Can you copyright a joke?

Jokes and are they copyrightable come up a lot. 

There is a post over on Chortle where a former law lecturer and standup, Ollie Horn, tries to take it apart.

So I can copyright my jokes?

The simple answer in most cases is yes, and the surprising thing to many comics is that your jokes already enjoy copyright protection. Copyright protects ‘literary works’ (any writing, in any language), ‘dramatic works’ (anything with movement like a sketch, a mime or a slapstick routine), and ‘musical’ works. Basically everything you publish online or perform live in a comedy club will fall into one of these categories.