Best Show

The Best Show award goes to the act that we thought used their show to tell the best, most entertaining, most evocative story.

We're looking for more than just a funny hour of comedy, but something that goes beyond - of course, this is a comedy festival, and we want to be entertained, but allowances can be made for periods of engaging exposition or diversions from laugh-a-second gags.

There were so many great shows this was another category we struggled to contain but, without further ado, here are our five favourite shows.

Fifth Place - Trevor Bickles: Taxi Driver

Every year a show takes me by surprise. This year that award goes to 'Taxi Driver' by Trevor Bickles.

Trevor uses being a taxi driver as the structure of his show, using it to great effect to tell stories of his profession or go a bit more personal.

Whilst a few bits needed work, this was a very funny hour and a show that managed to work for its target audience whilst bringing everyone else along for the ride (pun intended).

Fourth Place - Charlotte Cropper: Good Girl Gone Rad

Charlotte is one of the youngest (if not the youngest) performers we had on stage this year, but that didn't come across in her stage presence or material.

Good Girl Gone Rad is the story about engaging with your wild side - or, at least, the wildness of your terrible twos.

Effortlessly funny and charming on stage, Charlotte manages to keep her material relatable to all. And, for a first show, this is a fantastically potent blend of comedy and personal anecdotes.

Third Place - Sachin Kumarendran: Deceit

The only thing that let Sachin down was tech difficulties - I now hate all comedians that need projectors - his hour show 'Deceit' outside of that though was a funny tale of poor relationship choices and applying for TV programs whilst under the influence.

Sachin brings a 'waspish charm' to the stage and is all the more endearing for the way he relishes talking about his painfully bad choices.

I expect to see Sachin get big - so keep him on your radar!

Second Place - Steffan Alun: Strongly Agree

Steffan was booked based on the recommendation of two friends who saw him at the Edinburgh Fringe. I have to say - I'll listen to them again.

Steffan's hour show was a polished, sleek hour of comedy that explored his life in Wales. online quizzes, Girls Aloud, and much more.

But, what Steffan was able to do was elevate this above some nice stories and create a personal hour that really brought to the fore him as a person - whilst we all laughed our heads off at the perfectly executed punchlines.

First Place - Kayleigh Jones: I Fed My Dad to a Pelican

Kayleigh Jones' show made me laugh, made me cry, and made me have an existential crisis.

Weaving stories and songs together Kayleigh created an intricate tale of finding her true father and their relationship together.

Tugging on the heartstrings at the right moments and playing with the tone throughout - flipping from playful to somber then back again. It was a masterclass in playing with the audience's emotions.

Yes, it was absolutely a comedy show, but it was also so much more. I do not doubt that this was the best show I saw at Leicester Comedy Festival this year and I'm excited to see Kayleigh Jones again. Pure brilliance.