British Comedy Guide

2018 Edinburgh Fringe

Top jokes at the Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Adam Rowe

Adam Rowe has won the award for Dave's Funniest Joke of the Fringe 2018.

Here's the top 10:

Adam Rowe: Undeniable. Adam Rowe

#1. Adam Rowe:
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.

Leo Kearse: Right Wing Comedian. Leo Kearse

#2. Leo Kearse:
I had a job drilling holes for water - it was well boring.

Olaf Falafel - There's no i in idiot. Olaf Falafel

#3. Olaf Falafel:
I took out a loan to pay for an exorcism. If I don't pay it back, I'm going to get repossessed.

Trying to Be Good. Daniel Audritt

#4. Daniel Audritt:
In my last relationship, I hated being treated like a piece of meat. She was a vegan and refused to touch me.

Flo & Joan: Alive on Stage. Image shows from L to R: Nicola Dempsey, Rosie Dempsey

#5. Flo & Joan:
What do colour blind people do when they are told to eat their greens?

Darren Walsh: Massive Punt. Darren Walsh

#6. Darren Walsh:
I've got a new job collecting all the jumpers left in the park at the weekends, but it's not easy. They keep moving the goalposts.

Justin Moorhouse: Northern Joker. Justin Moorhouse

#7. Justin Moorhouse:
Trump said he'd build a wall but he hasn't even picked up a brick. He's just another middle-aged man failing on a DIY project.

Adele Cliff: Sheep. Adele Cliff

=#8. Adele Cliff:
I lost a friend after we had an argument about the Tardis. I thought it was a little thing, but it seemed much bigger once we got into it.

Alex Edelman: Just for Us. Alex Edelman

=#8. Alex Edelman:
Why are they calling it Brexit and not The Great British Break Off?

Laura Lexx: Trying. Laura Lexx

#10. Laura Lexx:
I think love is like central heating. You turn it on before guests arrive and pretend it's like this all the time.


Adam Rowe is currently performing a show at the Edinburgh Festival titled Undeniable. He first got on stage to do stand-up comedy in 2010 and, a little over a year later, was named Liverpool Comedian of the Year. At this point he quit his bar job to pursue a comedy career.

On his joke claiming the top spot, he says: "I'm absolutely over the moon and quite blown away by this! It's my favourite joke in the show, as it ends the bit I'm most passionate about; trying to dispel a few myths of what it's like to be brought up on benefits. It's such a huge honour, I really never expected to be in with a shout of winning things like this, so it's just a massive but lovely surprise. Thank you very much!"

Jokes were collected up by a panel of comedy critics, which were then presented to a panel involving 2000 members of the public. Speaking about how the award is organised, the channel explains: "The Dave award, which is open to both established and up-and-coming comedians, pays homage to the wealth of talent on offer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and shines a spotlight on the skill of writing a cracking one-liner. To ensure that there is no bias towards well-known or favourite comedians during the public vote, the jokes are listed with no reference to the comedian that wrote and performed them - meaning it is purely judged on the humour of the jokes themselves."

Luke Hales, Dave channel director, says: "This year, the news agenda and every day British idiosyncrasies have provided some wonderful opportunities for comedians to use their creative and comic genius in giving us all a giggle. As ever, we have enjoyed some quite brilliant one-liners and are delighted to crown Adam Rowe as the recipient of this year's Dave's Funniest Joke of the Fringe Award!"

Previous years

This is the 11th year of the competition...

2017 jokes (Ken Cheng won)

2016 jokes (Masai Graham won)

2015 jokes (Darren Walsh won)

2014 jokes (Tim Vine won)

2013 jokes (Rob Auton won)

2012 jokes (Stewart Francis won)

2011 jokes (Nick Helm won)

2010 jokes (Tim Vine won)


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Published: Monday 20th August 2018

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