Seven comedians up for award

The shortlist for the best joke of the Nottingham comedy festival have been announced,

Chosen from gags submitted in advance by comics performing at the festival, which kicked off on Friday, hey are:

Philip Simon: I asked my son if he was old enough to join the Secret Service. He said, ‘MI5 or MI6?’ (From Philip Simon: ‘School's Out Comedy Club,  at The VAT and Fiddle, November 9, 12pm)

Alex Mitchell (pictured): I did my driving test in Luton. My driving instructor asked me to pull over whenever it was safe to do so. I drove to Cambridge. (From Alex Mitchell: Tough, at The VAT and Fiddle, November 8, 8pm)

Friz Frizzle: I'm afraid of going to the doctor’s because there's a risk that they'll tell me there's something wrong with me, and I don't like criticism. (From Friz Frizzle's Funny Turn, at Hockley Emporium, November 1, 7.30pm)

Denzil de Cristo: I used to be in a rock band, we toured the Far East.’ ‘Singapore?’. ‘Yeah, Drummer was rubbish too.’ (From Denzil de Cristo: Artificially Intelligent Procrastinating Pundit, at Hockley Emporium, November 8, 7:30pm)

Angela Bra: My mum always said that ;money doesn’t grow on trees’. Which is a shame because if trees were a bank they’d be the only one with any branches left. (From Angela Bra: Secret Diary Of A Bingo Call Girl, at The Lord Roberts, Tuesday November 4 at 8pm)

Joz Norris: Sometimes I worry I'm a bad parent, but then I give myself credit for how hard I work to put food on the table. Admittedly my wife pays for the food and cooks the food, but I'm always the one who puts it on the table. (From Joz Norris: You Wait. Time Passes,  at Fisher Gate Point, November 8 at 9.30pm)

Henry Michael: When I’m not doing this I’m actually a GP, which is why you probably haven’t seen me before. (From Kevin Daniel & Henry Michael: Happy Hour,  at Canalhouse, November 3 at  6.30pm).

The prize is £106.90 – because the award is sponsored by  Takeover Radio 106.9FM, the same station that backed the ISH joke of the Fringe award in Edinburgh in August.

Full details of the Nottingham Comedy Festival  are here. 

Published: 2 Nov 2025