The Zing in the Ding puts a smile on our faces

AT THE end of the day, laughter is a funny old game. And Reading just happens to be at the top of it.

Well nearly.

Blackpool’s Grand Theatre has been tickling the nation to find out where its funnybones are.

The study analysed 80 UK towns and cities looking at the number of comedy venues and the number of notable comedians born in or around each place.

This data was then weighted by population (per 100,000 residents) and each place ranked.

This was not any funny business, but a serious study.

The results are no joke: the Ding’s witty zingers see it land ninth in the league table.

Its overall funny score is 42.5, with the number of popular comedians born in Reading per 100,000 ranked as 1.9, and there are 2.8 comedy venues per 100,000 people. That might have increased since the survey was carried out as we now have The Biscuit Factory joining venues such as Milk, Just The Tonic, South Street and The Hexagon.

Top of the jokers’ pack is Lincoln, with a funny score of 82.9, while Oxford was second with 71.7. Blackpool came in sixth, with a score of 45.3.

Andrew Howard, head of marketing at Blackpool Grand Theatre, said: “Comedy shows are such a great way to bring friends and family together and build memories through laughter.

“I’m sure we will see more shows coming on sale over the months ahead as more famous faces take to the stage with new material – I think after the last year we’ve all had, we need to look back lightly on some of the softer moments, and more importantly; ahead to a busier social life once more.

“I’m also really pleased to see Blackpool has made the top 10 – as comedy is one of our most popular categories all year round.”