17 Aug 2006

The Pleasance is extremely proud to announce that we have 3 acts up for The Writers' Guild List Festival Awards 2006.

For best Drama Newcomer, The Unsinkable Clerk has been nominated. Felix, Tom, and Andrew can't quite believe it. PT caught up with them just before they performed their award-nominated show today, where Andrew exclaimed 'By jove! Isn't this wonderful!'. It most certainly is, Andrew, it most certainly is.

In the Best New Comedy category we have Mark Watson with his show 'I'm Worried That I'm Starting to Hate Almost Everyone in the World' (we tried to get a comment from the whirlwind that is Mark, but alas he was sleeping off his last venture: The 36 Hour Show), so we simply have to wish you luck for this. Alongside him, carrying the comedy flag are Trippplicate with The Receptionists. We high-fived the girls just this morning, and like The Unsinkable Clerk men, they can't quite believe it. So in a flurry of much disbelief and best wishes here comes the science part...

After last year's highly successful launch, the Writers' Guide of Great Britain has again teamed up with The List to celebrate the best new writing on the Edinburgh Fringe. The four awards categories are: Best New Drama, Best New Comedy, Best Comedy Newcomer, Best Drama Newcomer.

They have a team of scouts, most of whom are members of the Writers' Guild, watching and assessing hundreds of shows in Edinburgh throughout August. Their reports are published here - separate from the main List Festival reviews. The scouts' recommendations are passed on to the team of judges, who go see the shows themselves, fight amongst themselves for a bit, then select the winners.

A cash prize of £500 will be presented to each of the main winners, and £250 each to the best newcomer. All winners will receive a year's free membership of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain, the only trade union for writers working in radio, film and TV. The winners will be announced and presented with their awards on Tuesday 22 August at the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh.