Triumph at the Leicester Comedy Festival

Richard Pulsford has been crowned the UK Pun Champion of 2022.

The comedian triumphed took the title yesterday at the Leicester Comedy Festival.

Host Jason Byrne oversaw a rap battle-style knockout competition between the finalists – staged in a boxing ring set up in De Montfort Hall.

Pulsford's lines included: ‘My old Looney Tunes app still has Bugs in it.’

He takes the title from Adele Cliff, who won this event in 2020.

The other finalists last night were:

Iain MacDonald, whose gags included: ‘I was charged with repairing a train. Unfortunately, it seems I bit off more than I could choo-choo.'

Rob Thomas: ‘When I was a kid we used to play football with dead rabbits. Thumpers for goalposts.’

On  being asked for gags about fruit and veg, Pauline Eyre said: ‘I’ve got a list of jokes for this category. It’s my vegetable stock.’

Jenan Younis: ’What’s the favourite meal of every Liverpool fan? Chicken Tikka Mo Salah.'

Chris Norton Walker: ‘If you are going to walk 10,000 miles, wear the correct footwear and consult a doctor: The Disclaimers’

Richard Woolford: ’My head hurt when I went to a city in Spain. I had a Sevilla headache.’

Playing a chord on his keyboard, Friz Frizzle said: ‘That’s home to me. That’s A Flat.’

Last year  Pulsford self-published a joke book, The Punball Wizard,  collecting together  600 of his one-liners.

Published: 8 Feb 2022