"I can't believe Amy Winehouse self-harms," Zoe Lyons began, thoughtfully. "She's so irritating she must be able to find someone to do it for her."

It was this joke - from her current show The Mangled Mantra of the Messed-Up Modern Mind - that won her TV comedy channel Dave's inaugural award for Funniest Joke of the Fringe.

"I was totally surprised by that because I had no idea it was even going on," she says. "My agent phoned me at 9am one morning and told me I'd won it. I got a grand and a trophy, though, which isn't a bad start to a day."

She also got a lot of complaints about it, which she handled with a the response: "I know self-harming is not funny, but it's just a joke so I'm not going to beat myself up about it."

The award crowned a great Edinburgh for the 33-year-old Brighton stand-up, who was nominated for the if.comedy best newcomer award last year. "The nomination could have made this year harder," she says, "but because I didn't actually win it, there was less pressure than there might have been."

A fast-paced romp through the dilemmas of modern life, the show had one reviewer declaring her a "comedy goddess." She's looking forward to bringing it back to her hometown.

"Last time I played the Paramount it was the same night as the Rugby World Cup which was distracting," she says. "Hopefully this time I can focus a bit more on what I'm doing."

  • Starts 7.30pm, tickets £12/£11. Call 01273 709709