Heard the one about the comic who proposed to his girlfriend at the end of a 24-hour stage show

It was no joke when Mark Watson popped the question to 23-year-old Brightlingsea girl Emily Howes at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival today.

The stand-up comic stunned the former Colchester County High School for Girls pupil in front of the audience after the show.

Teacher at the Norman Way school and friend of Miss Howes, Alison Davidson, was there to witness the happy occasion.

She said: "It was a very moving moment. He is a very engaging man. There was a rapturous response from the audience. Party poppers were handed out and everyone cheered."

Miss Howes now lives in London.

She said: "My friend told me everyone knew apart from me, and it was amazing because so many of my friends were there.

"It was really beautiful, but obviously Mark was the star of the whole thing and he orchestrated it.''

The 24-year-old comic was cheered on by a crowd of more than 160 people as he ended his feat of endurance just minutes after midnight at the Cowgate Central venue.

The London-based comic said afterwards he felt "pretty dazed and very happy'' by the whole experience. He added: "Thankfully, she gave the right answer."

Published Tuesday August 24, 2004

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