Draft:Best in Class (comedy initiative)

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{{AFC comment|1=As previous reviewers have remarked, the draft's subject doesn't appear to be notable enough, particularly as an organization. Several references are dubious at best (Twitter/X, Chortle and the organization's own website). In addition, the draft is poorly structured. Please add more independent and reliable sources to firmly establish the notability of this organization, as well as add more context and info on noteworthy events if possible. NeoGaze (talk) 22:53, 22 May 2025 (UTC)}}

{{AFC comment|1=There is still not enough content that marks the importance of this article. I concur on the significant coverage if the award won but's not enough to meet out general notability guidelines. Safari Scribe^{Edits! Talk!} 18:08, 21 June 2024 (UTC)}}

{{AFC comment|1=Nothing changed since the last decline beyond adding more text. The Skinny's coverage is very nice, but there's little elsewhere beyond the passing mentions and routine news announcements. Jovanmilic97 (talk) 12:11, 10 November 2023 (UTC)}}

{{AFC comment|1=Only few of the sources give significant coverage to this subject. Out of those, only two are independent.(Chortle is not independent because you can submit news to publish) That leaves only a short article on BCG and a blog in [beyondthejoke.co.uk], which seems to be ran by an expert. More quality sources are required. Carpimaps ^{talk to me!} 12:31, 6 June 2023 (UTC)}}

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Best In Class is a grassroots initiative set up to support working-class comedians who wish to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe arts and media festival in Scotland.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bestinclass.org.uk/|title=** Best In Class **|website=www.bestinclass.org.uk}} It was established in 2018 by Sian Davies,{{cite web | url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/comedy/interviews/best-in-class-championing-working-class-comedy | title=Best in Class: Championing Working Class Comedy at the Fringe }} and in 2022 it won the Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel Prize.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/aug/27/edinburgh-festivals-funniest-performers-for-2022-are-revealed|title=Edinburgh festival's funniest performers for 2022 are revealed|date=August 27, 2022|website=the Guardian}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.comedyawards.co.uk/panel-prize|title=Panel Prize Winners 2006 - 2022|website=Dave's Edinburgh Comedy Awards|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220912190709/https://www.comedyawards.co.uk/panel-prize|archive-date=12 September 2022|url-status=dead}}{{cite web | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/news/edinburgh-comedy-awards-best-show-b2154076.html | title=The winner of the Best Comedy Show at the Edinburgh Fringe has been announced | website=Independent.co.uk | date=27 August 2022 }} It also jointly won the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards Panel Prize in 2024, while numerous alumni{{Like whom?}} have gone on to be nominated for major comedy awards, appeared on TV, and filmed their own comedy specials.

History

Best In Class was set up in 2018, to support working-class comedians who perform at the often financially prohibitive Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This was a reaction to Sian being dropped by a showcase show in Edinburgh, due to being unable to afford the £1800 needed to take part in the show. Sian mentioned this in her speech when picking up the Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel Prize in 2022, in front of a room of industry professionals.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sS2XmGO0yk | title=Best in Class founder Sian Davies' Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel Prize acceptance speech | website=YouTube | date=September 2022 }}{{Better source needed}}

The show is crowdfunded,{{cite web | url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/pro/news/6811/best-in-class-2022-applications/ | title=Best in Class seeks working class comics for Edinburgh 2022 - BCG Pro | website=British Comedy Guide | date=11 April 2022 }} and works on a profit-sharing basis, so the comedians involved get a split of the profits based on how many shows they take part in.

Alumni of the project include Tom Mayhew, who appeared in the first year, and went on to have his own BBC Radio 4 series; 2021 BBC New Comedy Award winner Anna Thomas; Jordan Gray, who was nominated for the main Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2022;{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/edinburgh-festival-fringe-transgender-comic-in-running-for-biggest-comedy-award-for-first-time-3818326|title=Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Transgender comic in running for biggest comedy award for first time|date=August 24, 2022|website=The Scotsman}} Jamie Hutchinson, well-known for his appearances on the Have a Word podcast; and Laura Smyth, who appeared on Jonathan Ross' Comedy Club in 2020 and Live at the Apollo in 2023.{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001h1tt | title=BBC Two - Live at the Apollo, Series 17, Episode 3 }}

The project has enabled 24 working class comedians to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe since 2018, and assisted a further 20 performers with accommodation grants in 2022.https://twitter.com/morriseysquiff/status/1608461382747557895{{Dead link|date=May 2025}}{{Better source needed}}

The initiative was mentioned by Fringe of Colour in their acceptance speech for the 2019 Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel Prize, before going on to win the Panel Prize itself in 2022. This led to Best In Class getting a West End run at the prestigious Soho Theatre, with dates in October 2022, January 2023, and April 2023.{{cite web | url=https://sohotheatre.com/shows/best-in-class/ | title=Best in Class }}

The 2023 line-up was announced on 10th February 2023.{{cite web | url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/other-news/2023/02/10/52511/best_in_class_2023_line-up_announced | title=Best in Class 2023 line-up announced : Other news 2023 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide }}{{Better source needed}}{{cite web | url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/live/fyi/164/best-in-class-2023-line-up/ | title=Best in Class 2023 line-up announced | website=British Comedy Guide | date=10 February 2023 }}

In April 2023, it was announced that Best In Class were giving away their £5000 prize money for winning the Panel Prize, with it being distributed to working-class comedians who were bringing a show to the Edinburgh Fringe that year.{{cite web | url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2023/04/13/52932/best_in_class_gives_away_its_edinburgh_comedy_award_prize_money | title=Best in Class gives away its Edinburgh Comedy Award prize money : News 2023 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide }}{{Better source needed}}{{cite web | url=https://beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/13388/edinburgh-award-class | title=Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel Prize Winners to Give Money to Working Class Acts | date=13 April 2023 }}

In August 2023, Lindsey Santoro became the first alumni to be nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer award. She also won NextUp Comedy's Biggest Prize in Comedy award, which the previous year was won by another previous BIC alumni, Jordan Gray.{{cite web | url=https://www.offthekerb.com/news/lindsey-santoro-wins-the-biggest-award-in-comedy/ | title=Off the Kerb - Lindsey Santoro wins the BIGGEST Award in Comedy }}{{cite web | url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/fringe/news/7512/lindsey-santoro-wins-nextup-biggest-award/ | title=Lindsey Santoro wins NextUp's Biggest Award in Comedy | website=British Comedy Guide | date=25 August 2023 }}

The line-up for 2024 was announced in February of that year.{{cite web | url=https://beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/14432/best-class-2024#google_vignette | title=Best in Class 2024 Line up Revealed | date=10 February 2024 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/other-news/2024/02/09/54962/best_in_class_picks_its_working-class_heroes | title=Best in Class picks its working-class heroes : Other news 2024 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide }}{{Better source needed}}

After criticism of the initiative from The Telegraph for being "too woke", an article about the initiative was written in The Guardian, defending the scheme for the work it does to help accessibility within the arts.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/feb/29/woke-tv-comedy-workshops-infuriating-right-wing-press | title='Why would you not want to be woke?' Inside the TV comedy workshops infuriating the right-wing press | newspaper=The Guardian | date=29 February 2024 | last1=Healy | first1=Rachael }}

At the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe, the show got a 4 star review from The Scotsman{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/edinburgh-festivals/fringe-comedy-reviews-alice-snedden-highly-credible-best-in-class-lil-wenker-bangtail-more-4736508|title=Fringe Comedy reviews: Alice Snedden: Highly Credible | Best in Class + more|date=August 9, 2024|website=The Scotsman}} and jointly won the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards Panel Prize,{{cite web | url=http://www.edinburghcomedyawards.com/winners.html | title=Edinburgh Comedy Awards - Winners }} while alumni Hannah Platt was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Awards best newcomer.{{cite web | url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2024/08/21/56423/the_2024_edinburgh_comedy_awards_nominees_are | title=The 2024 Edinburgh Comedy Awards nominees are... : News 2024 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide }}{{Better source needed}}

References

{{Draft categories|

:Category:Edinburgh Festival Fringe

:Category:2018 establishments in the United Kingdom

}}