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Post by jno on May 24, 2017 12:36:32 GMT
I contacted random forum members to ask them to name their top two comedians, they have all been added to this death match vote. In order to determine the absolute forum favourite, everyone is now allowed to vote for their top FIVE favourites. Remember this is a POSITIVE (happy!) thread i.e. you tick those you like! Want to mention someone else not listed? Then choose other! So, who is the forum's overall favourite comedian? Can we go 3 posts before we turn all negative and start listing those we hate? All will be revealed in this week's death match! Pick FIVE!
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Post by billymedhurst on May 24, 2017 18:36:47 GMT
AHHH! No Eric Morecambe ! Help ! I must be brain-dead !
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Post by jno on May 24, 2017 18:51:57 GMT
There is always 'Other' billy.
I must confess to contributing Tom Stade to the list. It doesn't matter how many times I hear his 'Meat Van Driver' joke, I am falling over with laughter. This is comic genius for me, an observational gag about Brits and completely exposes the differences between Brits and Americans - I am not sure a British comedian could deliver this joke:
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Post by felixdeburgh on May 24, 2017 20:41:44 GMT
AHHH! No Eric Morecambe ! Help ! I must be brain-dead ! I considered him but I'd class him as more of a comic performer rather than a stand-up. I dismissed Tony Hancock for the same reason, even though he's one of my heroes.
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Post by barrythebook on May 24, 2017 21:03:24 GMT
AHHH! No Eric Morecambe ! Help ! I must be brain-dead ! I considered him but I'd class him as more of a comic performer rather than a stand-up. I dismissed Tony Hancock for the same reason, even though he's one of my heroes. I know what you mean felix. I rate Peter Kay as a funny man in a comedy programme setting but he doesn't impress me as a stand up. I also find material that Ben Elton has written very funny, Blackadder and Young Ones for example but i find him irritating and not at all funny doing stand up, he just cant deliver it imo. Another i thought was ok is Jasper Carrot. Les Dawson is my number one choice. "We can always tell when the Mother-in-Law's on her way to our house.The Mice start throwing themselves on the traps!"
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Post by Zimbo on May 24, 2017 21:24:44 GMT
Best Les Dawson joke for me was when a bloke tells him:- "There's five blokes beating up your mother-in-law. Aren't you going to help?" "No, I think five's enough!"
In 2000, we had a Christmas night out at Jongleurs and I tried to get off with the comedienne Mandy Knight. I failed but she did buy me a drink.
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Post by billymedhurst on May 24, 2017 22:36:50 GMT
AHHH! No Eric Morecambe ! Help ! I must be brain-dead ! I considered him but I'd class him as more of a comic performer rather than a stand-up. I dismissed Tony Hancock for the same reason, even though he's one of my heroes. I had that difficulty too. I'm not into stand-up comedy, at all, I don't find it funny; with a couple of well-chosen exceptions, Dave Allen being one. I like sketches, and skits, and stuff; hence my preference is for stuff like The Two Ronnies, NT9OCN, Monty Python, etc.
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Post by Zimbo on May 24, 2017 23:19:24 GMT
Likewise Billy!
Too many stand ups try to get cheap laughs by swearing constantly.
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Post by ltd on May 25, 2017 6:53:48 GMT
Best Les Dawson joke for me was when a bloke tells him:- "There's five blokes beating up your mother-in-law. Aren't you going to help?" "No, I think five's enough!" My favourite Les Dawson joke was him talking about his childhoold and how his family were so poverty striken that...."When the wolf came to our door he used to bring his own sandwiches." Boom-Boom.
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Post by chopper on May 25, 2017 7:42:27 GMT
I chose 4 from the list,and presume it is single comedians - rather than "double acts" as Reeves & Mortimer,Two Ronnie would be there. Also some "lower key" ones like Andy Parsons,Mark Steel spring or mind.
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Post by Zimbo on May 25, 2017 8:27:05 GMT
Also some "lower key" ones like Andy Parsons,Mark Steel spring or mind. I keep meaning to check out Mark Steel. I've heard bits of his "...In Town" show on radio 4 and liked what I've heard.
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Post by Arch Stanton on May 25, 2017 8:45:31 GMT
Also some "lower key" ones like Andy Parsons,Mark Steel spring or mind. I keep meaning to check out Mark Steel. I've heard bits of his "...In Town" show on radio 4 and liked what I've heard. Mark Steel was/is very funny.. I really enjoyed his Mark Steel Lectures.
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Post by Arch Stanton on May 25, 2017 9:30:04 GMT
I ended up choosing Stewart Lee, Bill Bailey, Richard Pryor and Bill Hicks... All excellent stand up comedians.
Bill Hicks (RIP) - was just quality, completely anti-establishment. A superb comedian that possibly changed the face of comedy. Died far too young, aged 32!. One of the greatest, without doubt.
Richard Pryor (RIP) - could be a bit hit and miss at the mike, but when he was good he was unbeatable.. Richard Pryor: Live In Concert is rightly considered one of the greatest stand up performances of all time.
Bill Bailey - I've seen this guy a few of times and laughed a lot. He's run out of steam a bit now but at times has shown glimmers of brilliance. Don't be put off by any performances on those panel type shows.
Stewart Lee - The best comedian working the circuit today IMHO. His audience and joke manipulation are often very cleverly handled.
I'm torn between opting for a 5th off the list or free-styling: It's very difficult.. There are a few good comedians up there but still quite a few missing.
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Post by chopper on May 25, 2017 10:40:58 GMT
Similar to me Arch - the 4 I chose were Lee,Bailey,Hicks & Coogan. Let's not forget Paul Whitehouse - not only a fine comedian,but also ,like Ben Elton - it's what they have written for others!....
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Post by dscarter1975 on May 25, 2017 12:45:49 GMT
Surprised there's no Smith & Jones, Hale & Pace, David Baddiel, Rob Newman, Fry & Laurie and Punt & Dennis in that list. Those are the comedians I grew up with. What about Alexei Sayle? Not everyone's cup of tea but he used to make me laugh.
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Post by Arch Stanton on May 25, 2017 16:51:32 GMT
Surprised there's no Smith & Jones, Hale & Pace, David Baddiel, Rob Newman, Fry & Laurie and Punt & Dennis in that list. Those are the comedians I grew up with. What about Alexei Sayle? Not everyone's cup of tea but he used to make me laugh. I wouldn't really class any of those as 'stand up comedians', as such. Though I'm sure they've done or been involved in stand up at some point or another. They were more so writers of comedy, particularly sketch shows.
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Post by ltd on May 25, 2017 17:28:35 GMT
Surprised there's no Smith & Jones, Hale & Pace, David Baddiel, Rob Newman, Fry & Laurie and Punt & Dennis in that list. Those are the comedians I grew up with. What about Alexei Sayle? Not everyone's cup of tea but he used to make me laugh. I wouldn't really class any of those as 'stand up comedians', as such. Though I'm sure they've done or been involved in stand up at some point or another. They were more so writers of comedy, particularly sketch shows. I'd agree with DSC that Alexei Sayle rates a mention. Didn't he get started as a stand up at the comedy store? A lot of his Young Ones appearances seemed to be in that vein as well, and let's not forget his alter ego Bobby Chariot. I believe he might have done a stand up tour with Chariot as his warm up act - two stand ups for the price of one!
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Post by wayne2467 on May 25, 2017 18:02:56 GMT
Not a massive fan of stand up comedy. I have to be in the mood for it to work - I could laugh at a stand up one day but not find it funny on another. I used to quite like Jasper Carrott who isn't on the list- I can remember laughing at Jim Davidson when I was about 11 and Billy Connolly and Frank Skinner again if the mood takes me- I went to see Jim Davidson a few years ago but it wasn't particularly great. There seemed quite a serious tone to the whole show. He seemed to be using it as a platform to explain his dreadful experience of operation yew tree
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Post by gustav on May 31, 2017 21:07:51 GMT
In the end I have gone for: Dave Allen Bill Bailey Jack Dee Al Murray Sean Locke Of possible omissions who I might have voted for but who are mentioned in the above posts I would concur with Mark Steel and Alexei Sayle as being worthy of mention.
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Post by jno on Jun 1, 2017 6:02:06 GMT
It seems Dave Allen is extremely popular on here.
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Post by Portland Road on Jun 1, 2017 8:00:22 GMT
I am surprised to see that he is so popular. He was certainly one on his own, not seeming to be part of any 'scene' involving others.
E.g. Bruce Forsyth could be associated with e.g. Norman Wisdom, Frankie Howerd etc esp. in the 60s, Frank Carson/Mike Reid/Bernard Manning etc were all part of ITVs 'The Comedians'.
Allen was perhaps a bit controversial, and ahead of his time. Somewhere between light entertainment and more radical comedy.
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Post by Arch Stanton on Jun 1, 2017 13:13:15 GMT
It seems Dave Allen is extremely popular on here. Dave Allen I get. I was very close to choosing him myself, but who on Gawd's green earth voted for Ken Dodd!?! Stop the world I wanna get off.
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Post by daytona355 on Jun 1, 2017 21:01:21 GMT
Chris Rock is awesome live, as is David spade. I voted also for Micky flanagan, Tom stade, the great Mike Reid, and Jim Davidson
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Post by KarinB on Jun 4, 2017 11:23:28 GMT
Great topic. At the Melbourne Comedy festival over the last few years I have seen and with Danny Bhoy Dylan Moran Dara O'Briain and Adam Hills so I'd vote for them and Bill Bailey.
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Post by barrythebook on Jun 5, 2017 21:23:43 GMT
It seems Dave Allen is extremely popular on here. Dave Allen I get. I was very close to choosing him myself, but who on Gawd's green earth voted for Ken Dodd!?! Stop the world I wanna get off. Apropos of nothing,I remember reading an article on graffiti many years ago and one of the examples used was a slogan sprayed on an inner city wall that read, KEN DODDS DADS DOGS DEAD
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Post by bensonrad on Jun 7, 2017 22:21:18 GMT
Wow this is a hard one, I love comedy, there are just so many I'd put up there,
Frankie Howerd (whilst often the same old recycled jokes) always makes me laugh, but then people that wrote for him are also heroes, Barry Cryer for example another comedy writing god, he does stand up shows himself too.
Barry Humphries (a legend and such wit with all of his creations, himself, Dame Edna, Les Patterson, fantastic if he does chat shows, I remember him on Parkinson, and Parky just could not get questions in)
Also went for Bob Monkhouse & Ken Dodd, as they were/are such talents, their ability to recall all that stuff from memory is amazing. I went to see Ken Dodd a couple of years back, I booked front row after hearing shows can go on for hours, thinking atleast I can stretch my legs out. Well the show did go on from 7.30 until 1am! amazing value for money, brilliance from the man himself....only snag was front row had the orchestra pit infront and wood, so there was no leg space at all! arrgghh I wrote to him and he wrote a personal letter back along with a dedicated picture recalling that particular night.
And then someone more current, I went for Peter Kay, I find him funny and easy viewing.
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Post by mybodyguard on Jun 8, 2017 22:41:30 GMT
Others:
Robin Williams Andy Kaufman Bill Cosby (even though he's now been found to be a horrific man) Bob Newhart
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larchlapriley
On Wages
"Larchlap Riley is not a fence. He is an honest businessman" Arthur E Daley
Posts: 64
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Post by larchlapriley on Jun 13, 2017 22:41:24 GMT
Possibly a bit political for some tastes but Jeremy Hardy got my 'other' vote. Great live. Whatever you think of Ken Dodd you have to have some respect for his stamina and longevity.
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Post by pr1 on Jun 14, 2017 20:07:56 GMT
As an American I'm most familiar with Richard Pryor so he got my vote. I still find his first concert film hysterically funny.
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Post by bodiesstuntdouble on Jun 14, 2017 22:19:41 GMT
Very difficult to quantify as humour is often quite specific to each individual person. I can't say whether or not my choices rank as the greatest, but more importantly they make ME laugh - Dawson, Davidson, Monkhouse, Reid, Howerd - I'd also have included Max Miller who was a huge influence on comics that followed after him (Frankie Howerd in particular) and my Nan would tell me stories of seeing him perform live during the war. Bob Mills is very good as is Johnny Vegas (if you've ever seen the recording of his act in the Neptune Bar that's featured in the sitcom "Benidorm" there are some hysterical parts of his act bordering on genius) *update* I thought of a few notable admissions overnight - the enormously talented and sadly departed Victoria Wood, and Eddie Murphy (his Raw and Delirious stand up videos in the 80s were brilliant)
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