debate was knowledgeable, exciting and passionate. Congratulations to Chris and Marty and all the comedians shortlisted – you are all terrific."

Liz Lewin, director of comedy series at Netflix UK and chair of the judging panel, added: 'It was wonderful to be part of a judging panel and process that gave such careful, thorough and enjoyable consideration to such a range of outstanding comedians, any one of whom would have been a winner to be proud of.

'In Chris and Marty we see two very different but equally brilliant writers and performers who have both conjured something that only they could have.'

The full list of nominees for the Audible Best Comedy Show was:

 Chris Cantrill: Rewilding
Dan Tiernan: Quartz and All
Harriet Dyer: Easily Distra...
Lara Ricote: Inkilng
Li Jin Hao: Falling From A Moon
Spencer Jones: Dogs

The nominees for the Taffner Family Best Newcomer Award were:

Dom McGovern: Prize Hog
Fatiha El-Ghorri: Cockney Stacking Doll
Freddie Meredith: Need a Light?
Marty Gleeson: Dog Ear
Omar Badawy: Guided Detour
Tom Towelling Teaches You to Knit
Underground Monk Show

This was also the third nomination for Tiernan and Jones.

Nominees will be taking part in the Edinburgh Comedy Awards Gala, which will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 11pm tonight.

The panel for this year's Edinburgh Comedy Awards comprises:

Liz Lewin, director of comedy series, Netflix UK
Sasha Bobak, comedy and entertainment producer, BBC Studios
Sam Bryant, director of original content and head of comedy, Audible
Amar Chauhan, public panellist
Tristram Fane Saunders, comedy critic, The Telegraph
Isabelle Jackson, public panellist
Dominic Maxwell, comedy and theatre critic and feature writer, The Times and The Sunday Times
Louise Robb, public panellist
Anya Ryan, theatre and comedy critic, The Guardian, The Times, Time Out and The Stage
Darren Smith, creative director, DLT Entertainment

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Published: 29 Aug 2026