IT is the joke which surfs to the top on a sea of laughs - the best quip at Scotland's biggest comedy festival.
In the past, it has been won by japes about hedgehogs, wry observations on picking a password and one-liners about hoovers.
And now Swedish comedian Olaf Falafel’s zinger about vegetable-related Tourette’s, “I keep randomly shouting out 'Broccoli' and 'Cauliflower' - I think I might have Florets”, deemed the funniest joke at the Fringe.
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Each year TV station Dave sends out its experts in search of the festival's best line, before subjecting their picks to a public vote.
The Edinburgh Festival is one of the biggest cultural events in the world
Olaf Falafel's line received backing from 41 per cent who deemed it the top tickler after it was nominated from his show It’s One Giant Leek For Mankind.
With the goal of finding the wittiest one-liners, an expert panel of ten judges was recruited comprising the UK’s leading comedy critics.
After touring and scouring hundreds of venues and shows at the renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe Festival, the panel submitted their favourite six jokes, listed without naming the comics behind each one, to a vote of 2,000 Brits.
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Winner Olaf Falafel is a surrealist comedian and illustrator. Falafel claims that he is Sweden’s 8thfunniest comedian. He also works as a children’s book author.
He has performed two shows this year at Edinburgh, the first was It’s One Giant Leek for Mankind. His current show Knitting with Maracas is at The Pear Tree.
Olaf Falafel
On his joke claiming the top spot, Olaf Falafel said:“This is a fantastic honour but it’s like I’ve always said, jokes about white sugar are rare, jokes about brown sugar... Demerara.“
Now in its twelfth year, the award if open to both recognized and emerging comedians, The Dave award celebrates the pool of talent Edinburgh Fringe Festival has to offer, celebrating the true skill that it takes to write a sidesplitting one-liner.
However, the title is always awarded to one particular joke or pun, rather than a whole routine, meaning it does not reflect who is the funniest comedian at the Fringe or the best performer.
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It is often won by an up-and-coming jokester, rather than a big name on the comedy circuit.
Last year, Liverpool comic Adam Rowe took the prize with his line "Working at the jobcentre has to be a tense job, knowing that if you get fired you still have to come in the next day', despite his routine being based on observational humour and stories.
Previous gags to take the top spot also include Time Vine's crack "I've decided to sell my hoover – well, it was just collecting dust", Nick Helm's effort "I needed a password eight characters long so I picked Snow White and the Seven Dwarves'", and Ken Chang's quip: "I'm not a fan of the new pound coin, but then again, I hate all change".
Back in 2009, Dan Antolpolski won with the question "Hedgehogs why can't they just share the hedge?", while Masai Graham's spiky jape "My dad suggested I register for a donor card, he's a man after my own heart" was judged the best in 2016.
The freewheeling Fringe festival is in full flow
To ensure that there is not bias towards well-known or favourite comedians during the public vote, the jokes are listed with no reference to who wrote and performed them – meaning it is purely judged on the humour they generate and the audience's reaction.
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.
"We have really enjoyed the great anecdotes and one liners submitted this year and we couldn’t be happier to crown Olaf Falafel as the winner of this year’s Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe Award.”
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