Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Masai Graham's pasta pun wins funniest joke

The Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe was chosen by 2,000 members of the public

Comedian Masai Graham with his second Dave Joke of the Edinburgh Fringe award on Monday. PA

A pun about pasta has been named the funniest joke of the Edinburgh Fringe this year as the award returned for the first time since before the pandemic.

“I tried to steal spaghetti from the shop, but the female guard saw me and I couldn’t get pasta,” told by Masai Graham was voted the funniest joke at the festival

The Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe award was back for the first time since 2019 and was voted for by members of the public.

Graham also won the accolade in 2016 with his joke: “My dad suggested I register for a donor card – he’s a man after my own heart.”

“It’s great to see the Edinburgh Fringe Festival back up and running again. It’s my spiritual home," Graham said.

“I was so delighted to find out I’d won the Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe award for a second time. I thought: “This is getting pasta joke.”

Comedy critics attended hundreds of shows across the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to put together a shortlist that was voted on by 2,000 members of the public, who were not told the names of the comedians in the running.

Now in its 13th year, previous winners of the award include Ken Cheng, Olaf Falafel, Tim Vine, Rob Auton, Stewart Francis, Zoe Lyons and Nick Helm.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022 - in pictures

A street entertainer performs on Edinburgh's Royal Mile during the city's Festival Fringe. Getty Images

Thousands of performers from across the world are in the Scottish Capital for the world's biggest arts festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which is hosting more than 3,000 shows from 58 countries. Getty Images

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary, this year Edinburgh Fringe runs from August 5 to 29. Getty Images

Every year, artists descend upon Edinburgh from across the world for Fringe. Getty Images

Throughout Fringe, Edinburgh's Royal Mile hosts a varied array of artists and entertainers, ranging from opera singers to circus performers. Getty Images

Cabaret artist from La Clique on stage during the launch of Underbelly at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. PA

Artists from Circus Abyssinia perform in the McEwan Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland. Getty Images

Performers from the show Dragons and Mythical Beasts. PA

Artists from Circus Abyssinia perform in the McEwan Hall at the launch of the Underbelly at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland. Getty Images

Performance artist Charlie Wheeler from La Clique. Getty Images

Musicians from Caligari also perform. PA

Artists from Barely Methodical Troupe brought their show Kin to the Assembly Rooms. Getty Images

Dancers from the Ukrainian ballet company Freedom Ballet during a rehearsal. PA

“What a pleasure to be back in Edinburgh," said Dave channel director Cherie Cunningham.

"This is Dave’s first Joke of the Fringe in three years and the quality of submissions has been incredibly strong.

“It’s a fantastic top 10 full of newcomers and comedy veterans, and it’s a delight to crown Masai Graham as winner once more.”

Among the top jokes:

Masai Graham: "I tried to steal spaghetti from the shop, but the female guard saw me and I couldn’t get pasta."

Mark Simmons: "Did you know, if you get pregnant in the Amazon, it’s next-day delivery."

Olaf Falafel: "My attempts to combine nitrous oxide and Oxo cubes made me a laughing stock."

Hannah Fairweather: "By my age, my parents had a house and a family, and to be fair to me, so do I. But it is the same house and it is the same family."

Will Mars: "I hate funerals – I’m not a mourning person."

Olaf Falafel: "I spent the whole morning building a time machine, so that’s four hours of my life that I’m definitely getting back."

Richard Pulsford: "I sent a food parcel to my first wife. FedEx."

Tim Vine: "I used to live hand to mouth. Do you know what changed my life? Cutlery."

Will Duggan: "I can’t even be bothered to be apathetic these days."

'Saber Came to Tea' at Edinburgh Festival Fringe - in pictures

'Saber Came to Tea' created by Yemeni artists-in-exile Shatha Altowai and her husband, composer Saber Bamatraf, will be performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. All photos: Shatha Altowai

While the short play delves into serious themes of civil war and conventions of society, there are also comedic moments.

Altowai plays a young wife who stands against the conventions of her family and society at large.

'Saber Came to Tea' consists of an all Arab cast performing in Arabic. The show includes subtitles projected on screens next to the stage.

A magic trick turns a formal gathering into a conversation around acceptable social norms in 'Saber Came to Tea'.

The show features original music by Bamatraf, pictured here playing the piano during a performance in October 2021.

Live music and elements of multimedia add depth to the themes explored in 'Saber Came to Tea'.

The play was inspired by real life events of Bamatraf meeting his wife Altowai's family for the first time.