TOP GAGS OF THE 2016 EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE REVEALED Midlands based pun-master Masai Graham scoops Daves Funniest Joke of The Fringe Award with donor-card one liner
Jokes shortlisted by a panel of UKs foremost comedy critics
Shortlist features top comedy talent including Mark Watson, Tiff Stevenson, Arthur Smith and previous winner Zoe Lyons
2016 marks the ninth anniversary of Daves Funniest Joke of the Fringe Award
Edinburgh, 23rd August 2016: Award-winning entertainment channel Dave has announced the winner of the ninth annual award for Daves Funniest Joke of the Fringe.
In a brand new show for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, West Bromwich-based comic Masai Graham produced the joke which 27% of the respondents voted their funniest joke of the Fringe; My dad suggested I register for a donor card, hes a man after my own heart. The announcement is the ninth year for the coveted award whose previous winners include Tim Vine, Rob Auton, Stewart Francis, Zoe Lyons and Nick Helm.
In its mission to find the most hilarious one-liners, Dave enlisted the help of an expert panel of ten judges, consisting of the UKs foremost comedy critics. They scoured venues at the world-famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe over a week-long period to nominate their five favourite jokes. The shortlisted gags were then put to 2,000 Brits, with no reference to the comedians who told them, who then voted for the jokes they found the funniest.
My dad has suggested that I register for a donor card. Hes a man after my own heart. - Masai Graham- 27%
Why is it old people say theres no place like home, yet when you put them in one... - Stuart Mitchell - 25%
Ive been happily married for four years - out of a total of 10. - Mark Watson - 21%
Apparently 1 in 3 Britons are conceived in an IKEA bed which is mad because those places are really well lit. - Mark Smith - 21%
I went to a pub quiz in Liverpool, had a few drinks so wasnt much use. Just for a laugh I wrote The Beatles or Steven Gerrard for every answer... came second. - Will Duggan - 20%
Brexit is a terrible name, sounds like cereal you eat when you are constipated. - Tiff Stevenson - 20%
I often confuse Americans and Canadians. By using long words. - Gary Delaney - 18%
Why is Henrys wife covered in tooth marks? Because hes Tudor. - Adele Cliff - 16%
Dont you hate it when people assume youre rich because you sound posh and went to private school and have loads of money? - Annie McGrath - 15%
Is it possible to mistake schizophrenia for telepathy, I hear you ask. - Jordan Brookes - 15%
Hilary Clinton has shown that any woman can be President, as long as your husband did it first. - Michelle Wolf - 15%
I spotted a marmite van on the motorway. It was heading yeastbound. - Roger Swift - 14%
Back in the day, Instagram just meant a really efficient drug dealer. - Arthur Smith - 13%
Ill tell you whats unnatural in the eyes of God. Contact lenses. - Zoe Lyons - 13%
Elton John hates ordering Chinese food. Soya seems to be the hardest word. - Phil Nicol - 12%
On being awarded the top spot, Masai Graham, self-proclaimed General Punochet, said
Its an incredible honour to land Joke of the Fringe. Not bad for someone from West Brom!
And some of the jokes voted most groan-worthy:
In France J-Lo is called I have water - Adam Hess
What do you call three members of ABBA in a French slaughterhouse? ABBA trois - Darren Walsh
In order to compile the shortlist, each of the judges sat through an average of 60 different comedy performances and sifted through more than 3,600 minutes of material. This meant they each had a potential pool of around 7,200* different jokes to choose from.
The Dave award, which is open to both established and up-and-coming comedians, pays homage to the wealth of talent on offer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe whilst shining a spotlight on the individual jokes, not just the performances. In fact, so as to ensure the jokes are ranked fairly, the comedians name or show are not revealed during the voting process - it is purely down to the jokes themselves.
Steve North, General Manager of Dave commented:
The Fringe is renowned for being the best place to spot new and emerging comedy talent, and although there are some returning contenders in our top 10 this year, there is a high volume of new talent which is very exciting to see.
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is widely acknowledged to be the biggest arts festival in the world and takes place every August for three weeks in Scotlands capital city. Starting in 1947, it was seen as a post-war initiative to reunite Europe through culture, and was so successful that it inspired more performers than there was room for.
2016 marks the ninth year of Daves Funniest Joke of the Fringe. You can also follow Dave on Twitter at www.joindave.co.uk / @join_dave and Facebook at facebook.com/davewittybanter.
For more information contact Max Downton or Katie Fox at Taylor Herring PR on 0208 206 5151 or email: max@taylorherring.com or kf@taylorherring.com
Notes to editors
*Calculated as 60 different comedy performances with an average running time of 60 mins per show totalling over 3,600 minutes of material, with the average comedian telling two jokes per minute = 7,200 jokes per judge.
The 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival takes place 5th - 29th August 2016.
The Dave Joke of the Fringe Panel The Dave Panel is made up of Mark Monahan (Arts Critic, Daily Telegraph), Brian Donaldson (Comedy Critic, The Scotsman; Comedy Editor, The List), Bruce Dessau (Comedy Critic, Evening Standard; Chair of the 2008 comedy awards panel), Mark Boosey (Editor, British Comedy Guide), John Dingwall (Entertainment Editor, Daily Record) Mark Wareham (Comedy Reviewer, Mail on Sunday), Sarah Henley (Director, ComComedy.com), Sharon Lougher (Comedy Reviewer, Metro), Dominic Maxwell (Theatre Critic, The Times) and Steve Benne
