Two Out of Three Ain't Bad.


I was surprised and amused to discover one of the three jokes I make a point about being the only gags I’ve ever written at the top of my show made it into the i Newspaper’s 50 Best Jokes at this year’s Fringe; what with my line about Anne Boleyn getting into last year’s Telegraph and Comedy Central rundowns, I’ve now got just one joke left to feature somewhere notable to achieve a 100% success rate.

I don't get it.
Joking aside (no pun intended), it was a relief to have something like this happen, as prior to it, I only had a single disappointing review to speak of as the sum total of this year’s coverage - save a couple of Q&A interviews - and I didn’t want that to be the legacy of what’s otherwise felt like a successful run, at least regarding show content; while it wouldn't be the first time, it’s frustrating when you only have an unrepresentative write-up as the online legacy of your run.

It’s funny to be included in another Best of joke collection when it’s so not what I do. It’s a lovely thing to happen and I’m grateful for it, but it’s so unlikely. That said, it’s ironic that this particular joke was picked up, as there were actually a couple of things I submitted this year that I was actually quite proud of that didn't make the grade, whereas this one is knowingly bad. It’s not to be sniffed at and I wouldn’t want it rescinded, but it only goes to show you never quite know what’s most likely to be picked up. It’s particularly special to be included in the ‘i’ as, when a paper with notoriously few pages singles you out, you're even more honoured to be included in it.


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