British comedian Sam Nicoresti took home a historic victory at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe by becoming the first trans person to win the Best Comedy Show award.
Established in 1981, the Edinburgh Comedy Awards are credited with having launched the careers of several famous comedians, including Stephen Fry, Steve Coogan and Lee Evans. At this year’s ceremony, trans comedian Sam Nicoresti received the Best Comedy Show award along with a £10,000 prize for their show Baby Doomer, which they performed at Edinburgh Fringe.
Described by The Guardian as “an ebullient hour with a sky-high joke count”, Baby Doomer explores life as a trans woman, navigating mental health struggles and the journey of transitioning.
“Winning the award sure is swell, I’m super excited and stoked and jazzed. I did this for the queers making weird art, and it’s a privilege to share this moment with the first all-female line-up of award winners,” Nicoresti said, as reported by the BBC.
Originally from Birmingham, Nicoresti started their career as a stand-up comedian and went on to regularly play at venues and festivals across the UK. They’ve also twice had Fringe shows transfer to the Soho Theatre. They describe themselves as a “comedian whose obsessive neuroticism and lyrical phrasing blends with a surrealist instinct and childish playfulness to create thick, delirious routines.”
In another first at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, stand-up comedian Ayoade Bamgboye won Best Newcomer for her show Swings and Roundabouts, becoming the first Black woman to receive the award.
Commenting on both wins, director of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards Nica Burns said that, “Sam Nicoresti’s Baby Doomer is a masterfully woven, polished and delightfully human show that captures an essential moment with, to paraphrase her words, laughs by the seconds.
“Ayoade Bamgboye’s debut hour is electric, constantly keeping you on your toes,” Burns added. “What begins as an everyday anecdote about the Co-Op unfolds into a rich, often surreal world, layered with profound emotional depth. She delivers it all with remarkable charisma and presence. Ayoade has a brilliant future ahead of her.”
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