Comedian Andrew Maxwell famously once called the Edinburgh Festival Fringe ‘exams for clowns’, and each year it’s the comics with the best jokes who get the ‘A’ grades.
The Edinburgh Comedy Award (formerly the Perrier Award) is handed out each year to the top clown in the class, and since 2008 is has been joined by The Funniest Joke of the Fringe Award.
Presented by television channel Dave, each year a shortlist of 10-15 jokes was drawn up by some of the leading comedy critics and comedians in the UK.
Designed to celebrate “the art of joke writing” and making people laugh, the general public then voted for the eventual winner.
This week it was announced that ‘U&Dave’s Funniest Joke Of The Fringe’, as it’s now called, would be scrapped from the 2025 Fringe, with the TV station behind the gong saying it is “resting”.
So we thought it would be the perfect time to revisit the 16 jokes that have made the grade since the prize was established.
5. 2019: Olaf Falafel
"I keep randomly shouting out "Broccoli" and "Cauliflower" – I think I might have Florets." | Canva/Getty Images
6. 2018: Adam Rowe
"Working at the job centre has to be a tense job – knowing that if you get fired, you still have to come in the next day." | Contributed
7. 2017: Ken Cheng
"I'm not a fan of the new pound coin, but then again, I hate all change." | Contributed
8. 2016: Masai Graham
"My dad has suggested that I register for a donor card. He's a man after my own heart." | Contributed