Comedy

Fern Brady (body of work) - WINNER

Fern Brady has achieved remarkable success as both a comedian and an author, demonstrating exceptional talent, creativity, and dedication to her craft. Fern's achievements over the past year highlight her singular voice and relatability. Her latest comedy special, Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen, has been widely acclaimed for its sharp wit, incisive and caustic humour, and fearless approach to taboo subjects. 

Her memoir, Strong Female Character, was lauded for its candid exploration of her late stage autism diagnosis and Catholic upbringing and her latest tour show Fern Brady: I Gave You Milk To Drink received rave reviews. Regular appearances on popular talk shows, such as The Last Leg, Celebrity Bake Off for SU2C and Unforgivable have showcased her quick wit, engaging personality, and insightful perspectives. 

Blindboyboatclub for The Blindboy podcast 

Blindboy is an innovator in the world of podcasting.  He considers the medium to be a new technological space to explore writing and storytelling and thinks of his work as an ongoing perpetual novel. Encompassing eclectic subjects including history, colonisation, mythology, art and mental health, each episode is meticulously researched and refreshingly esoteric.

A champion of mental health and autism, Blindboyboatclub often deeply explores what his autism diagnosis means and how it shapes his work. Earnest and intellectual but down to earth and funny with almost 1 million regular listeners.

Julia Masli for ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Julia Masli’s widely acclaimed live agony aunt show was a runaway hit.  The idea behind this wonderfully odd setup is that a problem shared is a problem halved.  This hugely original and innovative show is built on the bravest and most skilful of improvisations.  Julia is a master of clowning, reinventing the art form and bringing in new audiences to enjoy this often overlooked comedic style.