And the winner of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival if.comedy award is… Brendon Burns! From Australia! Who? Burns is the third down-under winner of the coveted award – formerly, and pretty much still, known as the Perrier – previously won by Los Trios Ringbarkus in the 80s and Lano and Woodley in the 90s (with Tim Minchin getting best newcomer in 2005).

Difference is, aside from being a solo act, that Burns is practically unknown in his home country, having found most of his success on the London comedy circuit, with a brief stint co-hosting the first season of the 11 O Clock Show that launched Ali G and Ricky Gervais.

I didn’t catch Burns’s show this year, so I can only go on previous form, but I must say I’m kinda surprised (though good luck to him). He’s always struck me as a fairly conventional albeit compelling performer doing standard issue edgy sexdrugsetcetera material.

But I wonder if he doesn’t get a boost from the “antipodean effect”, ie. the way in which standard observations done in a particularly Australian way – sort of psycho skeghead – get an extra boost from taking place in the British context.

I suspect this is why Burns never really took off in Oz – his style seems better but similar to what you could get at the Espy or elsewhere. In the British context, it fits with the idea of what an Australian should be – which may help the Brits deal with their deep and unresolved anxiety over the fact the director of the Festival proper, Jonathan Mills, is also from godzone, as was director of one of the (I’m told) stand out shows, Poppea (Barry Kosky).

UK stories about these two – who admittedly look like they should be wearing velvet suits and drinking hock and seltzer – can never quite get over the fact that they’re Australians, rendered in the same manner as gods-on-hind-legs, women-giving-sermons etc.

Now that Burns has pulled the brass ring everything will be back to normal.