Comic Masai Graham was voted the winner with the joke: “I tried to steal spaghetti from the shop but the female guard saw me and I couldn’t get any pasta.” Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe award, voted for by the public, is back for the first time since 2019. Graham also won the award in 2016 with the joke: “My dad suggested I sign up for a donor card – he’s a man after my own heart.” The comedian said: “It’s great to see the Edinburgh Fringe Festival back up and running again, it’s my spiritual home. “I was so delighted to find out I had won Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe award for the second time – I thought, ‘This is going to be a pasta joke.’ Comedy critics watched hundreds of shows across the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to create a shortlist voted for by 2,000 audience members, who were not told the names of the comedians involved. Previous winners of the award include Ken Chang, Olaf Falafel, Tim Vine, Rob Auton, Stewart Francis, Zoe Lyons and Nick Helm. Subscribe to the Daily Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker Dave Channel Director Cherie Cunningham said: “What a delight to be back in Edinburgh. This is Dave’s first Joke of the Fringe in three years and the quality of submissions has been incredibly strong. “It’s a fantastic top 10 full of comedy newcomers and veterans and it’s a pleasure to crown Masai Graham the winner once again.” Top 10 jokes
- Masai Graham: I tried to steal spaghetti from the store, but the female guard saw me and I couldn’t get pasta.
- Olaf Falafel: My attempts to combine nitrous oxide and Oxo cubes made me laugh.
- Hannah Fairweather: At my age, my parents had a house and a family, and to be fair to me, so do I – but it’s the same house and it’s the same family.
- Will Mars: I hate funerals – I’m not a grieving person.
- Olaf Falafel: I spent all morning building a time machine, so that’s four hours of my life I’ll definitely be getting back.
- Richard Pulsford: I sent a parcel of food to my first wife. FedEx.
- Tim Vine: I was living hand to mouth. You know what changed my life? Cutlery.
- Sophie Duker: Don’t hit threes. Doing a trio is like hiring an intern to do all the jobs you hate.
- Will Duggan: I can’t even be bothered to be apathetic these days.