Four acts shortlisted for top comedy award

There'll be an Englishman, an Irishman, a Welshman and two Americans in a bar on Saturday after they were yesterday shortlisted for Britain's most prestigious comedy prize in Edinburgh. The Intelligent Finance Comedy Awards may not yet be as familiar as the previous name, the Perriers, but their significance is hard to dispute. They get up-and-coming comics noticed: previously shortlisted non-winners include Jimmy Carr, Noel Fielding, Chris Addison, Peter Kay, Graham Norton and Eddie Izzard. This year four acts will be competing: Irishman David O'Doherty, Welsh standup Rhod Gilbert, English comic Russell Kane and, from the US, Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler. Nica Burns, the West End producer and director of the awards, said O'Doherty, who was shortlisted two years ago, had upped his game and was performing better than... [read full story]