UKTV’s leading comedy channel Dave today announces its new title partnership of The Edinburgh Comedy Awards, directed by Nica Burns.
The Edinburgh Comedy Awards, which were established in 1981 and are entering their 39th year for 2019, celebrate the talent of both established and up-and-coming comedians performing at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe each year. From 2019, the awards will be sponsored by comedy channel Dave, to further celebrate and support comics, from those breaking into the industry to much-loved names.
Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards are judged by an independent panel, who see all eligible shows performed live at the Fringe, with previous winners including Rose Matafeo, Al Murray, Bridget Christie, Jenny Éclair, The League of Gentleman, Frank Skinner, Steve Coogan, Lee Evans and Russell Kane.
Dave has a well-established passion for supporting fresh comedy, and with a growing slate of UKTV Originals, the channel is committed to seeking out new acts. With an audience of over 19 million people each month, original commissioned series include fan favourites such asTaskmaster, Hypothetical, Judge Romesh, Sliced and Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier. The channel prides itself on supporting new talent, with the majority of their original comedies bringing in young audiences, significantly above industry average.
Across 2019, Dave has nine UKTV Original comedy series on the channel, working with over 100 comedians across the year.
Luke Hales, channel director for Dave, said: “We spend a lot of time talking to our audience about what they want from both comedy and Dave, and one of the most common responses is asking to be introduced to new comics – so partnering with The Edinburgh Comedy Awards feels like the perfect way to help us discover even more new talent. We want to make sure Dave is immersed in fresh comedy in the real world, as well as on television. We love the Edinburgh Fringe Festival here at Dave, and this year, wanted to build on our involvement alongside Dave’s Joke of the Fringe – we’re extremely excited to help support the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, who share our passion and commitment for supporting both new and established comedy stars.”
Nica Burns, Director of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, said: “We are delighted to announce that our new title partner is UKTV comedy channel Dave. There is an incredible synergy between us; we both love comedy and are always looking for up and coming talent – the stars of tomorrow – to sit alongside the stars of today. Many of our nominees, from James Acaster, to Nish Kumar, Sara Pascoe, Romesh Ranganthan and Lucy Beaumont are stars or panelists on Dave’s original comedy strands. We are looking forward to a great partnership and announcing our first Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Award nominees and winners.”
The new award has been designed by UKTV’s in-house creative team UKTV Creative. Alongside a brand-new partnership with Dave, 2019 is set to be a record-breaking year for the Awards already, with over 750 different comedy shows eligible for the shortlist, all of which will be seen by the judging team.
The nominations for Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards will be announced on Wednesday 21stAugust, with the winners to be revealed on Saturday 24th August.
The Awards categories are:
– Best Comedy Show – with a cash prize of £10,000
– Best Newcomer – with a cash prize of £5,000
– Panel Prize – with a cash prize of £5,000
A full history of the winners and nominees, eligibility rules and all other details about the Awards can be found at www.comedyawards.co.uk
