Adam Rowe's jobcentre joke crowned funniest of Edinburgh fringe

Comedians often strive to find laughter through the tears, and the winner of this year’s funniest joke of the Edinburgh fringe is no exception.

Adam Rowe has taken home the accolade after riffing on the challenges of being sacked. “Working at the jobcentre has to be a tense job,” he pointed out to his audience. “Knowing that if you get fired, you still have to come in the next day.”

The gag, from Rowe’s show Undeniable at Just The Tonic at The Caves, topped a public vote after being shortlisted by a panel of comedy critics.

It saw off competition from Leo Kearse’s concise “I had a job drilling holes for water – it was well boring”, and Olaf Falafel’s “I took out a loan to pay for an exorcism. If I don’t pay it back, I’m going to get repossessed.”

The top 10 were chosen for the TV channel Dave’s 11th annual awards. Previous winners include Ken Cheng, Masai Graham, Tim Vine, Rob Auton, Stewart Francis, Zoe Lyons and Nick Helm.

Rowe, who has been touring Undeniable this year, did his first standup gig in 2010 and quit his bar job a year later after being named Liverpool comedian of the year.

“I’m absolutely over the moon and quite blown away by this,” he said of winning the Edinburgh award. “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.”

Critics each submitted their six favourite jokes, and the shortlist was voted on by 2,000 people.

Luke Hales, a channel director for Dave, said: “This year the news agenda and everyday British idiosyncrasies have provided some wonderful opportunities for comedians to use their creative and comic genius in giving us all a giggle.”

Dave’s top 10 funniest jokes from the 2018 fringe

1) 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. Adam Rowe

2) I had a job drilling holes for water – it was well boring. Leo Kearse

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

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

5) What do colour-blind people do when they are told to eat their greens? Flo & Joan

6) 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. Darren Walsh

7) 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. Justin Moorhouse

8=) 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. Adele Cliff

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

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