Comedian Andy Gleeks, from Antrim, Northern Ireland, has been crowned the winner of the (some guy called) Dave Joke of the Fringe 2025, part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025, with the gag: “I had to visit the trauma unit last weekend. He prefers the term dad.”
Gleeks takes home the coveted title, a trophy, and a £250 cash prize.
The competition invited comedians performing at the Fringe to submit their best jokes. A longlist was selected by a panel of celebrated one-liner comics — Gary Delaney (Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week), Mark Simmons (Mock the Week, Dave’s Joke of the Fringe Winner 2024), and Darren Walsh (UK Pun Champion 2014, Dave’s Joke of the Fringe Winner 2015).
Founder Will Mars (Showtime at the Apollo) then took the longlist to Edinburgh’s Cowgate, where he found “some guy called Dave” — Dave Humphrys — and his family enjoying a pre-show drink at the Three Sisters Bar. Dave and his family judged the final shortlist and chose this year’s Top 10 jokes and the overall winner.
Dave said: “I absolutely love dad jokes, puns, and one-liners and this list has really given us a good giggle.”
Gleeks said: “The first thing I’ve had to do today is message my father to tell him about the joke I wrote about him. He never knew I wrote it and was telling it to thousands of strangers up and down the country.”
Gleeks is performing his show Fragments at 12:30 pm daily in the Boston Bar (Venue 650). The Fringe brochure describes it as:
“Want an uplifting show about changing your life and starting again? Or want to watch a man root around in the ruins of a life not meant for him? Or maybe you want to watch him lose everything but have very funny stories to tell? Maybe you can have it all – unlike him… At least Andy has a sense of humour about it.”