Schoolboy's James Bond 'fart' joke leaves judges shaken and stirred in national competition
An East Kilbride school pupil has turned a good gag into a golden ticket for Holyrood after being named a finalist in a national joke-telling competition.
Harry McElhiney, a P7 youngster at Halfmerke Primary, has been crowned the winner of South Lanarkshire's regional heat in the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' (RCSLT) VoiceBox competition – a national joke-telling contest celebrating the power of communication.
With a joke that had judges in stitches, Harry now heads to the grand final at the Scottish Parliament on June 5, where 32 of Scotland's funniest primary school pupils – one from each local authority – will compete for the title of VoiceBox Champion 2025.
Harry's joke which earned a place in the final, was: 'Why does James Bond not fart in bed? Because it would blow his cover.'
The event will be hosted by the Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, with Zara Janjua, BBC journalist and stand-up comedian, taking the mic as compère.
Now in its second year, VoiceBox launched on Blue Monday – the so-called 'saddest day of the year' – with a very different energy, thanks to last year's winners from Cockenzie Primary in East Lothian. Since then, schools across Scotland have been submitting their funniest entries in a joyful celebration of confidence, creativity and communication.
Harry has already secured £100 worth of Collins Big Cat books for their school, and is in the running for the top prizes:
■ £500 of books for the winning school
■ £200 of books for second and third place
■ Plus, a £100 toy gift card for the top three finalists
Glenn Carter, head of RCSLT Scotland, said: 'We're incredibly proud of all the regional winners who've earned a place in the national final.
'VoiceBox is about much more than making people laugh. It's about highlighting the vital role that communication plays in every part of a child's life. Speech, language and communication, skills are the foundation for learning, social connection, mental wellbeing and future employment. Yet too many children still struggle without the support they need, often going unnoticed.
'Competitions like VoiceBox show just how powerful a child's voice can be when given a platform and why it's so important that we continue to invest in speech and language therapy to support children's communication. These children aren't just telling jokes. They're showing us how the ability to communicate can positively impact confidence, creativity and connection.'
Lizzi Jones, head of sales and marketing for HarperCollins Scotland, added: 'Supporting VoiceBox allows us to champion children's literacy and communication, all through the simple joy of telling a joke. We can't wait to hear all the jokes at Holyrood.'
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Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
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Scottish Sun
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Love Island's Harry kisses Shakira's neck and goes in for a snog in intimate snuggling moment after rekindling romance
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Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Harry and Helena break down in tears as they cut final romantic ties in emotional scenes
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BOTH Harry and Helena broke down in tears multiple times as they cut their final romantic ties in emotional scenes. The duo have continued to deal with the fallout from The Grafties on the long-running ITV2 show. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 Harry Cooksley broke down in tears on Love Island Credit: ITV2 6 The 30-year-old visibly wiped his eyes as Helena ended their partnership for good Credit: ITV2 6 She was visibly emotional after Harry flirted with Shakira Credit: ITV2 After all the islanders watched Harry Cooksley flirt with Shakira Khan on the big screen, huge questions were asked within the villa. Later on, Harry admitted that he still had feelings for Shakira, despite being exclusive with Helena Ford. Then Shakira ended her couple partnership with Conor Phillips saying she had suppressed her feelings towards Harry. On tonight's episode of Love Island, all of the group continued to deal with the ramifications. Harry also previously told Conor that he only felt like his partnership with Helena was "more friendly." This made her absolutely devastated as she broke off her partnership with Harry tonight for the final time. "You're so selfish, you've literally broken my heart Harry. Like I cannot be your friend in here. "And I will not be your friend on the outside, I can f****** promise you that. I don't want any association with you ever again." When he suggested that the duo may eventually become friends on the outside, she shut him down once again. "I don't think we will be friends Harry. You don't possess any morals or values that I look for when I'm becoming friends with people. Love Island star Helena interrupts Harry and Shakira sharing their feelings for each other in awkward encounte "My friends don't treat me like that. I don't think you have an ounce of respect for me, you've literally ruined everything for me in here." She added: "I literally don't want anything to do with you Harry." That's when the footballers couldn't help but tear up after listening to her resounding words of rejection. Helena added: "I feel like I had something genuine in here and it's like obviously it wasn't. "I just feel so stupid because you clearly haven't felt the same as I felt about you this whole time." She couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck in a gesture of pity as she caressed his face one more time. As they let go she exclaimed: "It's where the journey ends my darling!" Later on, the pair were in the bedroom together where they wrapped their arms around one another for one final hug goodbye. I don't think you have an ounce of respect for me, you've literally ruined everything for me in here. Helena Ford But that night, Helena once again broke down in tears to Meg and Dejon 6 Viewers tuned into Love Island where they were greeted with emotional scenes Credit: ITV2 6 The duo shared one last embrace in the bedroom before parting ways Credit: ITV2 6 But Helena still broke down in front of Megan Forte-Clarke, Megan Moore and Dejon Noel-Williams Credit: ITV2 Love Island continues on ITV2 and is available to stream on ITVX.
