Best Fringe Joke Revealed

Comedian Masai Graham, who hails from the Midlands, was voted the winner with his witty food pun: "I tried to steal spaghetti from the shop, but the female guard saw me and I couldn't get Pasta". The joke, taken from his show Aaaaaaaaaargh! It's 101 Clean Jokes in 30 minutes at Dropkick Murphys, topped the list of funniest of the Fringe with 52% of Brits surveyed voting it the most hilarious rib-tickler.

To seek out the best one-liners and wisecracks for the first Joke of the Fringe award in three years following the Festival's Covid hiatus, Dave recruited an expert panel of acclaimed judges made up of some of the leading comedy critics in the UK. These panellists attended hundreds of shows across the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, listening out for those jokes which tickled them the most, then submitted their six favourites. This shortlist was then submitted anonymously - without the name of the comic involved - to a public vote.

Dave's Top 10 Funniest Jokes of the Fringe Festival 2022:

1. I tried to steal spaghetti from the shop, but the female guard saw me and I couldn't get Pasta Masai Graham
2. Did you know, if you get pregnant in the Amazon, it's next day delivery Mark Simmons
3. My attempts to combine nitrous oxide and Oxo cubes made me a laughing stock Olaf Falafel
4. By my age, my parents had a house and a family, and to be fair to me, so do I, but it is the same house and it is the same family Hannah Fairweather
5. I hate funerals - I'm not a mourning person Will Mars 
6. I spent the whole morning building a time machine, so that's four hours of my life that I'm definitely getting back Olaf Falafel 
7. I sent a food parcel to my first wife. FedEx Richard Pulsford 
8. I used to live hand to mouth. Do you know what changed my life? Cutlery Tim Vine 
9. Don't knock threesomes. Having a threesome is like hiring an intern to do all the jobs you hate Sophie Duker 
10. I can't even be bothered to be apathetic these days Will Duggan 

Recognising comics both established and up-and-coming, the Joke of the Fringe award celebrates the art of joke writing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and acknowledges the talent it requires to create knee-slapping one-liners. To ensure that there is no bias towards well-known or 'household name' comedians during the public vote, the jokes are listed with no reference to the comedian that wrote and performed them - meaning it is purely judged on the humour of the jokes themselves.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the biggest arts festival in the world and takes place every August for three weeks in Scotland's capital city. Dave is the proud sponsor of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, celebrating their 40th anniversary this year.