In his first full-length show, Darren Walsh has been awarded the prize for the funniest joke at the Edinburgh Fringe. 39-year-old Walsh, a former animator from Peterborough, displays his talent for puns in his show Punderbolt, now on at the Pleasance.

Comedian Darren Walsh

Comedian Darren Walsh

"It's great and I wasn't expecting it so it's a real surprise," he told The Independent. "The award seems to be gaining traction. People are maybe appreciating one-liners and puns a bit more."

Walsh was awarded the prize for his pun: "I just deleted all the German names off my phone. It's Hans-free." However, he told The Independent that he believes there are a few funnier jokes in his show, including "My cat is recovering from a massive stroke," and "Green men make me cross".

A panel of judges compiled the shortlist of jokes, and 2,000 people then voted for the ones they found most amusing. The youngest comedian at the festival, 12-year-old 'Grace the Child', claimed 10th place on the shortlist. Previous award winners include Tim Vine, Zoe Lyons and Nick Helm.

Here are the ten funniest jokes to emerge from the Edinburgh Fringe as voted by the public:

  1. "I just deleted all the German names off my phone. It's Hans free" - Darren Walsh
  2. "Kim Kardashian is saddled with a huge arse ... but enough about Kanye West" - Stewart Francis
  3. "Surely every car is a people carrier?" - Adam Hess
  4. "What's the difference between a 'hippo' and a 'Zippo'? One is really heavy, the other is a little lighter" - Masai Graham
  5. "If I could take just one thing to a desert island I probably wouldn't go" - Dave Green
  6. "Jesus fed 5,000 people with two fishes and a loaf of bread. That's not a miracle. That's tapas" - Mark Nelson
  7. "Red sky at night. Shepherd's delight. Blue sky at night. Day" - Tom Parry
  8. "The first time I met my wife, I knew she was a keeper. She was wearing massive gloves" - Alun Cochrane
  9. "Clowns divorce. Custardy battle" - Simon Munnery
  10. "They're always telling me to live my dreams. But I don't want to be naked in an exam I haven't revised for..." - Grace The Child

Funny man Darren Walsh

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