2023 Edinburgh Fringe
Lindsey Santoro wins NextUp's Biggest Award in Comedy
- Lindsey Santoro has won NextUp's 2m+ inflatable trophy for her Edinburgh show, Pink Tinge
- She jokes: "I'm going to have to leave my toddler in Edinburgh so I can wedge it in the car"
- Ian Smith, Tom Lawrinson and Louise Young are the runners-up
Lindsey Santoro has been voted as the winner of NextUp's Biggest Award in Comedy, for her show Pink Tinge.
She wins the 2 metre 1 centimetre inflatable trophy ("literally the biggest award in comedy, and 1cm bigger than last year"), a pump for it, plus £500, the option to have her special recorded for the NextUp platform, and a guest slot on RHLSTP, the podcast which has sponsored the cash prize.
On hearing she had won, Santoro said: "What on earth is going on? I am absolutely thrilled to bits! As a daft commoner, I'm so elated that others find me funny rather than unhinged - it's a fine line and it's good to know I'm just about on the right side of it. What am I meant to do with this giant trophy? I'm going to have to leave my toddler in Edinburgh so I can wedge it in the car. Thank you so much Next Up! Overjoyed! What a wild ride this Fringe has been."
The three runners up for the award are Crushing by Ian Smith, Hubba Hubba by Tom Lawrinson and Feral by Louise Young.
Amy Williams from NextUp says: "Our aim with these awards is the same as the aim of our platform - to highlight incredible talent to comedy fans, in particular names people might not have heard of...yet! Lindsey had us crying with laughter from the smear test material all the way to the end of her show. She's so at home on stage and so joyful in her delivery, you can't help but love her.
"The runners up all had incredible shows too - Crushing was written and delivered to perfection by Ian (we think he's about to blow), Tom Lawrinson's unique take leading to totally unexpected punchlines had us in stitches - the Harry Potter material was gold, and Louise Young's Feral was another absolutely brilliant debut, with hilarious stories drawn from Louise's chaotic life. It's been a fantastic Fringe."
RHLSTP host Richard Herring adds: "RHLSTP is very proud to have supported the biggest prize in comedy and the only award to find objectively the actual best shows at the Fringe. Congrats to Lindsey and all the runners-up who will hopefully all be guests on RHLSTP at some point. Please don't let the prize money ruin your life - spend it wisely."