The Thomas family from Amersham have been chosen from hundreds of entries by Beano as one of the Top Twenty Funniest Families in the UK.

The Thomas family were selected because they impressed the judges with their Funniest Family Joke entry for the comic’s nationwide competition.

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A team of Beano gag writers, led by head judge Romesh Ranganathan, selected the shortlist, and are now asking the British public to vote online for the final winner.

Members of the public can have their say on who should be crowned Britain’s Funniest Family at beano.com/funfam before June 14.

The winning family will be brought to life in a one-off strip in the comic, as well as receiving an official Beano trophy, a year’s Beano subscription for the family and friends, and a Nintendo Switch.

The competition was launched by Beano to lift spirits, 'tickle funny-bones' and help keep families entertained at home.

Hundreds of families entered by sharing their homemade funny videos across four categories: Funniest Family Joke, Funniest Family Prank, Funniest Family Face and Funniest Family Song and Dance.

Mike Stirling, Editorial Director of Beano Studios, said: “All the entries had us laughing for hours so we’d like to thank all the families who entered. 

But the Thomas family went bananas! Their a-peeling gag, featuring the whole family got us lol-ing and we hope everyone gets voting for them in Amersham so they can be crowned the funniest family in Britain.” 

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The initiative was developed in partnership with YoungMinds to encourage families to spend time doing positive activities to help reassure children and reduce their anxiety.

Beano and YoungMinds have also created practical activities and advice to support families’ wellbeing during isolation and keep spirits high available on their website.