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Nica Burns, Director of the Perrier Comedy Awards, looks back.

There must have been something in the air in 1981. Alternative comedy burst forth at the Comic Strip, Bill Burdett-Coutts founded Assembly Rooms at the Fringe and Perrier created the Perrier Award.

And me? I was playing Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream on tour with the company from the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park. In 1982 - wanting to do my own work - I brought my own adaptation of HE Bates' Dulcina to the Celtic Lodge on the Royal Mile with my friend Colin Watkeys. Colin directed, designed the set and lights, did the press and I did everything else and had a whopping part. Everything, inclusing the set, had to fit in to my ford Escort or it didn't come. We sank our life savings into it and learned how to produce. We got a terrific review in The Scotsman, sold out the run, were offered some touring dates and a run at the Finborough Arms, a pub theatre in London.

While at he Finborough, we started doing late-night comedy on Fridays and Saturdays. We had fantastic performers doing open slots - Jeremy Hardy, Paul Merton, Rory Bremner - while I compered because we couldnÕt afford to pay anyone. Colin and I became fascinated by the idea of using comedians in a theatrical context, so on our return to Edinburgh in 1983, we had comic John Dowie playing Strindberg, alongside Mark Steel in A Little Cabaret for Bertolt Brecht. To this day, I have enormous regards for the skill, drive and sheer balls you have to have to be a comic - let alone writing ability, charisma, timing and the courage to mine your life and views for good material. Those two summers at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe changed my life. I did work I really believed in, met a busload if interesting performers, made incredible connections, had enormous fun and got noticed. More than that - Edinburgh gave me my lucky break.

By the end of 1983, I had become artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse Theatre in Covent Garden. We did fantastic cutting-edge theatre work and I continued my commitment to stand-up with more late-night comedy. In 1984, I took over the Perrier Awards, persuading Perrier to put a lot more money into it an starting Perrier Pick of the fringe Season at the Donmar, bringing nine shows in three weeks to London. This is my 21st consecutive year at the Fringe, my 19th running what is now known simply as Perrier. Comedy has grown, with clubs all over the country and comic talent and audiences to fill them. The Perrier too has grown to include another award for Best Newcomer. In 1984 there were only about 40 shows eligible for the award. In 2002, there were about 210 comedy shows eligible. And yes, we have actually seen them all. The range of talent is astounding. Everything from physical comedy, story telling, character comedy and improv to pure stand-up. It is only by seeing so many different (and so many different types of) shows that the best begin to emerge.

So what is the panel looking for? How do they manage to come to a shortlist of six shows? Simple, really. Great material, wonderful performances, spot on timing, an original point of view, a rapport with the audience and lots of laughs. And there is that indefinable something that a comic has, to bring all these things together and sustain it for a whole hour. Not easy. And there is a special kind of buzz, one you hear from the comedy fans in the queues and talked about in the bars by the comedians themselves: "Oh, X is in a major roll, heÕs really cracked it this year". I donÕt vote (thank goodness) but I do get to listen to the passionate panel debates. "Listen to A's material!" "What about B's originality?" "Savour C's timing!" "Did you see the way D bounces off the audience?" You may not agree with the shortlist, in fact, you personally might not find some of the nominees funny. Sense of humour does differ from person to person after all. However, I bet if you went to see them all, you'd have to agree they are not just good, but great at what they do.

To be continued...

reprinted with kind permission from an article in the Edinburgh Evening News 2002 photo: Andrew Stuart