Heard the one about... the funniest Scots city?

SCOTLAND has given its fair share of laughter to the world, with a long comedy pedigree which includes stars such as Sir Billy Connolly and Chic Murray.

But rivalry among Scottish cities has fuelled debate about which location can claim to be the funniest.

According to research for the Comedy Central Live festival, Glasgow can be awarded the honour. It follows a study to find the top ten mirth-making British cities. The poll saw Liverpool voted into first place, followed by Newcastle, London and Manchester, with Glasgow in fifth place ahead of Edinburgh in sixth.

Taste in comedy varied across Scotland, with sarcasm ranked top with Edinburgh locals, while in Glasgow the favourite choice was smutty humour. Across the UK, 74 per cent of people believe that northerners are naturally hilarious .

Even just over six out of ten southerners said that their counterparts in the north were funnier than them.

Penny Brough, for Comedy Central Live, said that there would be a chance for southerners to prove them wrong at the festival in Southampton early next month. ‘Northerners may have come out top in the comedy stakes but we know southerners are just as funny,’ she said.

Norwich was named the heckling capital of Britain, with 40 per cent of residents claiming to have interrupted a comedian’s show with a joke of their own.

By contrast, in Edinburgh only 17 per cent of audience members admitted to interrupting a performance.