We’ve seen it on t-shirts and on posters in practically every souvenir shop in Malta, and now ‘The Italian who went to Malta’ has been rated by Google itself as the fifth funniest video on the whole of YouTube.

To many of us, the joke of a misunderstood Italian in a hotel is older than the hills, and Google’s rating of the clip might just go to show that science should not be applied to determine what is actually funny.

With just over 48,000 hits, the video, called Angry Italian Man!, barely begins to compete in the overall popularity stakes, with some videos having tens of millions upon millions of views, but Google’s algorithm for determining humour delves a little deeper than the pure number of views a video has had.

It also takes into account such factors as how videos were described by the person uploading it, the amount it has been tagged and whether audible laughter can be heard in the background.

Google also importantly turned its attention to the comments users leave to gauge comedy value, and there are plenty of comments about the Italian’s misadventures in a Maltese hotel.

The search giant used its research to populate a list of candidates for YouTube’s Comedy Slam feature, where users can vote for the videos that made them laugh the most.

No No No No Cat received the most votes. The number two slot is occupied by Guy gets Killed by Bear, which features a kung-fu duel. At number three is Marshmallow Murder, where talking marshmallows are skewered and burned.

Number four is a clip of an elderly gentleman showing off his dance moves, called Old Man Shuffling.

And at number five is the misunderstood Italian holidaying in Malta, called Angry Italian Man!

If you possibly have never heard the somewhat rude joke, search for Angry Italian Man! on YouTube or go straight to www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vk0XOuDJ2s