HEARD the one about the psychiatrist from Bury whose gag has come tops in a worldwide survey? Well, it's no joke!

For Gurpal Gosall has emerged as an unlikely "king of comedy" after his rib-tickler received the highest global rating of more than 40,000 jokes submitted to the LaughLab website.

The objective of the survey, the biggest of its kind ever launched, was to pinpoint the world's funniest gag.

Behind the experiment was psychologist Dr Richard Wiseman from the University of Hertfordshire, who invited those logging on to the website to judge the jokes or to submit their own.

And believe it or not, it was 31-year-old Mr Gosall's entry, which you can read and chuckle at, above, which generated more universal appeal than any other.

Gurpal's gag is: Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says: "Calm down. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says: "OK, now what?"

Reacting to the news that his joke had been top rated, a surprised Mr Gosall, of Meadowbrook Close, said: "It came as an absolute shock. I got an e-mail and I couldn't believe I was the king of comedy.

"Somebody told me this joke quite a few years ago and it's my favourite. So, I logged it on to the LaughLab web site.

"I think my joke is one which has got a broad appeal. But not everyone laughs at it. I like to think I'm a humorous person and I often tell jokes to my friends and family."

He said the extensive publicity had made it "an amazing few days". Mr Gosall works as a psychiatrist at Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester. Asked if being a joke teller helped with his job, he replied: "It's good for everybody to have a sense of humour. It breaks down barriers."