Funny and unfunny comedians

[Arginald Valleywater]

A mate of mine did Drama at Manchester with several well known comics...their course tutor always hammered home the message "don't analyse Comedy"..what you find funny others won't etc. However I find myself really struggling to laugh at any modern comics....

People or shows I find / found funny...Porridge, Cheers, Frazier, Friends, Open All Hours, Mary Whitehouse Experience, Fast Show, Bottom, Blackadder, Bill Hicks, Bernard Manning.

Unfunny. Miranda. Michael McIntyre, Harry Hill, Lee Evans, French & Saunders, The Inbetweeners, Citizen Khan, Gavin & Stacey, Keith Lemon.

As funny as a visit to a mortuary...Ricky Gervais.

Anyone else have faves and non faves?

[Sam Slater]

Agree with your 'unfunny' list apart from Gervais.

Your 'funny' list is a little more hit and miss. Never liked Frazer that much, nor Bottom and never listened to Bill Hicks to have much of an opinion.

One of the most unfunny comedians I've seen on TV is Phil Jupitus.........he's just never said anything remotely funny.

[Essex Lad]

Arginald Valleywater wrote:

> A mate of mine did Drama at Manchester with several well known
> comics...their course tutor always hammered home the message
> "don't analyse Comedy"..what you find funny others won't etc.
> However I find myself really struggling to laugh at any modern
> comics....

Think Ken Dodd will and Bob Monkhouse would have disagreed with you there - they analyse(d) comedy and comics all the time.


>
> People or shows I find / found funny...Porridge, Cheers,
> Frazier, Friends, Open All Hours, Mary Whitehouse Experience,
> Fast Show, Bottom, Blackadder, Bill Hicks, Bernard Manning.
>
> Unfunny. Miranda. Michael McIntyre, Harry Hill, Lee Evans,
> French & Saunders, The Inbetweeners, Citizen Khan, Gavin &
> Stacey, Keith Lemon.
>

Funny (in no particular order and a small sample)
The Inbetweeners
Porridge
Little Britain
Friends
It's Your Move
OFAH
Dear John
Tommy Cooper
Carry On...
Morecambe & Wise
Frankie Boyle
Round the Horne
Beyond Our Ken
Hancock
Reggie Perrin (original)
Rising Damp
Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister
Jack Benny
Al Jolson
Dame Edna Everage
Gary Delaney
Fawlty Towers
Frank Skinner
Milton Jones
Micky Flanagan
Jim Davidson (in concert)
Two and a Half Men plus loads more...

Unfunny
Russell Brand
Jo Brand
Jo Caulfield
David Baddiel
Andi Osho
Jeremy Hardy
Russell Kane
Linda Smith
Mark Steel
Reeves and Mortimer
Alan Davies
Lee Evans (used to be funny)
Sue Perkins
Sandi Toksvig
Shappi Khorsandi
Zoe Lyons
Gina Yashere
In fact, all comediennes except Joan Rivers
Scott Capuro
Come Fly with Me
Monty Python

[Porn Baron]

I agree with your funny list but would add. Rising damp, Reggie Perrin, Steptoe + son, Rab C Nesbitt, till death do us part, the Likey lads.

I hate all Carla Lane sit coms like Bread. Victoria wood.

[Gentleman]

It just seems to me that the majority of comedians on TV now all seem like to have a certain smugness and arrogance to them unlike those of days past.

I'm surprised no one has the wonderful arrested development on their funny list.

[David Johnson]

Makes a nice change from all those wankers posting about politics.

Funny take away Bottom. Add Only Fools n Horses. Genius. Lenny Bruce. Genius. Dud and Pete. Total genius. Ab Fab - good stuff. Likely Lads essential viewing as a kid. Hey, what about Morecambe and Wise, Rab C Nesbitt and Dad's Army.

Unfunny take off French and Saunders. Agree with the rest

[spider]

What are people's opinions regarding Jimmy Carr?

[muswell]

Agree with a lot of the above but would include
Funny; Bob Hope Spike Milligan/+Goons, Phil Silvers/Bilko Billy Connolly Alexi Sayle (on stage)
Not Funny; Eddy Murphy, Mike and Bernie Winters, Alexi Sayle (on TV)

[muswell]

Nearly Forgot my favourite comedian -Tommy Cooper

[Essex Lad]

muswell wrote:

> Agree with a lot of the above but would include
> Funny; Bob Hope Spike Milligan/+Goons, Phil Silvers/Bilko Billy
> Connolly Alexi Sayle (on stage)
> Not Funny; Eddy Murphy, Mike and Bernie Winters, Alexi Sayle
> (on TV)
>
Eric Morecambe was reputedly once asked what he and Ernie would have been had they not been successful and is said to have replied, "Mike and Bernie Winters".

Agree with you about Alexei Sayle being unfunny.