Joke's Over for Pun-Lovers at Edinburgh Fringe as Gag Prize Scrapped

The traditional list of the funniest gags told at the Edinburgh fringe, presented by the TV channel U&Dave, has been scrapped for next month's festival.

- Chris Wiegand

A statement from UKTV, which owns the channel formerly known as Dave, said: "U&Dave's joke of the fringe was originally created to celebrate and spotlight grassroots comedy talent. As our commissioning focus evolves, we're taking the opportunity to reflect on how we continue to support comedy in the best way possible."

The award was launched in 2008 and has been held every year since, apart from during the Covid pandemic. Last year, Mark Simmons won for his one-liner: "I was going to sail around the globe in the world's smallest ship, but I bottled it."