Judges for Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow award announced

The Glasgow International Comedy Festival has announced the judges for the inaugural Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award.

Glasgow’s Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren, STV’s own Laura Boyd and Elaine C Smith are among the 11 judges who will shortlist nominations and make recommendations to Connolly for the award.

The Scottish icon will then have the final say on the first-ever winner of the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award.

Nominations are now open and can be made by registered participants of the festival’s 2023 edition, with the final call on Wednesday, March 22.

The eventual winner will be the show, individual or group that “most personifies the Spirit of Glasgow”, and will be announced at the fest’s closing gala on April 2.

“Glasgow defies description. Many great men and women have tried to describe its spirit and failed miserably,” Connolly said.

“What do you say about a town that dances, sings, plays and jokes differently from everybody else? The winner of this award will have to be a nutter like me…”

Festival director Krista MacDonald said: “We are proud to have brought together a panel that represents the real diversity of the people of Glasgow, and who will be tasked with shortlisting and making the final recommendations to Sir Billy – who will make the final decision.

“There is no one that personifies Glasgow more than Sir Billy Connolly, and we hope that this award allows us the opportunity to showcase the very best of the people that help make Glasgow the funniest city in the world.”

The full list of judges:

• Lord Provost, Jacqueline McLaren
• Catherine Salmond, Editor, The Herald
• Janice Forsyth, Broadcaster
• Laura Boyd, STV
• Cassi Gillespie, Clyde One
• Aarti Joshi, Podcaster
• Norry Wilson, Lost Glasgow
• Sanjeev Kohli, Actor and comedian
• Greg Hemphill, Actor and comedian
• Elaine C Smith, Actor and comedian
• Karen Dunbar, Actor and comedian
• Laura Marks, Commissioner at Channel 4