Fringe poll no laughing matter for comics

PLANS by Fringe organisers for an online poll to decide the best comic act of the past 30 years have been condemned as "shameful" and "inane".

All acts nominated during the 30 years of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards have been shortlisted, with the winner due to be unveiled at the end of next month.

Comic Stewart Lee claimed the "Comedy God" award would discredit comedy at the Fringe and urged organiser Nica Burns to drop the idea.

In an open letter, he said: "How dare you proceed with this farcical, selfish idea?"

"Don't invoke people like Simon Cowell and Andrew Lloyd Webber in an Edinburgh Fringe award. What is wrong with you? It's totally inappropriate. This is the place we go to escape them!

"You need to pull the plug on this now. It is the most shameful, inane thing I have seen in all the years I have been doing the Fringe. You will ruin it."

Ms Burns said: "We've never had any kind of public vote in all the years we've been doing the awards and we thought it was a good time to do so with the 30th year. It's our way of celebrating all the great comedians that have emerged."