The Dave's Funniest Joke of the Fringe award, back for the first time since 2019, is voted on by members of the public. 

West Bromwich comedian Masai Graham was the winner with this line: "I tried to steal spaghetti from the shop, but the female guard saw me and I couldn't get pasta." Fifty-two percent of the public surveyed voted it the best gag, according to local media.

Not everyone was enamoured of the joke, with one Twitter user declaring on social media that "Nothing puts you off the Edinburgh Fringe than the best jokes" while another lamented: "If that was the best joke from @edfringe then all the other acts must be incredibly poor".

It's not the first time Masai Graham has triumphed at the Fringe. He also won in 2016 with this joke: "My dad suggested I register for a donor card – he's a man after my own heart."

The man himself seems undeterred by the criticism online. "It's great to see the Edinburgh Fringe back up and running again, it's my spiritual home. I was so delighted to find out I'd won for a second time – I thought, 'This is getting pasta joke'", Graham was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, runs until 29 August.