Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain, who had been widely tipped to make the Perrier shortlist at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival, was deemed ineligible to be in the running.
Word on the street over the past week or so had it that the comedian, who has been getting excellent reviews, would be shortlisted for the prestigious stand-up award.
But before the shortlist of five was announced yesterday it was known that Ó Briain was basically too famous to be considered, and there seemed to be some confusion about the interpretation of the rules.
One of the rules governing who can be shortlisted says acts considered to have "star status" are not eligible for the shortlist. The Perrier rules define a "star" as an act that has starred in a TV comedy or light entertainment series broadcast on a terrestrial channel or who regularly fills a 500-plus venue on their own name.
Ó Briain, who hosted Don't Feed The Gondolas and the family quiz show It's a Family Affair Family for RTÉ, moved to Britain a couple of years ago, although he still regularly performs his hugely-popular stand-up act in Ireland.
This year he was host of the BBC 2 late night Stand Up Show, which earned him a bigger profile in Britain - ironically, that profile is why he was deemed ineligible for the Perrier.
A few years ago Irish comic Ardal O'Hanlon suffered a similar fate in Edinburgh; his fame from Father Ted also made him ineligible for the shortlist, although he too was expected to make it.
Irish comedians who have won the Perrier award in the past include Dylan Moran and Tommy Tiernan, and many others have been shortlisted. Ó Briain is among Irish comics at the Fringe again this year, including Tommy Tiernan, Jason Byrne, David O'Doherty, Owen O'Neill, Kevin Gildea and Irish-based Des Bishop.
This year's nominations are Adam Hills (from Australia, who has spent a lot of time in Ireland and is very popular with Irish audiences); Reginald D. Hunter; Flight of the Conchords; Demetri Martin and Howard Read.
Meanwhile, Irish theatre company Semper Fi has won a Fringe First award at Edinburgh this year for its production of Ladies and Gents.
The show, which was a hit at the Dublin Fringe Festival last year, is a site-specific piece of work - set in a public lavatory. In Dublin the show - two simultaneous acts which are viewed one after the other, one each in the Ladies and the Gents - was staged in the public toilets on St Stephen's Green. The plot is based on a true story about a sexual scandal in Ireland in the 1950s.
In Edinburgh Ladies and Gents, written by Paul Walker, is being performed at the conveniences in St James's Place by the Traverse theatre.
