PUBLISHED during the Edinburgh Fringe, a job advert for an official joke writer for Poundland just had to be a spoof, didn’t it?

On the day the top 25 jokes of the Fringe were selected, the breathless announcement that “leading discount retailer Poundland has launched a nationwide search for a new joke writer” just had to be a wacky piece of humour, or so we thought.

But it’s true, and the selected candidate will be writing hilarious one-liners for the product packaging as well as Poundland’s famous but often controversial Christmas card range.

Poundland is asking would-be comics to submit their best gags to be in with a chance of winning the dream job and a trip to Edinburgh to perform their own stand up gig during the Fringe.

It’s official, and the job even has its own “sits vac” announcement on Poundland’s website at https://search.poundlandcareers.co.uk/search/3134.

Hopefully asipiring joke writers will come up with a better line than the ones on Poundland’s nuts range – they feature squirrel gags on the wrappers, such as “What do you call a peanut in a space suit? An Astronut…” and “Two peanuts were walking down a road. One was a salted”. Ouch!

Those who want to be considered for the gig will be able to enter by submitting their best one-liners to PGT@poundland.co.uk and be in with a chance of being named the first “Poundland comic”. All one-liners must be submitted by August 16.

Three pun-inspired writers will be shortlisted for the role and whisked off to Edinburgh on August 24 to perform for a panel of Poundland executives during the Fringe

Meanwhile, the London Evening Standard has named its top 25 jokes of the Fringe. They include Goose’s joke: “My mate came second in a Winston Churchill lookalike competition. He was close, but no cigar.”

Or Nick Helm’s jest: “I regret rubbing ketchup in my eyes, but that’s Heinz sight.”

Alex Healy’s Brexit-related joke tickled the funny bone: “The past is like a foreign country: English people ruining it for everyone else.”

Think we’d better stop there.