A comedian from West Bromwich has won this year's Funniest Joke of the Fringe Award, hosted by UK TV network Dave. Stand-up comic Masai Graham has bagged the annual award, joining the ranks of previous winners such as Tim Vine, Rob Auton and Nick Helm.
The comedian, who calls himself "General Punochet", was previously named the UK's "Pun Champion" after winning a tournament hosted by Lee Nelson at the Leicester Comedy Festival in February. He is currently performing in two back-to-back shows at the Edinburgh Fringe: Aaaaah! It's 101 Clean Jokes in 30 Minutes, and its sequel, Aaaaah! It's 101 Naughty Jokes in 30 Minutes.
Graham promises his audiences a "3.3 laughs per minute bonanza", and his scattergun approach seems to have paid off: one of his 204 jokes was voted the festival's funniest by the public, after it was selected for the shortlist by a panel of critics including The Scotsman's comedy critic Brian Donaldson, Chortle.co.uk editor Steve Bennet and Telegraph arts critic Mark Monahan.
1 "My dad has suggested that I register for a donor card. He's a man after my own heart." - Masai GrahamThe full shortlist was as follows:
2 "Why is it old people say "there's no place like home", yet when you put them in one..." - Stuart Mitchell
3 "I've been happily married for four years - out of a total of 10." - Mark Watson
4 "Apparently 1 in 3 Britons are conceived in an IKEA bed which is mad because those places are really well lit." - Mark Smith - 21%
5 "I went to a pub quiz in Liverpool, had a few drinks so wasn't much use. Just for a laugh I wrote The Beatles or Steven Gerrard for every answer... came second." - Will Duggan
6 "Brexit is a terrible name, sounds like cereal you eat when you are constipated." - Tiff Stevenson
7 "I often confuse Americans and Canadians. By using long words." - Gary Delaney
8 "Why is Henry's wife covered in tooth marks? Because he's Tudor." - Adele Cliff
9 "Don't you hate it when people assume you're rich because you sound posh and went to private school and have loads of money?" - Annie McGrath
10 "Is it possible to mistake schizophrenia for telepathy, I hear you ask." - Jordan Brookes
11 "Hilary Clinton has shown that any woman can be President, as long as your husband did it first." - Michelle Wolf
12 "I spotted a marmite van on the motorway. It was heading yeastbound." - Roger Swift
13 "Back in the day, Instagram just meant a really efficient drug dealer." - Arthur Smith
14 "I'll tell you what's unnatural in the eyes of God. Contact lenses." - Zoe Lyons
15 "Elton John hates ordering Chinese food. Soya seems to be the hardest word." - Phil Nicol
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