Second woman to sccop Dave's title in its 15-year history

Edinburgh newcomer Lorna Rose Treen has won this year’s Dave Joke Of The Fringe award.

Her winning line – ‘I started dating a zookeeper, but it turned out he was a cheetah’ comes from her show Skin Pigeon at Pleasance Courtyard.

She becomes only the second woman to scoop the title - winning 15 years after Zoe Lyons won the inaugural award in 2008.

The full top ten is:

1. I started dating a zookeeper, but it turned out he was a cheetah.
   Lorna Rose Treen
2. The most British thing I've ever heard? A lady who said 'Well I'm sorry, but I don't apologise.’
   Liz Guterbock
3. Last year I had a great joke about inflation. But it’s hardly worth it now.
   Amos Gill
4. When women gossip we get called bitchy; but when men do it’s called a podcast. Sikisa
5. I thought I'd start off with a joke about The Titanic - just to break the ice.
   Masai Graham
6. How do coeliac Germans greet each other? Gluten tag.
   Frank Lavender
7. My friend got locked in a coffee place overnight. Now he only ever goes into Starbucks, not the rivals. He’s Costa-phobic.
   Roger Swift
8. I entered the 'How not to surrender' competition and I won hands down.
   Bennett Arron
9. Nationwide must have looked pretty silly when they opened their first branch. William Stone
10. My grandma describes herself as being in her 'twilight years' which I love because they’re great films. Daniel Foxx

Treen, originally from Redditch and now based in London, was a double winner at last year’s Funny Women Awards and won Best Newcomer at this year’s Chortle awards.

She said: ‘I am blooming chuffed to have won Dave's best joke of the Fringe. Are you kidding! I can't wait to tell my mum. It is already such a wonderful joy to be debuting at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, and this is a lovely thing on top. A huge thank you for awarding my stupid joke with this title.’

The title has previously been won by the likes of Adam Rowe Ken Cheng, Olaf Falafel, Tim Vine, Rob Auton, Stewart Francis, Zoe Lyons and Nick Helm.

Jokes are submitted by a panel of critics, which are then put to public vote to determine the most popular.

Published: 22 Aug 2023