The Edinburgh Fringe came back with a bang bringing us theatre, music and cracking one-liners.

As the world's biggest art festival celebrates its 75th anniversary, the capital has welcomed back tourists and performers from across the globe. 

The award for the funniest joke of the festival has been awarded for the first time since the pandemic. 

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.

Central Fife Times: Man holding an Edinburgh Fringe sign. Credit: PAMan holding an Edinburgh Fringe sign. Credit: PA

Here's who took the title for Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe award and the other top jokes that made this year's rankings. 

Masai Graham wins Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe 2022 award

Comedy critics attended hundreds of shows across the Fringe to create a shortlist which was voted on by 2,000 members of the public.

The award was back for the first time since 2019 and was given blindly as the public was not told the names of the comedians in the running.

This year, Masai Graham was voted the winner with his joke: “I tried to steal spaghetti from the shop, but the female guard saw me and I couldn’t get pasta.”

Central Fife Times: Masai Graham winner of the Dave Joke of the Edinburgh Fringe 2022 award for the second time. Credit: Dave/ PAMasai Graham winner of the Dave Joke of the Edinburgh Fringe 2022 award for the second time. Credit: Dave/ PA

This isn't the first time that the West Bromwich-born comedian has won the accolade, having earned the title back in 2016 with his joke: “My dad suggested I register for a donor card – he’s a man after my own heart.”

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

“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.”

Dave channel director Cherie Cunningham added: “What a pleasure to be back in Edinburgh. 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.”

Best jokes of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022

Central Fife Times: Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Credit: PAEdinburgh Fringe Festival. Credit: PA

Here are the top 10 jokes from the Fringe this year:

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

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

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

4. 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."

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

6. 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."

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

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

9. Sophie Duker: "Don’t knock threesomes. Having a threesome is like hiring an intern to do all the jobs you hate."

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