Dave Cross

1 minute read

Saturday 23 August 2025 brought the Edinburgh Fringe to its crescendo with the Edinburgh Comedy Awards ceremony capping off a vibrant month of laughs.

Award Winners

  • Best Comedy Show (Taffner Family Best Comedy Show):
    Sam Nicoresti – Baby Doomer
    A breakthrough win—the first transgender comic to take the top prize. Baby Doomer is a caustically honest show that tackles identity, mental health, and self‑reflection with sharp wit, heartfelt storytelling, and punchy absurdist humour.
    → Guardian coverage

  • Best Newcomer (DLT Entertainment Best Newcomer):
    Ayoade Bamgboye – Swings and Roundabouts
    A charismatic and emotionally rich show drawing from her UK-Nigerian background, blending surreal anecdotes with striking stage presence.
    → Comedy Awards site · Guardian

  • Victoria Wood Award (Spirit of the Fringe):
    Comedy Club 4 Kids
    Celebrated for two decades of children’s comedy outreach, the organization received this award for embodying the Fringe’s generous and community‑focused ethos.
    → Guardian

Festival Highlights & Final Reflections

This year’s Fringe packed in stellar performances across styles—from the experimental sharp wit of Baby Doomer and the surreal brightness of Swings and Roundabouts, to the joy and inclusivity of Comedy Club 4 Kids.

Cheers also to:

  • Broken‑hearted narrators and emotional stand‑up reinventions (like Bridget Christie and Lorna Rose Treen)
  • Musical satire (Hot Mess)
  • Political wordsmithing (Ahir Shah)
  • Whimsical storytelling (Ivo Graham, Jazz Emu)

You can revisit standout moments and guides from earlier in the Fringe using the “Edinburgh” category page — a quick scan of rising stars and surprise crowd‑pleasers.

Congratulations to all the winners—and everyone who brought new, brave voices to the Fringe this year. May the laughter and stories continue long after the tents come down!

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