Funniest jokes from the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe
Swedish comedian Olaf Falafel beats one-liners from Milton Jones and Ivo Graham
A joke about vegetables has been crowned Dave’s “Funniest Joke of The Fringe” at this year’s Edinburgh Festival.
Swedish comedian Olaf Falafel won the award with the gag: “I keep randomly shouting out ‘broccoli’ and ‘cauliflower’ – I think I might have florets.”
He performed the joke in his show It’s One Giant Leek For Mankind, at the Pear Tree, says the BBC.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The surrealist comedian said of the accolade: “This is a fantastic honour, but it’s like I’ve always said: ‘jokes about white sugar are rare, jokes about brown sugar… demerara’.”
Luke Hales, Dave channel director, said: “What a year it’s been for current affairs and British eccentricities! The comedic opportunities to be creative are endless and, above all, we’ve all needed a good laugh in 2019.”
The task of deciding the funniest one-liners fell to an expert panel of judges, made up of ten of the UK’s top comedy critics.
Two thousand members of the public then chose their favourite gag from an anonymous ten-joke shortlist – nine of which were from men. Olaf Falafel’s quip won with 41% of the vote.
But just how bad were the other nine jokes that shared the remaining 59%?
Here’s the full list of Dave’s top ten funniest jokes of the Fringe 2019
1. “I keep randomly shouting out ‘broccoli’ and ‘cauliflower’ – I think I might have florets.” Olaf Falafel
2. “Someone stole my antidepressants. Whoever they are, I hope they’re happy.” Richard Stott
3. “What’s driving Brexit? From here it looks like it’s probably the Duke of Edinburgh.” Milton Jones
4. “A cowboy asked me if I could help him round up 18 cows. I said, ‘Yes, of course. That’s 20 cows.’” Jake Lambert
5. “A thesaurus is great. There’s no other word for it.” Ross Smith
6. “Sleep is my favourite thing in the world. It’s the reason I get up in the morning.” Ross Smith
7. “I accidentally booked myself onto an escapology course; I’m really struggling to get out of it.” Adele Cliff
8. “After learning six hours of basic semaphore, I was flagging.” Richard Pulsford
9. “To be or not to be a horse rider, that is equestrian.” Mark Simmons
10. “I’ve got an Eton-themed advent calendar, where all the doors are opened for me by my dad’s contacts.” Ivo Graham
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 2, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Alma's Not Normal, season two: 'hilarious' sitcom is 'pretty much perfect'
The Week Recommends The second instalment of Sophie Willan's semi-autobiographical comedy is a 'triumph'
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Wolfs: 'comedy thriller' stumbles despite George Clooney and Brad Pitt
Talking Point While the crime caper might 'pleasingly pass a Saturday night' its star-studded duo cannot ultimately salvage it
By The Week UK Published
-
All the comedians to see on tour this fall
The Week Recommends Put on a sweater and get ready for some knee-slappers
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Colin from Accounts, season two: an 'absolute joy to watch'
The Week Recommends The second series of Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall's hit TV comedy is 'every bit as good as the first'
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
'Only Murders in the Building,' series four: 'screamingly funny'
The Week Recommends Eva Longoria and Eugene Levy join star-studded cast in latest instalment of 'compelling' whodunnit
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Edinburgh Fringe Festival hits soon heading elsewhere
The Week Recommends The Week's round-up of where Fringe successes are touring next
By The Week UK Published
-
Daddy Issues: a 'potent blend of wit and charm'
The Week Recommends Aimee Lou Wood and David Morrissey have 'easy chemistry' in this 'touching' tale of a pregnant woman flatsharing with her divorced dad
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
A guide to Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024
The Week Recommends It's the biggest arts festival in the world, with more than 1,600 shows coming to the Scottish capital this August
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published