As the Century Ends...

...Rich Hall aka Otis Lee Crenshaw

Well, he won the Perrier Award didn't he!

...Sean Lock, he was the Lord of the Dance

2000 was the year that Sean was FINALLY nominated for the Perrier Award. Up against stiff competition he los tout to the above but made up for it at the British Comedy Awards later on in the year being voted Best Live Act.

Another radio series for "15 Storey's High" and surely its time for Sean to make the leap onto telly. A leap he partly made earlier on in the year in the pilot of the BBC's new sketch show "TV to Go". Currently in production, the first series should be on our screens later on in 2001.

...Noble and Silver

Bizarre multimedia pranksters Noble and Silver won the 2000 Perrier Best Newcomer award, following in the footsteps of the likes of the Boosh and Ben and Arn.

Despite this, they didn't manage to win the So You Think You're Funny Award or the Open Mike Award. Speculation insists that they deliberately sobotaged their own performances in a silent protest, because they didn't willingly enter into the competitions.

None the less, Noble and Silver transferred brilliantly onto the small screen in UK Play's "Terrorville". Proving that they don't need to be surrounded by TV screens with their own faces on, Noble and Silver have secured their own series on E4, Channel 4's new digital channel. They had a great 2000, but Comedy Lounge predicts 2001 will be even better.

...Dave Gorman went off the rails

No-one's had a more bizarre and unrepeatable year than Dave Gorman (the original). Serial obsessive Dave has been scouring the country, and indeed world, to track down each and every man (or woman) who shares his name.

This is mad enough in itself, but Dave decided to drag his flat-mate Danny along with him - thus doubling his expenses. His drunk wim has ended up on the BBC for us all to marvel at and assure ourselves that maybe we aren't quite that obsessive!

And how could we forget, Dave deservedly received a Perrier nomination of which he is extremely proud.

...Lee Mack and his "bits"

It's been all-go this year for Lee Mack. The only performer confident enough to predict his own Perrier nomination, Lee has been involved in a number of projects including supplying the voice of a swearing, bitter old puppet in the pilot of Jon Holmes' "Gobo and Dips" along with Sean lock.

Following his Perrier nomination, Lee's performance at Her Majesty's theatre in London went ridiculously well and was followed by the FHM UK comedy tour which Lee headlined.

...horror fiction writer Garth Merenghi

As those in-the-know spent the early stages of the festival predicting, Garth Merenghi's Fright Night, received a well earned Perrier Nomination. However, contrary to this speculation the nomination was in the main category as opposed to the newcomer section. Feeling like small fish in a big pond, the cast members (and the rest of Edinburgh) were puzzled as to why but were deliriously happy all the same.

...the Big and Daft boys

The past year has seen the steady rise to fame of handsome sketch-troop Big and Daft. Ian Boldsworth, Jon Williams and Rob Rouse have been pleasing ladies, and beer, up and down the country and playing to sell-out audiences at the Edinburgh festival.

Bringing their wit and charm to telly, they were the highlight of UK Play series "Terrorville" and adorn the walls of many twentysomething females.

And there's more. Not satisfied with just being part of BAD, Ian is currently writing Les Dawson's official Biography, Rob is a successful stand-up and Jon is a star of the silver screen. 2001 is going to be big and daft!

...Mark Felgate

It has been a surprisingly good year for "funny man" Mark Felgate. A relative newcomer on teh circuit, Mark's material is based heavily on his ability to throw his voice, sounding like Joe Pacquale.

This year he has been a man of many talents. The face of the Royal Bank of Scotland doubles as Lee Mack's Perrier Award winning stage hand. And if this wasn't enough Mark's debut Edinburgh show managed to survive the three weeks of the Edinburgh festival...and so he perseveres.

On a scale of success to talent ratio, Mark has done the best.

...Comedy Lounge

And how could we finish our round-up of the year's success stories without patting ourselves on the back?

The year 2000 was the year that saw the birth of the Lounge. What started out as a drunk idea in between Edinburgh shows has grown into a fullscale comedy project about the width of..of an arm.

Striving to bring you the creme de la creme of comedy and packing in as many cliches as possible, we make it our job to meet all of our comedy heroes, passing it off as a comedy journalism.

...poor old Boosh boys Barratt, Fielding and Brown

Even before this year's Fringe Festival began, Noel, Julian and Dave were appearing in the culture sections of Sunday papers as the Perrier Award Winners 2000. They were so hotly tipped to win the award his year that the only bets being taken in the Comedy Lounge offices were for who the runners up would be.

The announcements for the Perrier Nominees therefore came as something of a shock. Someone appeared to have left their names off the list. On the morning of the announcement, the shock waves running round the Fringe could be felt as far afield as Leith.

Still, with their Edinburgh run selling so quickly that they had to add an unprecedented number of extra shows, with a radio series very much in the pipeline, and rumoured association with the new Channel 4 Jason Freeman vehicle, we very much doubt if the boys have given the fizzy water snub a second thought.

...sketch duo Hitchcocks Half Hour

Due to unexplained complications and unaccountable poor taste, the two Hitchcocks Half Hour boys have parted company.

Tom Hillenbrand (who has sideburns) and Neil Cole (who doesn't) decided the leave each other in a mutual decision, which did not relate to the Edinburgh Festival or anyone stealing anyone else's dog.

Former winners of the Hackney Empire New Act of The Year Award (1998) and nicely described as the 'New Young Gods Of Comedy' by the Times, it is still unclear as to whether a reunion will ever occur.

...hilarious character comedian Harry Enfield

Enfield hurled his new 'comedy' series at an unsuspecting Sky TV watching audience, without careful thought or consideration for their health or well being.

Enfield's new 'comedy' series received a less than glowing reception from the media, and mediocre viewing figures from the public, despite high profile ad campaigns and promotion. The Comedy Lounge viewing public were also less than impressed.

"Harry seems to have forgotten to add jokes or humour," one disgruntled viewer wrote to tell us. "He also seems to have let his Dad play most of the parts he usually handles. Very poor."

...Comedy flatmate Danny Wallace

Professional flat mate Danny Wallace has had one heck of a bad year. Not only does he have to live with a man clearly on the verge of some sort of mental breakdown, he has also been brought from pillar to post in a failed attempt to qualm his demented friend's increasing paranoia that he is not unique in this world.

Poor old Danny has travelled as far afield as Dublin, France, New York and Oslo, with all his travel expenses being covered by the BBC as they intend to use the footage filmed by Danny to put together some kind of warning to future generations.

...public-spirited figure Simon Munnery

Simon Munnery appeared in Edinburgh Sheriff Court in October following his arrest at the end of the Fringe Festival this year.

Munnery was arrested following a fracas at the end of Arthur Smith's tour. The Unofficial Tour of the Royal Mile is an annual event held every year by Fringe veteran Smith. At the end of the tour this year, following Arthur's traditional strip naked that usually rounds up the event, the gathered crowd continued to loiter on the Royal Mile, and when police came to break up the illegal gathering, Munnery was mistaken for the ringleader and arrested.

Munnery was later charged with resisting arrest and possession of drugs. He will appear again in court in Edinburgh later in the New Year.

...Legendary Fringe Venue The Gilded Balloon

Rumours continue to abound that Edinburgh's Gilded Balloon venue is to be closed after what has been called a "particularly bad" year for the venue.

Late last year Artistic Director Karen Koren hit back at rumours that the Gilded Balloon had gone in to liquidation. Following the loss of two major venues last year, The Palladium and Gilded Balloon 2, Koren admitted that attendance figures for this year's festival were "not at the same scale" as the previous year, and also said that tickets sales were "50% lower than 1999". She added that "rising costs of equipment hire, venue rental and high costs in producing our shows has contributed to our current financial situation."

However, she stated in no uncertain terms that the Gilded Balloon had no intention of going out of business, "unless forced to do so by creditors."

...High-collared comic Harry Hill

Harry Hill revealed last year that his Channel 4 contract was not renewed following the third series of his television show.

However, Hill said that he doesn't care if he never makes another television series. "Artistically, I don't really care if I make another TV series. But you have to make a living and people come to see you because they've seen you on TV."

Harry combated this particular problem by appearing instead in one of the most irritating mobile phone ads of the year. He admits that the adverts paid as much money as an entire television series, and he used the opportunity to buy some time to write material for his Birdstrike tour, which was released on video in time for the lovely Christmas market.

...Channel 4's flagship topical nonsense The Eleven O'Clock Show

Channel 4's late night 'comedy' show ran out its final series in a controversial limp of shame.

The show was hosted by TV's Sarah Alexander, with Radio's Jon Holmes leaping at the last minute to replace TV's Iaiaian Lee (who had thrown a strop and walked out just days before the show was to begin it's final run, possibly because someone called him a 'girl').

During it's run, the show was slapped briskly across the wrist for going "beyond boundaries of good taste". Television watchdogs The Broadcasting Standards Association announced officially that the programme went too far on a number of occasions. They specifically criticised one sketch about a young girl given a mobile phone to combat bullies.

The watchdogs said they were "troubled" by the choice of vulnerable targets, and decided the show went "beyond acceptable boundaries". They did not comment on the gratuitous use of talentless idiots.

...top Scottish bank, the Royal Bank of Scotland

Apparently on the receiving end of a taste by-pass, the Royal Bank of Scotland's PR committee unjustifiably nominated impressionist Mark Felgate to be the public face of Scottish banking.

Felgate, who appeared in Edinburgh as part of an Edinburgh Fringe show, can be seen in the adverts across the country making an idiot of himself, as well as particularly vulnerable members of the general public. In a weak pastiche of the old Pepsi Taste Challenge, he asks people to tell him which mortgage tastes better.