Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards – new podcast series out now

Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards has released a new four episode podcast to celebrate this year’s winners while also looking back at previous winners over the last 40 years.

The podcast is introduced by Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards director Nica Burns, OBE, and features the winners from Best Comedy Show and Best Newcomer Awards in the last four decades.

This week is a big week in the awards calendar with the nominees gala on Thursday and the announcement of the winner on Saturday.

Russell Kane will host the Nominees Gala on Thursday 25 August. The Gala will also make an hour-long exclusive programme for BBC Radio 4 to be broadcast at 11pm on Thursday. If you want to be part of the audience then free tickets are available here.

Clips of the performances and interviews from the Gala will also be released across the Dave social channels, with clips of the Best Comedy Show winner and Best Newcomer winner released on the afternoon when winners are announced on Saturday 27 August.

The remaining nominees clips will be released in the weeks after the festival. The content will be available on Dave’s TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

TikTok have entered a partnership with Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards and there will be behind the scenes content broadcast on Thursday night straight from The Pleasance.

The exclusive Backstage at the Gala livestream will be hosted by Best Newcomer Nominee 2019 Janine Harouni and will be available on Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards TikTok on Thursday 25th August.  

The inaugural Comedy Award winners were The Cambridge Footlights in 1981, with a line-up which included Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson.  Other winners whose careers have been a great success since carrying off the awards range from the late Sean Hughes, still the youngest ever winner at age 24, to Rose Matafeo, Hannah Gadsby, Bridget Christie, Russell Kane, Richard Ayoade, Al Murray, The League of Gentlemen, Dylan Moran, Jenny Eclair, Harry Hill, Lee Evans, Steve Coogan and Frank Skinner.

• Episode One: Harry Hill (for whom the Best Newcomer Award was created in 1992) in conversation with Roisin Conaty (Best Newcomer 2010).
• Episode Two: Jenny Eclair (first female to win the Best Show Award in 1995) in conversation with Catherine Cohen (most recent winner, Best Newcomer 2019)
• Episode Three: Al Murray (Best Show 1999) in conversation with Rose Matafeo (Best Show 2018)
• Episode Four: Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2022 winners in conversation