Phil Nichol scoops top Edinburgh comedy award

Published Tuesday 29 August 2006 at 15:15 by Liz Thomas

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Canadian Phil Nichol won this year’s top comedy accolade at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for his one-hour show The Naked Racist.

The veteran stand-up took home the if.comeddies best comedy prize - formerly known as the Perrier Awards - and netted £8,000 in prize money, beating off competition from talent such as Russell Howard and sketch group We Are Klang.

The comic, who won last year’s Stage Award for Best Actor, was again nominated this year and was nominated for a Perrier in 2002 - has been performing at the festival since the early nineties.

Awards producer Nica Burns said Nichol “blew everybody away with an outstanding show”.

The if.comeddies Best Newcomer award went to Josie Long - the only female nominee. She beat Russell Kane, Fat Tongue, Andrew Lawrence and God’s Pottery, to win the accolade and £4,000 for her show Kindness and Exuberance.

The Panel Prize, a new introduction this year, set up to mark the act or show considered to capture the comedy spirit of the event and voted for by the jury, was awarded to hugely popular comedian Mark Watson. He also receives £4,000 in winnings.

The awards, which began in 1981, have helped launch or boost the careers of talent such as League of Gentlemen, Steve Coogan, Frank Skinner and Al Murray.