Punctuation joke wins Beano competition

A joke about punctuation has been chosen as the funniest in a competition run by the Beano comic.

Youngsters from Year 5 at Riverley Primary School in Leyton, London, won the accolade, with their joke: What do you call the fanciest punctuation? An a-posh-trophe.

Their class teacher, Maisha Mahfuza, was also named Britain’s Funniest teacher.

The winners will be featured in this week’s 4,290th edition of the Beano, drawn by renowned artist Nigel Parkinson

A panel of the comic’s expert gag makers narrowed down the wittiest submissions to their favourite 10 finalists, before handing the final decision to a public vote.

Mike Stirling, director of mischief at the Beano, said: “As the only comic where kids are in charge, Beano continues to celebrate childhood in all its mischievous, screen-free glory.

“This annual competition is just one way Beano will power summer with pure fun, spotlighting the next generation of comedy geniuses.

“This perfectly crafted joke is creative, mischievous and 100% funny. It had us laughing out loud.”

Ms Mahfuza said: “Seeing our class and joke featured in Beano was surreal. Britain’s Funniest Class competition is a fantastic way to spark laughter, boost creativity and build confidence in children.

“Learning should always come with a healthy dose of fun, and how many people can say they’ve spread a good giggle beyond the classroom to the whole nation?”

The winning school will receive the official Beano “Britain’s Funniest Class” trophy, Gnasher Badges, and comic subscriptions for the whole class.

Other jokes in the top 10 included: What’s the cleverest school dinner? Maths potato; Why did the shark have stomachache? Because it ate a school dinner; What’s the difference between Dennis and Gnasher? Dennis wears shorts and Gnasher pants; What’s the opposite of a Dandelion? A BeanoTiger; and Why did the chicken cross the road? Be-CAAWWW-se.