- guardian.co.uk, Monday 30 August 1999 01.56 BST
His win is all the more remarkable because organisers barred him from the competition on the eve of the festival for being too successful, only to be forced into an embarrassing U-turn after a public outcry.
Murray, 32, had been shortlisted four times and been disappointed every time. The victory was greeted with rapturous applause and roars of "There is a God."
Murray, 32, who became a father last week, cried as he accepted the award. "Well, I have four speeches to choose from," he joked. "I would like to thank the last three Perrier committees. One out of four is not a bad hit rate."
Murray's show, The Pub Landlord, features a xenophobic publican whose hatred of the French is matched only by his loathing of the Scots. He also has strong views on gender, confiscating pints of beer from women in the audience and replacing them with "a nice glass of white wine for the lady". The show was the most sought-after ticket on the fringe, with the sell-out run extended several times.
Physical comics Ben 'n' Arn won the Perrier newcomers award.
Meanwhile, Glaswegian Lynne Ramsay won the Guardian new director's award at the Edinburgh film festival for Ratcatcher, her film about an adolescent boy, set during a bin strike in Govan in the 70s.
