Sounds like a swerve to me 
From him I mean.
Why have Dave f***ed up Nick Helm's joke? Page 3
Hmm, Dad jokes tend to be incredibly Chegwinian, but until someone comes screaming that "He stole my gag!" I can't see there being any harm.
I like the heroin joke too.
Quote: Wryly @ August 26 2011, 5:46 PM BSTI like the heroin joke too.
Yeah, it's a nice one. 
I notice also that a joke ending on "...and that wrong on so many levels..." made it to the best joke list and a repeat of Live At The Apollo the other night.
A Big Ape keeps throwing Barrels at me, that's just Kong on so many Levels.
My favourite was the Chess one.
But well done to Nicks dad, he must be well chuffed.
And well done to Nick for honing it a bit.
I suspect Helm Sr more than likely "forwarded" rather than "wrote" the joke.
Yes, but all you can do is suspect, none of us can actually know. For all we know, what with his son being a comedian, his Dad tries to come up with gags too. But again, I can have no idea whether that's true. As has been said umpteen times, it's hardly a shock that more than one person can come up with the same joke; in fact it's to be expected.
I'm really sorry, but I don't get Mark Watson's 'gag' entry in this competition.....
Am I being thick?!?
To answer directly YES
rather than this been a hypothetical question as initially suggested, he then implies that his wife actually made he go without one or the other. Maybe he plays a little on his phyique implying it was food he gave up.
As for my final word on Best Gag....
1 tells joke
2 wins best joke
3 Distances self from gag
the vaguest way to check this particular joke via Google
"password character joke"
Quote: another40winks @ August 27 2011, 2:49 PM BSTrather than this been a hypothetical question as initially suggested, he then implies that his wife actually made he go without one or the other. Maybe he plays a little on his phyique implying it was food he gave up.
And the penny drops...
Quote: another40winks @ August 27 2011, 2:49 PM BSTAs for my final word on Best Gag....
1 tells joke
2 wins best joke
3 Distances self from gagthe vaguest way to check this particular joke via Google
"password character joke"
Guhh.
Guhh?
Indeed.
Sounds like his dad forwarded him a joke in an e-mail that did the rounds at the time - I got it by text years ago and didn't laugh then - that he since loosely reworded. So maybe it's the dad who's telling lies. "Here son, I've just written a joke and am forwarding it in a email to you". Whatever.
Either way it's a poor gag and I don't think Nick Helm meant any malice by it. If anything, I'm sure he's probably a bit embarrassed that from all the material he's worked on to get a prestigous gig, that old '8 characters' punchline is the one that gets him in the papers. I bet he never tells it again.
The poll of ten greatest jokes, I very much doubt that at the world's largest arts/comedy festival, THESE were the funniest ten. They're all sub-cabaret act wordplays or puns.
The heroin one and chess ones were kinda funny though. It's a shame a festival full of funny original material and outstanding comic minds is reduced to a stupid poll full of weak groaner crap, just so Dave can advertise itself for free.
Nick Helm has a truly great song called 15 Reasons To Make You Stay.
That's how I'd rather remember him.