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. The full shortlist was as follows:
1 "My dad has suggested that I register for a donor card. He's a man after my own heart." - Masai Graham