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Unfunny comedians


sadoldgit

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Kathy Burke was brilliant as Linzy(?) the slut from pompey, her in the skin tight cat suit or mini skirt was always funny/repulsive, and also Waynetta on Harry Enfield

 

I actually quite liked Gimme Gimme Gimme as well when I came home drunk from the pub in my early 20s.

 

Pyscho *****es on Sky Arts is excellent with an array of female talent.

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The UK doesn't do great sitcoms. For example The Thick Of It has to be one of the funniest shows ever, yet couldn't be described as a sitcom. From recent memory the only ones that have really made me laugh were Friday Night Dinner, Him & Her, Pulling and the sadly departed IT Crowd.

 

Funny female comedians seem quite thin on the ground other than those already mentioned, especially in the UK. Sara Pascoe is good, some of Laura Solon's stuff on R4 is excellent. Shappi Khorsandi gets a lot of good press but whenever I've seen her has been largely poor.

Bridgett Christie seems decent, Josie Long is funny at times although I saw her late at a festival and she sent me to sleep.

Not strictly a comedian, but I'm going to mention Sharon Horgan because I want to marry her.

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The UK doesn't do great sitcoms. For example The Thick Of It has to be one of the funniest shows ever, yet couldn't be described as a sitcom. From recent memory the only ones that have really made me laugh were Friday Night Dinner, Him & Her, Pulling and the sadly departed IT Crowd.

 

Funny female comedians seem quite thin on the ground other than those already mentioned, especially in the UK. Sara Pascoe is good, some of Laura Solon's stuff on R4 is excellent. Shappi Khorsandi gets a lot of good press but whenever I've seen her has been largely poor.

Bridgett Christie seems decent, Josie Long is funny at times although I saw her late at a festival and she sent me to sleep.

Not strictly a comedian, but I'm going to mention Sharon Horgan because I want to marry her.

 

Very funny lady.

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Has Jasper Carrott been mentioned yet? Another comedian who suffers from laugh-at-his-own-jokeitis. And they were usually very weak ones.

 

Yeah we went to see him recently. Some of it was recycled stuff and you're right, he did laugh a lot at his own jokes to the point of ruining the punch lines.

 

The tour also featured old rockers - it was called Stand Up and Rock - with Bev Bevan (he was good) and, whilst I liked that part, Mr TF, being younger than me, didn't really wallow in nostalgia like I did.

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I'll be forever grateful for Blackadder of course, but as a stand up act Ben Elton got on my nerves more than a little with his relentlessly PC/pro feminist stuff he churned out in the 80's. I seem to remember Rory Bloody Bremner falling into the same trap when he decided that a controversial England cricket tour to South Africa would make comedy gold.

 

BTW - whatever happened to Kelly Monteith?

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There was a comedy series on Channel 5 that was lost n the ether Respectable, a very good series set in a brothel with one of the Hollieoake beauties Jodie ??? Playing the leading girl.

There also was A perfect world with Paul Kaye playing a Pervywaster in an office. Very good IMO

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come to think of it, most if not all, female comedians are not funny

 

I once saw Hattie Hayridge (Holly from Red Dwarf) do stand up and found her very funny.

 

I also recently saw an Irish girl called Aisling Bea on Live at the Apollo and she was very good.

Edited by Sheaf Saint
I've just searched for her on Youtube and realised her name is actually Aisling, not Ashley.
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The UK doesn't do great sitcoms. For example The Thick Of It has to be one of the funniest shows ever, yet couldn't be described as a sitcom. From recent memory the only ones that have really made me laugh were Friday Night Dinner, Him & Her, Pulling and the sadly departed IT Crowd.

 

Funny female comedians seem quite thin on the ground other than those already mentioned, especially in the UK. Sara Pascoe is good, some of Laura Solon's stuff on R4 is excellent. Shappi Khorsandi gets a lot of good press but whenever I've seen her has been largely poor.

Bridgett Christie seems decent, Josie Long is funny at times although I saw her late at a festival and she sent me to sleep.

Not strictly a comedian, but I'm going to mention Sharon Horgan because I want to marry her.

 

There have been some classic UK sitcoms over the years (Only Fools and Horses, Fawlty Towers, Red Dwarf, League of Gentlemen, etc), although i agree that recently, good ones are thin on the ground.

 

I was interested to see your note on Shappi Khorsandi as she is at the Nuffield this spring and i was thinking about getting some tickets. Might not bother now!

 

Other female comedians or comedy actors that deserve a shout are the brilliant Victoria Wood, Julia Davies (superb in whatever she does) and the wonderful Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep is very, very good stuff).

 

As an aside, W1A starts tonight and is written by John Morton who was my old tutor at 6th form. He also wrote Twenty Twelve and People Like Us and I guess anyone who was at Peter Symonds around the 80's and 90's will probably remember him.

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I once saw Hattie Hayridge (Holly from Red Dwarf) do stand up and found her very funny.

 

I also recently saw an Irish girl called Ashley Bea on Live at the Apollo and she was very good.

 

I saw her once, she was fantastic. We were in our little comedy club we used to go to in Bournemouth when I lived there, underneath some dodgy pub in Boscombe. The "star act" (who was really just the 3rd comedian of the night) failed to turn up. We carried on drinking and about an hour later, the guy who ran the club pulled a few favours in and Hattie Hayridge turned up - she'd been in a live show at the BIC and stopped by to give a very very funny stand-up performance to about 100 absolutely off our faces punters.

 

Full marks! Would definitely see her again given the chance.

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There have been some classic UK sitcoms over the years (Only Fools and Horses, Fawlty Towers, Red Dwarf, League of Gentlemen, etc), although i agree that recently, good ones are thin on the ground.

 

I was interested to see your note on Shappi Khorsandi as she is at the Nuffield this spring and i was thinking about getting some tickets. Might not bother now!

 

Other female comedians or comedy actors that deserve a shout are the brilliant Victoria Wood, Julia Davies (superb in whatever she does) and the wonderful Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep is very, very good stuff).

 

As an aside, W1A starts tonight and is written by John Morton who was my old tutor at 6th form. He also wrote Twenty Twelve and People Like Us and I guess anyone who was at Peter Symonds around the 80's and 90's will probably remember him.

 

Yes, she's great. Nighty Night and Human Remains both excellent shows.

 

People Like Us was brilliant, I'd forgotten all about that. Such a pity no more were made. I didn't watch Twenty Twelve because of a thing about Hugh Bonneville that can't be mentioned. Have set W1A to record.

 

I wanted to like Shappi Khorsandi but she was quite predictable. The odd gentle laugh and nice observation but if I'm paying for comedy I want a bit more than that.

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One for the oldies , Sgt Bilko , what a great show. My father in law owned a night club in the 70' s and meet Phil Shilvers once , said he was a nice fella.

 

As for women, I don't find any particularly funny, Jo Brand , Saunders and dawn French unbelievably unfunny . Never got that Ab Fab thing and found it utter pony. The royal family was great, very funny and well written , but became too predictable in the end. The last couple of Xmas specials were embarrassing IMO.

 

Talking of Royal Family , the show Early Doors was similar and I loved that , thought it was well funny.

 

I love The Carry On films as well . Carry on Screaming with Harry H Corbett a particular favourite. No doubt some of the metrosexuals on here will disapprove , but I thought they were great .

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Yes, she's great. Nighty Night and Human Remains both excellent shows.

 

Julia Davis is absolute genius and my complete hero. Nighty Night was brilliantly evil. I wish I could be her best friend.

 

Any Jo Brand is bloody brilliant. How anyone can say otherwise is beyond me.

 

 

Sorry a bit late on this thread!

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Those who think Frank Skinner unfunny I presume have suffered the misfortune of never having seen the great man perform live. I saw him do a standup routine many years ago - when he was drinking I guess - and you can trust me when I say he almost brought the house down.

 

I genuinely don't believe I have ever laughed as much either before or since.

 

Could not agree more. Yes he's tamed a bit now, especially TV and radio stuff, but I just love the guy. One of the funniest men around.

 

I don't get and am on the verge of loathing Jack Whitehall. I have no idea how John Bishop gets on TV and Micky Flanagan seems to have had success without actually having any material.

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Funny

Bill Bailey - Probably my favourite comedian out there

Andrew Maxwell - Saw him live at a small comedy store in London, was hilarious

Holly Walsh - As above, was very funny.

Peter Kay - Perhaps he isn't as popular down South but half my family is from Lancashire so I can relate

Jimmy Carr - Very good dead pan humour

Phil Jupitus - I quite like him on QI and was excellent on the earlier series' of Buzzcocks (with Bailey and Lamarr)

Jon Richardson - Think he is great on 8 out of 10 Cats and Cats does Countdown

Dara O'Brien - Clearly very intelligent. Like him on QI.

Reginald D Hunter - His general demeanour I find quite amusing.

 

Undecided

David Walliams - Loved the first two series of Little Britain but he often just comes across as a smug, metrosexual swat.

Michael McIntyre - Has his moments but has many more when he is just dreadful.

Vic Reeves - 10% hilarious and 90% just plain weird

Rob Brydon - Odd character but sometimes funny.

Russel Howard - Sometimes funny, other times just plain annoying.

 

 

Unfunny

Jo Brand - Miserable 'I hate my marriage' one trick pony.

Andi Osho - Nigerian woman on Mock the week

Russel Brand - Does he even count as a comedian?

Stephen K Amos

Joe Pasquale

Dalek 2003 - Been the same routine for 11 years now.

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One for the oldies , Sgt Bilko , what a great show. My father in law owned a night club in the 70' s and meet Phil Shilvers once , said he was a nice fella.

 

As for women, I don't find any particularly funny, Jo Brand , Saunders and dawn French unbelievably unfunny . Never got that Ab Fab thing and found it utter pony. The royal family was great, very funny and well written , but became too predictable in the end. The last couple of Xmas specials were embarrassing IMO.

 

Talking of Royal Family , the show Early Doors was similar and I loved that , thought it was well funny.

 

I love The Carry On films as well . Carry on Screaming with Harry H Corbett a particular favourite. No doubt some of the metrosexuals on here will disapprove , but I thought they were great .

 

Loved theCarry On films and still laugh at them now.Strangely the "new wave" of comedians did a Carry on film (Carry on Columbus?) back in th 80s and it was totally unfunny.

Edited by sadoldgit
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Shows how subjective comedy is. Personally I couldn't have found that clip any less amusing.

 

His act and the sub-genre of comedy he fits into is very polarising. Vulgar, controversial and taboo but I find it hilarious. Same with Frankie Boyle's stuff to an extent as well.

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His act and the sub-genre of comedy he fits into is very polarising. Vulgar, controversial and taboo but I find it hilarious. Same with Frankie Boyle's stuff to an extent as well.

 

I don't mind a certain amount of controversy (Chris Morris is a genius.) I agree may not be for me as I don't see why the amount of swearing is necessary in comedy and I didn't find the material in the clip either amusing or clever which is normally what I like. May have just been that clip though.

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I don't mind a certain amount of controversy (Chris Morris is a genius.) I agree may not be for me as I don't see why the amount of swearing is necessary in comedy and I didn't find the material in the clip either amusing or clever which is normally what I like. May have just been that clip though.

 

Chris Morris is an absolute genius - him and Armando Iannuci are two of the finest comedic minds I think we'll see.

 

The stuff that Andrist does is very unrefined and crass but I like that every once in a while. He doesn't do 'clever' comedy, sometimes you just need somebody to tell a d*ck joke or talk about betting on the Special Olympics for 5 minutes.

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Funny

Andrew Maxwell - Saw him live at a small comedy store in London, was hilarious

 

I inadvertently saw him twice in the same week a few months back and both times his entire set revolved around muslims, with the caveat that his wife is a muslim so it's ok. Personally didn't think it was very funny at all and real 'lowest common denominator' humour.

 

In fact, where was it you saw him in London? Might have even been at the same gig.

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Saw Daniel Kitson and Tim Key in "Tree" last night.

 

Two very funny comedians in something a little too slight for their talents. Amusing enough but could have been funnier. Kitson as a compere or doing straight stand up is peerless but might just be letting his desire to be different overcome his innate ability to be hilarious. Still love him.

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