Beano reveals Britain’s Funniest Class 2024

Year 6 from Northside Primary School in North Finchley, London has been crowned Britain’s funniest with their winning gag: “What’s the hottest area in the classroom? The corner because it’s 90 degrees!”

Jokes poured in from across the country, with hundreds of applicants submitting their entries.

Beano’s chief gag makers whittled the wittiest submissions down to their favourite ten, which went forward to the public to decide.

Northside Primary School emerged victorious, securing 42% of the overall vote.

The class alongside their teacher have won the ultimate prize of being immortalised in a Bash Street Kids comic strip by Beano artist Nigel Parkinson. It will be the first time in the comic strip’s history that a whole class of real-life children will be immortalised in the pages of a Bash Street Kids story.

Mike Stirling, Director of Mischief at Beano said: “Britain’s Funniest Class is a celebration of the brilliant benefits of laughter at school, for pupils and teachers alike. Year Six, Northside Primary School found the funniest angle overall, and are deservedly now immortalised in Beanotown, but every entry gave us a great laugh. It’s been our most popular Britain’s Funniest Class contest yet, so laughter’s getting louder in schools nationwide. Result!”

The initiative, now in its sixth year championing the comedians of the future, aims to encourage confidence and wellbeing in the classroom. Beano has partnered with charity Place2Be to bring fun, free, resources to the classroom to tackle the growing issue of children’s mental health. In a first for Beano, the comic also launched a search for Britain’s Funniest Teacher, recognising the influence educators have on the creativity and humour in the classroom.

Northside Primary School’s Sarah Crouchley, crowned Britain’s Funniest Teacher said: “Beano’s Britain’s Funniest Class competition is such a great way to inspire creativity and innovation amongst children. Classrooms should be filled with laughter and learning, so thank you to Beano for allowing us to share our silly antics across the country. I speak for my whole class when I say we are buzzing to be joining The Bash Street Kids on the pages of their latest issue.”

The winning school also received the official Beano ‘Britain’s Funniest Class’ trophy, coveted Golden Gnasher Badges, comic subscriptions for the whole class and their school library, a trip to a Gulliver’s theme park of their choice, plus a visit from the Bash Street school bus, which delivered the prize haul. The bus is set to tour the remaining top 10 schools in June.

Competition was fierce throughout the campaign, with “When is a t-rex not a t-rex? When it is a coffee-rex” and “How did bees get to school? They took the buuuuussssss” amongst the runners up pipped to the post.