The winners of the Malcolm Hardee Awards include a half naked clown, a comic who refuses to reveal the location of his show and a man who sits in the basement of Scotland’s most haunted pub and eats cheese.
Mark Dean Quinn was awarded the prize for Comic Originality for his show No, That’s Not Your Cheese.
Comic Thom Tuck, who does not reveal the time or location of his show Times Vary was awarded the Cunning Stunt Award.
And Garry Starr, who was nominated in two categories, won the award for Act Most Likely to Make a Million Quid for his show Classic Penguins, which, in the spirit of Malcolm Hardee, is performed entirely without trousers.
Comic Originality: Mark Dean Quinn
Mark Dean Quinn was surprised in the basement of the Banshee Labyrinth with the award for his show, which takes place at 1.50 each morning, involves unhealthy quantities of cheese, and has been known to continue for two hours.
He said: “Thank you! I’m really proud of the show and very grateful so many people have loved what I’m doing, but it wouldn’t be possible without PBH Free Fringe or the Banshee Labyrinth who have been incredibly supportive.
“The acts nominated this year were incredible and diverse and included friends like Nate Kitch, The Duncan Brothers and Paulina Lenoir who also deserve plaudits for their brave, bold beautiful shows and for being exceptional people.
“I’d also like to thank my friend Alwin Solanky who, without their support, I wouldn’t be at the fringe this year; ACMS; and anyone doing anything alternative or strange that’s not commercial. Particularly anyone that isn’t a straight white man. I have so much respect for these acts because, without the privilege I have and use, it is so much more difficult to dress as a whoopi cushion and eat cheese at 1.50am in a room full of drunks. You are doing it for love and – despite abuse, unfairness and bigotry – you are still doing it. You are the real heroes of the alternative comedy scene and I’m proud to share the stage with you.”
Cunning Stunt: Thom Tuck
The Award for Cunning Stunt celebrates offbeat ways of attracting an audience, in memory of Malcolm Hardee, who once wrote a fake rave review of his own show, in the name of a celebrated comedy critic, which was actually published in The Scotsman.
Thom Tuck performed his show Times Vary at different locations and at different times every day. Fans of his comedy had to decipher clues on social media to work out where to go to see the show.
He said: “I’ve had to cancel the show twice so far: one my own fault, one everyone else’s. Since the second cancellation, where one person turned up, it’s now possible to do the show with one. So, see you at the graveyard near Calton Hill by the statue of Abraham Lincoln at 20:26 on Saturday 24th August. And thank you to my girlfriend, Richard Osman.”
Act Who Should Make a Million Quid: Garry Starr
The Million Quid Award, previously won by Bo Burnham, Trevor Noah and superclown Julia Masli was won by Garry Starr for his show Classic Penguins.
Damien Warren-Smith, who performs as Garry Starr, has been performing his literature-based clowning show at the Pleasance Courtyard each day at 8:30pm.
Starr was joined on stage at the end of his show on Friday, by a collection of clowns, all naked and wearing space helmets.
Zach Zucker, who has worked with Starr for years as part of Stamptown, said to the audience: “We just found out that Garry Starr has won a Malcolm Hardee Award. He has made these perfect shows for years and it is about time he got some recognition.”
Zucker then removed his own clothes as a tribute to Starr, whose show Classic Penguins takes nakedness to new comic limits.
After the show Starr said: “This means so much to me. Although these are stupid silly shows, I love them so much. Thank you all so much.”
Shortlisted for Comic Originality were Vinay Sagar for 10,000 Digits of Pi; The Duncan Brothers for Blood Sword; Elliot Wengler for Jokémon; Garry Starr for Classic Penguins; Nate Kitch for Tomorrow Might Not Happen, Now; Paulina Lenoir for Puella Eterna and Neil Davidson for The Thermos Museum.
The other nominees for Cunning Stunt were Huge Davies (for tricking people using mock-up national press covers suggesting that he had been cancelled); Luke Rollason (for hiding 100 loo rolls with his face on in the toilets at performer bars); and Tim Reeves (for creating a pastiche brochure that satirises different kinds of shows at the Fringe).
Also nominated for the Million Quid Award were Dylan Mulvaney, for creating Faghag, a full-blown musical version of her own life story and Finlay Christie, who has successfully transitioned from TikTok star to fully formed stand-up with his show I Deserve This.
The Malcolm Hardee Awards have run since 2005, the year of Malcolm Hardee’s death. The judging panel consisted of Marissa Burgess, Kate Copstick, Bruce Dessau, Jay Richardson, Claire Smith and Ian Wolf. Previous winners can be seen via the Hardee Awards website. https://www.comedy.co.uk/hardees/
