"The joke is met by groans that echo through a warehouse in Lambeth, London. We're at a joke-testing session with Talking Tables, a London company that makes supplies for gatherings. Its repertoire includes Christmas crackers. The firm's founder and chief executive, Clare Harris grins, almost apologetically at the gag. But the joke has made the cut and will feature in future crackers."
""You measure the joke by the number of groans and the loudness of the groans around the table," Ms Harris says. The key to a good Christmas cracker joke is not the same as a good gag per se. It is all about the context - in this case, the shared laughter of the Christmas dinner table with grandparents, children and potentially the neighbours or friends who've joined this year. "You want the joke to be something that brings the eight-year-old together with the 80-year-old," Ms Harris says."
Talking Tables, a London company, makes party supplies including Christmas crackers and tests jokes in a Lambeth warehouse. Staff from across the firm gather to pitch material and judge jokes by the number and loudness of groans around the table. Joke selection focuses on cross-generational appeal so children and elderly relatives can share the same laugh. The company compiles material from the internet, word of mouth and its own joke books and keeps a database of favourites. Selection occurs at least a year ahead so jokes are finalized well before the next Christmas season.
Read at www.bbc.com
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