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Having just come back from a rather wet week at the Edinburgh Fringe, I had it in mind to see who likes who in the comedy line. I saw 24 shows, 18 were top tier, 4 were OK and two I should have saved my money. The top five were, in order of preference (but only narrowl
Rich Hall
Henning Wehn
Phil Jupitus
Andi Osha
Alan Cochrane
Jimeoin was a big disappointment, and Daniel Sloss needs a bit more work. The Hamiltons (well, Christine, who rather runs the show) were good as was Paul Daniels for sheer professionalism. Al Murray was better than expected albeit a bit lary.
Didn't manage to get tickets for R4 recording of The Unblieveable Truth on Saturday, which was a shame as it was apparently v funny.
So, who 's your favourite comedian?
Last edited by: VxFan on Thu 18 Aug 11 at 10:37
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Henning Wehn - Proof that Germans cant do funny!
Phil Jupitas is very good live, Dave Allen live was superb when unshackled by TV restrictions.
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One of the funniest i've seen in ages, was Rhod Gilbert going on about a lost suitcase at the airport.
No idea if he's funny like that across the board, but that one was tremendous.
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That was brilliant, but I also favour another Welsh comedian, Mike Doyle, side splitting every time.
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Michael McIntyre and Dara O'Brien. They have a knack of making the absurdity of life extremely funny such as the 'man drawer' and bed salesmen.
Ive read McIntyres book, very good read it is too as is Dara's, though totally different.
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>> Michael McIntyre and Dara O'Brien.
Both I will happily run over in the next riot. O'Brien wont be going "ehhhhhhhhhhhh" between each joke with lancer front wheels on his neck.
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Dont mess with Dobby, powerful magic has elfs :-)
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>> Dont mess with Dobby, powerful magic has elfs :-)
Thats good, Dobby dies in "Harry Potter and the final bit -1"
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I like Benny Hill.
I don't care if he was politically incorrect.
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Or does he... he could be good with horcruxes ( in my defense my wife MADE me see every film several times over ).
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>> Or does he...
He does, Dobby Never re-appeared in "Harry Potter and the Final Bit +1"
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Rhod Gilbert is pretty good, he had a series on BBC Wales "Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience" which had him working with professionals including the Police. Very funny bloke. I like his stuff. Rob Brydon is very funny. I was lucky enough to see Mark Steele live (misjudged his audience a bit), Kevin Bridges and I am due to see Jeremy Hardy through my voluntary work in the local theater.... I wouldn't have paid to see Bridges but he was quite funny in a predictable way.
I was privileged to see two recordings of ISIHAC with Humph (not ours) - cracking stuff. Very funny. For me the timeless Tommy Cooper still makes me laugh...Oh and I went to see Ken Dodd live....funny enough but very long.
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That nodding dog McIntyre needs a slap as does that awful Bishop chap with the teeth and the cut glass Runcorn accent....painfully old hat.
I used to enjoy Steve Coogan but is so far up his own backside now that he's become a dreadful caricature of himself of late.
Last edited by: R.P. on Mon 15 Aug 11 at 19:51
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Old Jim Davidson stuff, before he was brainwashed by the political correct brigade.
None of the current ones do anything for me, well apart from Harry Hill. Guessing though he is more of an entertainer than comedian?
Bring back the wheel tappers and shunters club. Who could ever forget Charlie Williams?
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 15 Aug 11 at 19:53
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>> Bring back the wheel tappers and shunters club. Who could ever forget Charlie Williams?
Who?
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>> Who?
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5309634.stm me old flower.
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 15 Aug 11 at 20:01
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>> >> Who?
>>
>> news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5309634.stm me old flower.
Of for gawds sake, It was the perfect punchline and it was wasted on you.
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>> Of for gawds sake, It was the perfect punchline and it was wasted on you.
:Scratches head: You've lost me.
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Q Who could forget Charlie Williams
R Who ?
LOL !
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>> Rhod Gilbert is pretty good, he had a series on BBC Wales "Rhod Gilbert's Work
>> Experience" which had him working with professionals including the Police. Very funny bloke. I like
>> his stuff. Rob Brydon is very funny.
I was lucky enought to catch Rob Brydon doing the now famous April fools day Ken Bruce radio show. The way it was developed was sheer genius.
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I have only seen three live comedy appearences:
1. Jasper Carrott - OK, but he let Steve Punt & Hugh Dennis do the whole first half, and then resorted to reading out insurance claims.
2. Mike Harding - in the days when he still did comedy. Played the banjo a bit, and a hilarious account of his visit to the proctologist. Better than Carrott.
3. Doddy - what good value he gives. On stage at 7.30 ish, half way interval at 10.30, at which point he advised audience members planning to get the last bus home to book a taxi. We gave in at 11.30 at the ex Mrs W was large with my eldest son, but he was still going strong when we crept out.
I still rate Doddy today, though unlike some I quite like John Bishop.
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The best comedy show i have seen was The Secret Policemans Ball. I was lucky enough to get to the 79 version in London,.
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>> I was lucky enough to get to the 79 version in London,.
>>
I think I was at that too. Rowan Atkinson school master, Ian Dury, Chris Langham doing hos owl thing (might have beena different show) - can't remember a lot else, but it was deffo around that time. A theatre in Victoria IIRC.
Last edited by: smokie on Mon 15 Aug 11 at 22:39
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>> >> I was lucky enough to get to the 79 version in London,.
>> >>
>>
>> I think I was at that too. Rowan Atkinson school master, Ian Dury, Chris Langham
>> doing hos owl thing (might have beena different show) - can't remember a lot else,
>> but it was deffo around that time. A theatre in Victoria IIRC.
her majesties I seem to recall. I was lucky to work int he area and got them in person at the BO.
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I'm wrong - mine was Fundamental Frolics at the Apollo in 1981.
www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Fundamental_Frolics
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Favourite . . Ronnie Barker, without a doubt (and he beats a LOT of great ones)
Lots of great roles, from The Navy Lark, The Frost Report, Two Ronnies, Porridge, and Open All Hours. (Also a radio show that is not as well known as it should be : Lines from my Grandfather's Forehead)
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I have to admit to seeing Ken Dodd when he performed at our town hall when I was a teenager. Very funny and value for money. Max Boyce was also funny... around the same time actually.
I once heckled in a Manchester comedy pub (now moved to a club). The comedian was okay and seems to have survived! Dave Gorman. I think he still has tea spoons in his cardigan pockets?
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>> I have to admit to seeing Ken Dodd
By jove!
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I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Tim Minchin yet.
A fantastic observational comedian and a brilliant pianist to boot.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZN0vS4AmMo
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Ronnie Barker in Porridge (his best imho).
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Ah! Bob Newhart - classic.
He did a cracking skit on the "infinite monkeys on infinite typewriters" and Shakespeare theory, not heard it for years and cant find it anywhere.
(the Ricky Gervais version is poor in comparison.)
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It's on Spotify as are nearly all of his recordings - enjoy!
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Big fan of Rich Hall, and his alter ego Otis Lee Crenshaw (also a genuinely nice chap). Also the work of Garth Marenghi and the League of Gentlemen and offshoots.
The 'safer' comedians leave me cold I'm afraid(MacKintyre, Izzard, Evans etc). I guess I like a dark and/or surreal edge.
Fave overall probably joint between Milton Jones and Sean Lock. Saw the latter at one Fringe years ago, a show featuring a storyette about a boy who was half donkey that made me laugh so hard I nearly passed out.
On TV, I love Family guy- SO dark, but one of the few things that makes me cry with laughter, and then feel guilty about it. Oh, and the Mighty Boosh. Genius.
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Ah Family guy! Mayor Adam West, (yes the guy who played Batman) is superb.
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The modern day ones don't cut it with me
All the below I have seen live and I rate them in funny order:-
1) Billy Connolly
2 ) Jasper Carrott,
3 ) Ken Dodd
4 ) Max Boyce
5 ) Phil Cool
6) Richard Digance
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I never "got" the Office and have only enjoyed Ricky Gervais in Extras which was a brilliantly funny programme...Stephen Merchant is really funny....he did one of the funniest in the R4 Chain Reaction series.....absolutely laugh out loud stuff.
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I never "got" the office until series 2 and was then "into" series 1 when it was on re-runs.
The Office was a completely different, humour on another level. You had to get past the "what the!" moment, then fight the "look away - this guy is pathetically painful cringe", and the sheer genius of the writing, characterisation and acting suddenly blossoms in your concious. Once your into it, and you have any idea of middle management corporate journeymen, the humour is of immense pee taking and the sheer stupidity and gullibility of it.
Its a journey, including his demise.
Last edited by: Zero on Tue 16 Aug 11 at 16:33
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I like Billy Connolly but saw him in Glasgow a year or so ago and was very disappointed.
I think his TV programmes are good as he gives information interspersed with jokes. But he does the same on stage and it doesn't quite work the same.
Also I don't know if it has anything to do with it being Glasgow, in many performances all over the world he will talk about Glasgow but when he is in Glasgow it might not have the same effect.
I would gladly run over Michael McIntyre but not before I had taken a blunt garden strimmer to that floppy fringe of his!
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>> I like Billy Connolly but saw him in Glasgow a year or so ago and
>> was very disappointed.
>> I think his TV programmes are good as he gives information interspersed with jokes. But
>> he does the same on stage and it doesn't quite work the same.
>>
>> Also I don't know if it has anything to do with it being Glasgow, in
>> many performances all over the world he will talk about Glasgow but when he is
>> in Glasgow it might not have the same effect.
Bit of a one trick pony IMHO. And he know likes to be taken as a serious performer - they all go down the drain when that happens.
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>> they all go down the drain when that happens.
Yer. Give an artist artistic control and they can kiss their career goodbye. And so can their honest friends and helpers. Keep the little snotgobblers down, thats what I say.
(Norrie Schnorrer, freelance manager)
(not you Zeddo)
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I bumped into Connolly in a Little Chef, many moons ago, with his wife - Pamela Stephens. I was with a rather rotund colleague who knew the staff which meant we had a very special serving of bacon (i.e.large - a sort of buffet...!) - Connolly kept peering over as he ate his comparatively tiny helping....I often wondered whether that event would end up as an anecdote.
I enjoyed his "World Tour" series.....I also enjoy him as an actor, he's rather better at that than at comedy.
Which reminds me of my other comedy favourites, Ross Noble - excellent Channel 5 series on biking across and around Australia and gigging in between. Paul Merton, a well informed, sharp as a razor wit man. Jack Dee - always liked him and his humour and a steady pair of hands on ISIHAC.
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>> Big fan of Rich Hall
Rich Hall on Tom Cruise
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vmg9e785lo
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Billy Connolly
Jack Dee
Rhod Gilbert
Dave Allen
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Kenny Everett (or was he more of an entertainer too?)
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I discovered recently that I was in the audience for Kevin Bridge's first ever stand-up appearance.
It was at Jongleurs in Glasgow and I remember laughing loudly at the comparison of England winning the Olympics then shooting dead the first person seen running through London.......
Atthat same gig (a newcomers night) there was another guy who I remember died on stage, started poor, was heckled, tried responding to the hecklers, got heckled even more and then just walked off stage! The Reverend somebody or another I think his name was.
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I completely forgot Tim Allen. I always found him hilariosu in Home Improvement and ive seen his stand-up on occasion and he was just as good then, if not PC.
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I found Kevin a comic of the old-school, he does deserve to succeed, He went down well here, I think his fellow Celts took to his er...take on the English..!
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIHN1UkcSGo
Bernard Manning.Not for the faintharted.;)
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One I forgot to add was Peter Cook, sheer genius.
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"One I forgot to add was Peter Cook, sheer genius."
who much admired and was influence by Spike Milligan.
Thats funny ;-0
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Humphrey Lyttelton, an accidental comedian. Not bad on the trumpet either. I saw the Lyttelton band several times and Humph's recitative was priceless.
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Alan Simpson. Not strictly a comedian, better known as a comedy script writer 'Galton and Simpson'.
I was at a rugby club dinner where Alan Simpson was the after dinner speaker. I cried with laughter.
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Goodness me - nobody has mentioned Roy "Chubby" Brown or Bernard Manning.
How politically correct we are! ;=)
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Possibly because Manning was a disgusting fat slob as well as being not funny.
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...Goodness me - nobody has mentioned Roy "Chubby" Brown...
This gives me a chance to repeat my Chubby Brown story.
While on tour, he was arrested and questioned by Northumbria Police on suspicion of assaulting his wife.
They still use an extract of the tape as light relief during interview technique training.
It goes something like this:
Police officer: "Come on Chubby, why did you hit your wife with the candlestick?"
Chubby: "Because I couldn't lift the sideboard."
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I have Roger open the link.
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>> Goodness me - nobody has mentioned Roy "Chubby" Brown
He's ok, but after 10 mins the routine seems exactly the same as when he started.
Jethro? Hmmmm. I think Jim Davidson writes his material, or is it the other way around?
Someone else mentioned Charlie Drake. He was at his best in Jim Davidson's version of Sinderella. I think nearly every actor was drunk during the filming of that, which added to the adult humour.
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i think you will find frank randle pretty un pc as was max miller in the 1940s
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>> Early Mike Yarwood.
He was very good indeed until he uttered those immortal words 'and this is me', before bursting into song. Usually towards the end of his act.
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Mike Yarwood was a two trick pony. Harold Wilson and Dennis Healey. When they both went out of circulation so did his act.
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Armstrong and Miller - very patchy humour, but their Airman sketches were very funny.
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There was a TV programme of very little worth called The Comedians, in the seventies.
Amongst its stars were such forgotten delights as the acts of Colin Crompton, George Roper, yes, Charlie Williams, Ken Goodwin, Frank Carson, Syd Francis...
They imparted gems that are, already, incomprehensible, as comedy tends to be very quickly. Who could find this funny, for example:
I took the dog for a walk the other day. A neighbour said, "Why's your dog wearing black boots?" I said "Because the brown ones are at the menders".
Was it funny then? Will we look at the work of some of the comedians listed above in twenty years with similar incredulity?
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'Who could find this funny'
Well probably no one when it written down like that, but delivered in the right way at the right time to the right audience it could be made to work.
If you read a lot of comedy scripts you won't find them particularly funny. Its the delivery
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Wed 17 Aug 11 at 09:21
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>>but delivered in the right way at the right time to the right audience it could be made to work.<<
I had the misfortune to meet Frank Carson in the Macdonalds at 2am one morning on Corley Services.
All I wanted was a cup of coffee as I'd just got out of bed in the cab, but he insisted we all 'come over here, this'll make you laugh' and proceeded to continue his routine to a very disinterested audience.
Obnoxious man with a thick skin.
Pat
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He ain't all bad Pat. He does a lot of work for charity, particularly childrens charities. Perhaps he just thought you needed cheering up?
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When I get out of bed that early all I want is a coffee and some silence.
There are night staff at garages all over the country who are aware of that :)
Pat
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Pat said "he insisted"
You complied?
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It wasn't just me Duncan, he was trying to get everyone to go and sit with him and listen to him.
I got the impression he was on his way home from a gig and couldn't really face life without an audience.
Sad really and no, I told him in true lorry driver style to go away:)
Pat
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And he's the obnoxious one............
I was once at a hotel at the Birmingham NEC at a conference with my then employer. My boss and I were "releiveing ourselves" at a communal trough, when who should pop up next to said boss but Frank Carson. My then boss was a small man with Napoleon syndrome, obviously Carson didn't know this though. He peeked over at us, looked down at the boss's doodah and let loose his famous catchphrase: "Ha ha, it's a cracker!" Boss thoroughly unamused, myself desperately trying to contain my laughter.
Thanks, Frank, for putting an odious little twerp in his box, at least for a few minutes.
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...Will we look at the work of some of the comedians listed above in twenty years with similar incredulity?...
The test of time can be applied to all performance art.
The works of Mozart and Shakespeare are still widely-regarded today.
Presumably, both must have had contemporaries, but their stuff has vanished without trace.
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>> The works of Mozart and Shakespeare are still widely-regarded today.
>>
>>
I didn't find either of those in the least bit funny.
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La sir, the merry Shakespeare must embroil your brains with wit. What about
Why should not a chicken cross the road?
It would be a fowl proceeding.
or something. Mumble, wander, coat etc.
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Crankcase - We were banned from watching the Comedians at our house, when I sneaked a watch I found it very funny. The boots joke is funny depending on the delivery - sounds very Tommy Cooper that !
Last edited by: R.P. on Wed 17 Aug 11 at 09:35
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To even the balance - wrt the other thread - I saw Mike Reid live at football club 'smoking concerts' on several occasions. Very blue, (but not that bad cf the other entertainment), but the good thing was that his delivery and timing could turn a very ordinary joke into something extremely memorable*. Whilst he subsequently made prime time TV appearances I dont think that his act transferred well when subject to the constraints of of family viewing.
I also saw Roger de Courcy at a similar event , about 1 week before his appearance at the Royal Variety Show. The only difference in the act was that the bear went from being called 'b*****' to 'Nookie' but every joke was the same, with deletion of the expletives. Slick, but not a patch on the previously mentioned M R.
* there was joke about using a starting handle on a recalcitrant car - I cannot recall the details of the joke, but the visual image has stayed with me for over 40 yrs. If anyone has got a video clip of this I would love to see it .
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In my younger days I used to frequent either Membury or Chievely services on a Friday or Saturday night (sometimes both). It was somewhere for the lads to hang out in the warm in winter without going round each others houses annoying each others parents.
Anyway, met quite a few comedians and the like at the services. Jimmy Tarbuck, Leslie Crowther, Wayne Sleep, Mike Reid, to name but a few. All had the politeness to spare a few mins for a chat wihout expecting a fee, and all well worth being in the company of.
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlA9vkM4KIc
Chubby Brown.A lot of swearing not for the kids.Political correct.
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I have some sympathy with celebrities when they meet members of the public outside work.
There must be a feeling of 'always on duty', particularly for light entertainers.
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>> I have some sympathy with celebrities when they meet members of the public outside work.
That's the price of fame.
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I actually forgot to my shame the all time great who I saw perform the attached sketch amongst other live at Fairfield Halls in Croydon.. The page turner was his son...
Not only a great comedian but a great musician .....
If you have never seen Victor Borge , prepare to laugh
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWqFaGwNCMU
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Interesting article from 2007 here, where Mike Yarwood and many others from this thread are mentioned, often negatively.
It's an "interview" with Michael Hurll, who as a producer worked, apparently, with most of them.
www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2007/02/08/4997/hurlls_of_wisdom
Last edited by: Crankcase on Wed 17 Aug 11 at 10:42
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In the States for the last couple of times had a car with satellite radio - cracking channel on that was "Blue Collar Radio" (Sirus ?) uncensored it was brilliant.
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>> Crankcase - We were banned from watching the Comedians at our house,
Banned in mine too. I think Dad's problem was with the racial content of a number of the jokes. He regarded such things as unnacceptable long before awareness of ethnicity issues was mainstream.
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Much the same in our household, now you've reminded me.
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Banned from watching The Comedians?
What humourless households you must have lived in.
My lot - including me - could take it or leave it, but censorship was never on the agenda.
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I know a number of people of my age where ITV as a whole was banned when they were kids.
It wasn't banned in my house, but I don't recall ever watching it much simply because they didn't show anything that appealed to me, in my very limited viewing time, and when my mother didn't want to watch Bruce Forsyth's Generation game or something on the only set in the house.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Wed 17 Aug 11 at 16:33
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Mrs RR is the daughter of a headmaster and lay preacher and a teacher. They were not allowed to watch Z Cars among many other things as it was deemed unsuitable for impressionable youngsters.
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>> They
>> were not allowed to watch Z Cars among many other things as it was deemed
>> unsuitable for impressionable youngsters.
Strewth, The Sweeney must have made them apoplectic!
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George Carlin www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPOfurmrjxo
Bill Hicks (anything - all NSFW)
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Well if we're going Stateside, Rodney Carrington and Larry The Cable Guy. (See also Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall in the Blue Collar comedy shows)
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Both top not really comedians they send a message take it or leave it.Both gone.
Bill hicks I think was only 35.
Priest said to the pope I lost my faith.Pope says fake it.
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Bill Hicks was fantastic. Such a shame he died young.
Bill Bailey I really like. More than just straight humour as he is an excellent musician. Ditto Tim Minchin.
Al Murray. In and out of disguise as the pub landlord.
There are quite a few I like - Eddie Izzard, Lee Evans, Michael McIntyre, Milton Jones. Loads. Billy connolly. Jo Brand. Joan Rivers. Sarah Millican. Shappi Korsandi. Hugh Dennis, David Baddiel, Rob Newman, Ardal O Hanlon. Bill Cosby, George Carlin. There are so many I can't remember the names of all of them.
I saw a documentary on Chubby Brown. I thought he can be quite funny. Very Viz kind of humour.
Didn't think much of Manning. Not got the wit or the charm to get away with it. Same goes for Jim Davidson.
Used to watch the Montreal Comedy Festival when that was shown on TV. Found loads of great people via that. Never seems to be on or it's tucked away on some small digital channel I don't look at.
Last edited by: VxFan on Thu 18 Aug 11 at 00:55
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Not a comedian as such, but a great comedy actor - Wilfred Bramble in Steptoe and Son.
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German guy was on Today (R4) just now.
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Favourite comedians... - Zero
