Meet the puntestants

UK Pun Championships finalists announced

The finalists have been announced for this year’s UK Pun Championships, run by the Leicester Comedy Festival.

Eight contestants will take part in a rap-battle style pun-off on what the festival had dubbed Punday – Monday February 11 – and hosted by Jason Byrne, pictured.

They are:

Robert Thomas, London

The 2018 winner is back to defend his crown. He was also a runner-up in he Leicester Square Theatre Old Comedian of the Year competition in 2017.

Typical pun: Seaweed is really good for you. If you're ever in trouble, sea kelp.
Twitter: @roblavs

Colin Leggo, Cornwall

Born and raised in the wilds of Cornwall, Colin Leggo is a stand-up comedian and Youtuber perhaps best known for the parody Grand Theft Cornwall and The Car Pun Game’, where he invites well known comedians to drive around, making up puns from words heard on the radio. He has been inthe finals of the UK Pun Championships in both 2017 and 2018

Typical pun: I’m a very meticulous amputee, I like to get my prosthetic to always fit properly. Yesterday I was out jogging and my leg came loose. I was kicking myself.
Twitter: @colinleggo

Stevie Vegas, Stirling and Northamptonshire

Stevie has been a professional juggler, comedian and magician since 2001. He has written a new joke on Twitter every day for the past few years, so has a collection of around 1500 puns.

Typical pun: Can anyone remind me how to use WD-40? I'm a bit rusty.
Twitter:@SteveJuggler

Eleanor Colville

Writer and performer in the Cambridge Footlights, and last year she took her debut character comedy show Bigamous to the Edinburgh Fringe.

Typical pun: Roman Numerals going out of fashion? Not on my watch.
Twitter: @EleanorColville

Adele Cliff, London

Adele has been performing stand up, specialising in one liners, since 2014 and made the Dave’s Funniest Jokes of the Edinburgh Fringe lists in both 2016, 2017 and 2018. She has been Milton Jones’s tour support.

Typical pun: How can you tell you’re eating a Brexit Christmas dinner? No Brussels, or Turkey and we no longer have a seat at the table. Twitter: @Adelecliff

Richard Woolford, London

A finalist in the UK Pun Championships in 2015 and 2016, Richard writes social media jokes for Have I Got News For You and puns for BBC Radio 4 Extra’s Newsjack.

Typical pun: I bought my girlfriend some Slinky underwear, now she keeps falling down the stairs.
Twitter: @rwoolfordcomedy

Joseph Murphy

A surreal, musical comedian who was shortlisted for BBC New Comedian 2015, and New Act of the Year Finalist 2016. He has also supported James Acaster.

Typical pun: Why is Moe Sizlack always saying he wants to kill the young Simpson boy? Because he’s a Bart-ender Twitter:@Musicjoe11