The funniest Fringe gag? You must be joking... Cheesy quip about a zookeeper is voted the best of the 2023 Edinburgh Festival By Daisy Graham-Brown Published: 19:16 EDT, 21 August 2023 | Updated: 03:45 EDT, 22 August 2023 e-mail 49 shares 693 View comments The Edinburgh Fringe today found itself at the centre of a 'woke' row over the one-liner voted the festival's top joke. Comedian Lorna Rose Treen's award-winning gag goes: 'I started dating a zookeeper, but it turned out he was a cheetah.' Taken from her show Skin Pigeon currently on at the Edinburgh festival , the pun saw Treen clinching the top spot of Dave's highly anticipated Funniest Joke of the Fringe award. The prestigious honour was bestowed on the London-based comic after a panel of UK comedy critics selected a shortlist of jokes from shows at this year's Fringe - and then submitted them anonymously to a public vote of 2,000 people. Comedian Lorna Rose Treen's award-winning gag goes: 'I started dating a zookeeper, but it turned out he was a cheetah' Taken from her show Skin Pigeon currently on at the Edinburgh festival, the pun saw Treen clinching the top spot of Dave's highly anticipated Funniest Joke of the Fringe award Speaking about the success of her 'stupid' zookeeper joke, Treen 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!' Hot on Treen's heels in second place was Liz Guterbock's gentle mockery of overly apologetic Britons: 'The most British thing I've ever heard? A lady who said "Well I'm sorry, but I don't apologise".' And in third place was Amos Gill's topical wisecrack about the economy: 'Last year I had a great joke about inflation. But it's hardly worth it now.' The prestigious honour was bestowed on the London-based comic after a panel of UK comedy critics selected a shortlist of jokes from shows at this year's Fringe - and then submitted them anonymously to a public vote of 2,000 people Sneaking in at the ninth spot was William Stone's pithy one-liner: 'Nationwide must have looked pretty silly when they opened their first branch.' But trouncing them all was actor and writer Treen's cheetah joke, told during her debut 'nonsensical escapist character show' Skin Pigeon which has received rave reviews and sold out at least 28 shows during the Fringe. Skin Pigeon is on until Sunday, August 27 at The Attic in Pleasance Courtyard. Last ten ‘best jokes’ from The Fringe 2022 : Masai Graham - I tried to steal spaghetti from the shop, but the female guard saw me and I couldn't get pasta. 2019 : Olaf Falafel – ‘I keep randomly shouting out 'broccoli' and 'cauliflower' - I think I might have florets.’ 2018 - Alan Rowe - Working at the Jobcentre has to be a tense job - knowing that if you get fired, you still have to come in the next day. 2017 : Ken Cheng - I'm not a fan of the new pound coin, but then again, I hate all change. 2016 : Masai Graham - My dad suggested I register for a donor card, he is a man after my own heart 2015 : Darren Walsh - I just deleted all the German names off my phone. It's Hans free. 2014 : Tim Vine - I decided to sell my Hoover... well it was just collecting dust. 2013 : Rob Auton - I heard a rumour Cadbury is bringing out an oriental chocolate bar. Could be a Chinese Wispa. 2012 : Stewart Francis - You know who really gives kids a bad name? Posh and Becks. 2011 : Nick Helm - I needed a password eight characters long so I picked Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Share or comment on this article: The funniest Fringe gag? You must be joking... Cheesy quip about a zookeeper is voted the best of the 2023 Edinburgh Festival e-mail 49 shares Add comment