Comedy news: Stewart Lee launches scathing attack on Edinburgh Comedy Festival's 'Comedy God' poll

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Stewart Lee has launched a verbal tirade against Edinburgh Comedy Awards organiser Nica Burns over new plans to ask the public to vote for their ‘comedy god’.

The veteran comic has lashed out at the ‘shameful and inane’ plans by the newly sponsored Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Award to ask members of the public to vote for the favourite comedian from previous Perrier and if.comedy award nominees.

In an email to several leading publicists in the comedy industry Lee said “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 for everyone. Have a heart, for God’s sake.

Lee went on to say that most people go to the Fringe to escape the corporate entities such as Simon Cowell or Andrew Lloyd Webber, and to invoke references to them puts the idea of the Fringe under threat.

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

“You should be ashamed. Nica Burns! It's not too late to try and change the way you will be remembered.

“Whores. Morons. Illiterates.

“There is so much good stuff you could use your corporate funding for, and instead, year in, year out, you make these crass decisions.

“The whole thing will blow up in your face. Then, perhaps, we will see an end to your nonsense.”
Lee also attacked the idea that The Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards had an illustrious and extensive heritage of discovering the funniest, most outstanding, up and coming new talent at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Get a grip. 'The Fosters Comedy Awards' has not discovered talent over 30 years. Everyone knows that.  It was the Perrier. And neither, to be honest, did Perrier.”