Quote: Tony Cowards @ August 25 2011, 12:02 PM BSTComedians write similar jokes all the time, especially with certain phrases, so I'm giving Nick the benefit of the doubt that he's written a similar "version" to the one mentioned.
Exactly. That Tim Vine one, about the car park; well there's a Bo Burnham gag with the same punchline, but different feed; with short gags it's an easy thing to do.
Right, a quick Google search has turned this up...
"During her company's periodic password audit, a blond employee was found to be using this password:
GoofyHueyLouieDeweyDaisyDonaldMickeyMinniePhoenix
When she was asked why she had such a long password, she said, "The boss said that my password had to be at least eight characters long and have at least one capital.""
Which, first of all, is clumsy as hell (just for starters the punchline would be better as "had to have eight characters and one capital") and, yes, is similar to Nick's joke but IMHO is vastly inferior, so worst case scenario he's improved an older joke almost beyond recognition (personally I don't think he knew about this joke).
Quote: Matthew Stott @ August 25 2011, 3:26 PM BSTExactly. That Tim Vine one, about the car park; well there's a Bo Burnham gag with the same punchline, but different feed; with short gags it's an easy thing to do.
Stewart Francis does one too, about farting in a lift.
I believe 30 jokes were initially selected from the panel before users voted. Obviously users are'nt obliged to research a joke but I would say the panel should. Maybe the joke alone is worthy, but that does'nt mean Nick Helm should be taking ALL the credit for tweaking, if not copying an existent joke.
Knock Knock is not a joke it is a format.
Quote: another40winks @ August 25 2011, 3:32 PM BSTI believe 30 jokes were initially selected from the panel before users voted. Obviously users are'nt obliged to research a joke but I would say the panel should. Maybe the joke alone is worthy, but that does'nt mean Nick Helm should be taking ALL the credit for tweaking, if not copying an existent joke.
Knock Knock is not a joke it is a format.
Seeing as the panel couldn't transpose the joke on their website correctly I think expecting them to research them as well is probably beyond their abilities.
Quote: Tony Cowards @ August 25 2011, 3:31 PM BSTWhich, first of all, is clumsy as hell (just for starters the punchline would be better as "had to have eight characters and one capital") and, yes, is similar to Nick's joke but IMHO is vastly inferior, so worst case scenario he's improved an older joke almost beyond recognition (personally I don't think he knew about this joke).
Stewart Francis does one too, about farting in a lift.
Whether it is clumsy or not is hardly the point. And you seem to be saying it is okay to use other people's material as long as you improve it??? 'Almost beyond recognition' - what do you mean, a joke whereby somebody uses disney characters in list for a password - yes it's almost like a completely different joke - except it isn't is it? It's the same joke made better for stand up. When you say you don't think he knew about this joke - I am guessing you know the guy. Maybe he did maybe he didn't if the material was generally out there then fair game as far as I can tell, just seemed to me you have changed your stance a bit on comedians using other's material. I guess a throwaway line after all is just that, I don't suppose he expected the spotlight of examination thrown upon it that winning best joke at the festival has put upon it. It's a nonsense kind of award I guess, most of them are - especially if you don't win and that makes one bitter about them all!! 
Quote: Tony Cowards @ August 25 2011, 3:40 PM BSTSeeing as the panel couldn't transpose the joke on their website correctly I think expecting them to research them as well is probably beyond their abilities.
This is a good point!v
Shall we have a vote? Don't think some of the 'worst' jokes were worse than some of the 'funniest'..
(Link from Tony Cowards )
Dave's funniest:
1. Nick Helm: "I needed a password eight characters long so I picked Snow White and the Seven Dwarves."
2. Tim Vine: "Crime in multi-storey car parks. That is wrong on so many different levels."
3. Hannibal Buress: "People say 'I'm taking it one day at a time.' You know what? So is everybody. That's how time works."
4. Tim Key: "Drive Thru McDonalds was more expensive than I thought...once you've hired the car..."
5. Matt Kirshen: "I was playing chess with my friend and he said, "Let's make this interesting". So we stopped playing chess."
6. Sarah Millican: "My mother told me, you don't have to put anything in your mouth you don't want to. Then she made me eat broccoli, which felt like double standards."
7. Alan Sharp: "I was in a band which we called The Prevention, because we hoped people would say we were better than The Cure."
8. Mark Watson: "Someone asked me recently - what would I rather give up, food or sex. Neither! I'm not falling for that one again, wife."
9. Andrew Lawrence: "I admire these phone hackers. I think they have a lot of patience. I can't even be bothered to check my OWN voicemails."
10. DeAnne Smith: "My friend died doing what he loved... Heroin."
Dave's 'some of the' worst:
Paul Daniels: "I said to a fella 'is there a B&Q in Henley' He said "No, there's an H, an E, an N an L and a Y..."
Tim Vine: "Uncle Ben has died. No more Mr Rice Guy."
Vladimir McTavish: "The Lockerbie bomber put Lockerbie on the map, well he nearly took it off it too."
Josh Howie: "I've got nothing against the Chinese. Don't get me Wong."
Card Ninja: "I went to see this show and the guy said 'Hey kid do you like magic?' And I said 'Yeah!' So he asked if I wanted to see a trick and I said 'Yeah!' So he said 'think of a number, times it by 2 and if it's odd...' Oh no, he's a MATHmagician!"
Tom Webb: "Due to the economy, profiteroles will now be called deficiteroles."
Nathan Caton: "Postcode wars? That sounds like a really shit BBC game show."
Andrew Bird: "My wife's eating for two. She's not pregnant, just schizophrenic."
Mark Olver: "During my first murder I was like a dyslexic having my back teeth removed... losing my morals."
Andrew O'Neill: "A song for the colour blind: "And I think to myself...why did I become a bomb disposal expert?"
I don't know the guy,but I'd give him the benefit of the doubt as we have no reason to think he stole anything. As has been said,people do come up with similar jokes and phrases, of course they do. It also seems bad form,and potentially damaging for the comic, to suggest he may have 'stolen' a gag.
Quote: AJGO @ August 25 2011, 3:47 PM BSTShall we have a vote? Don't think some of the 'worst' jokes were worse than some of the 'funniest'..
(Link from Tony Cowards
I like Tim Key's line.
Right, my last words on this.
No, updating an old joke is not okay in my own personal opinion.
Are these jokes the same? Not in my opinion, personally I think it's a case of coming up with a similar idea, happens all the time in comedy, not just stand up but all aspects of comedy.
Yes I know Nick, not particularly well but I don't think he's the sort of comic who'd knowingly "pinch" a joke.
Is it the best joke on the Fringe? Of course not, such a thing doesn't exist. Just look at the so-called "worst" jokes, some of them are really good (usual caveat of IMHO).
Have I spent far too long thinking about this? Yes.
Do I have to go and do a gig? Yes. Catch you later.
I agree and I think I was the first to use the word Zeitgeist in this context. I don't mean I invented it! And the worst jokes are as good as the best jokes - delivery is everything in one liners Unless you know... you're Woody Allen. apart from the Henley one of course. And maybe some others.
Good luck with the gig meanwhile and I'll get back to you on SUnday Mister Stott!
Good luck at your gig tony, who's jokes are you doing tonight?
Lol just joking have a good one.
When they were choosing/voting, did it have to be an act that purposefully presented the line as a one-liner? Because some of the ones that aren't that funny in this context, I can imagine being really good when used by the right 'character' or as part of a wider theme..
(DeAnne Smith's made me laugh most)
Quote: another40winks @ August 25 2011, 4:02 PM BSTGood luck at your gig tony, who's jokes are you doing tonight?
Lol just joking have a good one.
A genuine 
here
I found a most of the "worst" jokes better than the majority of the "best" jokes. I chuckled at Daniels, McTavish and Webb's gags.
Paul Daniels "is there a B&Q" joke is nearly as old as he is, definitely one that should be pensioned off.
Oh and another40winks your comment about who's jokes I'd be doing made me chuckle.
Oh dear, Mr Helm may've completely undermined my defence of him with this Three Weeks interview...
STAND-UP'S DAD WROTE WINNING JOKE
Stand-up Nick Helm has told the BBC that his dad wrote the joke that digital telly channel Dave has declared the best at the Festival.
Dave published their top ten jokes from the 2011 Fringe on Thursday morning, declaring this Helm gag the best: "I needed a password eight characters long, so I picked Snow White and the Seven Dwarves".
Commenting on his win, Helm told the Beeb: "They come and pick a joke. I didn't know I was in the running. They said to me: 'By the way, you have won best joke' and I said 'Oh really what was the joke?' When they told me I said: 'That's the one my dad wrote'".
He added: "My dad has beaten Tim Vine. He e-mailed it to me and I rewrote it, but it is my dad's joke. That's a proper dad joke. My dad is chuffed. He's getting half the award money".