English comedian James Acaster has scooped the top award at the 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival with his show Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999.

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Known until this week as the "Barry", the award recognises the most outstanding show of the festival. "I genuinely don't know what to say," Acaster said in his acceptance speech on Saturday afternoon.

"I've been really rude to Melbourne audiences all month, telling them the festival is a piece of shit," he said. "I didn't mean it but I feel like I don't deserve this."