I recently listened to Why Bother? which was a series of radio interviews between Chris Morris and Peter Cook, with Cook using his Sir Arthur Streep-Grebling character.
It got me thinking about British comedy, and I started mentally compiling a list of my top five Brit comedians of the radio & tv era. It went like this:
1/ Spike Milligan
2/ Peter Cook
3/ ... er...
Milligan & Cook were mammoth talents, to the extent that it's hard to imagine where modern comedy would be without them. Every potential #3 I could think of lagged so far behind them I kept thinking "There must be someone better!"
Posted by pearce at June 2, 2005 4:29 PMI'd rate Peter Sellers, even though he was most successful in film. His records are pretty triffic, though.
Muir + Norden? Tony Hancock? (The cast of) I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again?
Posted by: davidr at June 2, 2005 5:57 PMGood picks.
Muir & Norden were actually pretty darn brilliant, together and seperately. Especially Muir, I'd maybe pencil him in as my #3.
Peter Sellers was a pretty great performer, but he relied on other people's material and most of his best work was with Spike Milligan. Though he did supposedly improvise the telephone call to the Russian premier in Dr Strangelove, which is genius.
I don't rate Tony Hancock, sorry. I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again relied too much on puns, and if I was going to nominate a gestalt entity I'd have said Monty Python (oops, rumbled).
I keep wanting to say Marty Feldman, but then I get Mel Brooks movie memories.
Posted by: Pearce at June 2, 2005 6:35 PMStephen Fry and Hugh Laurie as a combination.
Posted by: Jamie at June 2, 2005 9:48 PM
I expect I might be alone on this, actually I know I will be alone on this, but I rate Ronnie Barker. Particularly on the evidence of Porridge and Open All Hours. He made David Jason. Actually I just reread your post, I'm not sure that Ronnie is applicable at all. Still, I like him. So there you go :-).
Rowan Atkinson? Not the Bean-days, but the Blackadder-days.
Douglas Adams? Wrote the funniest book in history with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Mind you, I'm not British, so I could be terribly wrong.
Cheers
Posted by: Martin at June 3, 2005 12:07 AMHow does this look:
1/ Spike Milligan
2/ Peter Cook
3/ Frank Muir
4/ Ronnie Barker
5/ Douglas Adams
?
Posted by: Pearce at June 3, 2005 9:45 AMI don't rate Douglas Adams -- certainly not anywhere near the top 5 of British comedians ("of the radio and tv era").
Posted by: davidr at June 3, 2005 1:56 PMHow about Ben Elton?
Posted by: Pearce at June 3, 2005 2:52 PMBen Elton's too bug-eyed and political. Or something.
John Cleese is the elephant in the room. He's not Peter Cook or Spike, but he's a top-fiver I reckon.
Posted by: morgue at June 6, 2005 9:57 AMBilly Connelly would count as british.
I have no real opinions on these guys to be honest but morgue mentioned Cleese as monster and I thought Connelly would have to be up there with Cleese. Plus, he comes to NZ :)
I would rate Adams either.
Posted by: jarratt at June 6, 2005 12:05 PMJohn Cleese is the elephant, Peter Cook is the whippet, Spike Milligan is the platypus. Who are the badger and the wumpus?
Posted by: Pearce at June 7, 2005 11:23 AMI still think you're underrating Stephen Fry.
And I think he'd be the badger.
Posted by: Scott A at June 7, 2005 1:15 PMmine would be
1.lee evans
2.peter kay
3.eric morcambe
4.norman wisdom
5.jack dee