2004 Perrier Nominations Are...

The nominees for this year's Perrier Award have been announced with a woman making the shortlist for the first time in nine years.

They are Chris Addison, Reginald D Hunter, Epitaph, Jackson's Way, and Sarah Kendall.

London-based Australian Kendall is the first woman to have been shortlisted since Jenny Éclair won the coveted award in 1995.

Jackson's Way, the creation of 30-year-old actor Will Adamsdale, has been the sleeper hit of the festival, extending its original one-week booking to a full run, based on word-of mouth acclaim.

Epitaph, a two-man sketch show by Americans Ethan Sandler and Adrian Wenner, won a sketch comedy award at the Aspen Comedy Festival earlier this year.

Hunter was nominated last year, while Addison's stand-up show Civilization is one of the few universally talked-about shows.

The nominees for the best newcomer have also been announced as: Alun Cochrane, Wil Hodgson, Joanna Neary and Sabotage, another American sketch duo.