Leicester Comedy Festival: Newcomer wins pun contest

Kev Mud with his winner's belt, joined by event host Jason Byrne (left) and 2023 winner Lee Brace (right)

A comedy newcomer is celebrating being crowned king of the puns at the Leicester Comedy Festival.

Kev Mud beat seven other comics to win the UK Pun Championships 2024 at De Montfort Hall on Monday evening.

The 37-year-old previously worked as a sound technician at one of the festival venues and only picked up the microphone 18 months ago.

He has since been a finalist for British Comedian of the Year and performed at the Glastonbury festival.

"I feel really proud to be UK Pun Champion for 2024," he said.

"I'm not a pun guy really. My jokes aren't generally puns, so I thought I'd do it as a bit of a challenge."

The competition, introduced in 2014, takes place in a real boxing ring with the winner decided by audience noise.

Eight competing comics were given topics to write puns on before facing each other in the ring until only one remained.

Kev Mud's winning puns

Mud beat seven other contestants to take the crown

• "I can't go to the toilet without taking candles. I'm a party pooper."

• "I was at a kid's party and they said 'there's an ice cream man outside' - but by the time I got out there he had melted."

• "There are many ways to convert your bungalow into a house. Step one…"

• "I travel a lot being a comedian. In fact, I've spent the last year living out of a suitcase - which isn't bad but my back hurts and my legs stick out the end."

• "Welcome to the programme where people argue about whose dad is best. Top of the Pops."

• "I ordered a record the other day. When I put it on, my needle was covered in honey. Turns out I was playing the B-side."

Mud's journey into comedy began with his doctor advising him to stop drinking and start writing instead.

This prompted him to take up poetry and he soon discovered he could make people laugh.

When an act failed to show up to a comedy night where he was an audience member, he was encouraged to have a go.

He said: "I went up and absolutely killed it. I did another and absolutely killed that. Then, I invited my mates and died on my [backside]."

Mud has performed at Glastonbury and supported Frankie Boyle, Al Murray and Russell Howard

Mud says he lived in Leicester for "ages" but currently has a caravan in Cornwall.

"I moved into a house on Welford Road," he added. "During lockdown, I put a complaint up on Facebook about something I saw happening in Leicester and it got picked up by the Guardian.

"I ended up being an undercover reporter for the Guardian. I helped break the story about Boohoo."

The comedian returns to the stage at the festival on 23 February at Pete's Pizza, where he worked as a sound technician.

He also spends three days a week working to support those living on the streets after being homeless for a time himself.