Milligan wrote the world's funniet joke

Spike Milligan wrote the world’s funniest joke, researchers have discovered.

A recent worldwide poll, involving 300,000 people and 40,000 gags, revealed the gag that most appealed across all nationalities and age groups, and to men and women alike.

However, as is so often the case, the origins of the joke could not be traced – until now,

The gag was:

Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy takes out his phone and calls the emergency services.

He gasps: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says: "Calm down, I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. The guy's voice comes back on the line. He says: “OK, now what?"’

Now psychologist Richard Wiseman, who conducted the original study, has traced the gag to a little-seen 1951 television appearance by the Goon Show cast.

Although slightly different – taking place in house rather than outside and not, of course, featuring mobile phones – but the dialogue between Michael Bentine and Peter Sellers had the same punchline.

Prof Wiseman said: 'Tracking down the origin of jokes is almost impossible, as most are passed on by word of mouth.

‘Of all the thousands of jokes that were submitted the chances of knowing who wrote them, with one of two exceptions, is vanishingly small. Yet we do now know something about who wrote the winning joke.'

The professor, who today delivers a talk on the Science of Laughter at the Cheltenham Science Festival, contacted Milligan' daughter Sile who said she was convinced her father had written the gag.

He said he prefers the Milligan version as it is set in a normal house: ‘You can relate to it more and it is even more idiotic that a normal person could do this through their own stupidity.'

'What is also interesting is the fact it does not rely too much on word play or puns, so the joke will not be lost in translation into other languages.'

The gag was aired on a show called London Entertains, Professor Wiseman discovered, which pre-dates the first radio Goon Show (billed as The Crazy People) later in 1951.

Published: 9 Jun 2006