Who are your favorite British comedians?

The Something Awful Forums > Main > General Bullshit > Who are your favorite British comedians?

Wizard Master: Mar 25, 2008; I am the Wizard Master

The world of comedy owes a great debt to British comedians, past and present, who have made us laugh, think, and sometimes cringe. From the silent slapstick of Charlie Chaplin to the surreal sketches of Monty Python and the biting satire of Ricky Gervais, British comedians have consistently pushed the boundaries of humor and left an indelible mark on the global comedy landscape. Whether it's through timeless classics or cutting-edge stand-up, these comedians have enriched our lives with laughter and will continue to do so for generations to come.

Monty Python

The irreverent and surreal comedy troupe Monty Python, consisting of John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam, revolutionized comedy in the late 1960s and 1970s. Their sketch show, "Monty Python's Flying Circus," was groundbreaking, pushing the boundaries of absurdity, wordplay, and satire. Their work extended to films like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" and "Life of Brian," which remain classics in the world of comedy.

Rowan Atkinson

Rowan Atkinson's portrayal of the bumbling, rubber-faced Mr. Bean is iconic. His ability to generate laughter without saying a word is a testament to his physical comedy prowess. Beyond Mr. Bean, Atkinson also excelled in verbal humor, showcasing his wit as the cunning Blackadder in the TV series "Blackadder." His versatility and impeccable timing have made him a beloved figure in British comedy.

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais burst onto the comedy scene with "The Office," a mockumentary sitcom that became a global sensation. Gervais's portrayal of the bumbling office manager David Brent was cringe-worthy yet oddly endearing. His later stand-up comedy, hosting of the Golden Globes, and creation of shows like "Extras" and "After Life" have solidified his status as a contemporary comedic genius.

Eddie Izzard

With subjects ranging from history to religion to everyday life, Izzard's humor is both intellectual and absurd, making him a beloved figure in British comedy.

David Walliams and Matt Lucas

The comedy duo of David Walliams and Matt Lucas gained fame through their sketch show "Little Britain." Their ability to create a wide array of eccentric characters, from Vicky Pollard to Lou and Andy, showcased their versatility and knack for satire.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:06

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# ? May 3, 2024 04:54

Blow: Feb 10, 2004

Is Russell Brand a comedian?

# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:10

AARD VARKMAN: May 17, 1993

lets completely ignore the wizard master op and talk about how taskmaster is really good

# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:38

Bad Purchase: Jun 17, 2019

i haven�t heard of taskmaster, can you fill in the deets?

# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:40

Bad Purchase: Jun 17, 2019

a synopsis about taskmaster would help kick off this taskmaster thread

# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:40

Poohs Packin: Jan 13, 2019

Im old greg

# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:42

Funky See Funky Do: Aug 20, 2013; STILL TRYING HARD

A large man with all the bearing and gravitas of an English teacher, along with his gap-toothed manservant give a bunch of comedians some weird tasks to solve and then they give them marks for solving the tasks.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:43

flubber nuts: Oct 5, 2005

Lord Shelby

# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:46

Grey Cat: Jun 3, 2023; Doing stuff and things

Mr. Bean, Boris Johnson, black and white pudding.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:46

Bad Purchase: Jun 17, 2019

yep, hearing a lot of talk about taskmaster right now, hearing about it left and right in fact

at the forefront of all the buzz is one single question, what is taskmaster?

seems like a good place to begin

# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:47

Sex Farm: Nov 17, 2017

James corden

# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:48

Funky See Funky Do: Aug 20, 2013; STILL TRYING HARD

It's a tv show

# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:49

MrQwerty: Apr 15, 2003

my favorite british comedian is

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# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:53

dr_rat: Jun 4, 2001

The young Ones, The Goodies, Red Dwarf. All great British comedies.

The 80's/early 90's were a good time for British absurdist comedies.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 08:53

Hammerite: Mar 9, 2007; And you don't remember what I said here, either, but it was pompous and stupid.; Jade Ear Joe

AARD VARKMAN posted:

lets completely ignore the wizard master op and talk about how taskmaster is really good

today's prize task is: the best thread that starts off bad but is actually really good. each contestant will show us their thread and at the end the winner will go home with five threads that everyone should start reading a few posts in

# ? Sep 18, 2023 09:00

Blow: Feb 10, 2004

dr_rat posted:

The young Ones, The Goodies, Red Dwarf. All great British comedies.

The 80's/early 90's were a good time for British absurdist comedies.

100%

I grew up on The Goodies.

I was called "Neil" at work due to my long hair and general The Young Ones Neilness.

Red Dwarf was pretty good. Ben Elton is great.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 09:02

pencilhands: Aug 20, 2022

jimmy saville

# ? Sep 18, 2023 09:06

NoEyedSquareGuy: Mar 16, 2009; Just because Liquor's dead, doesn't mean you can just roll this bitch all over town with "The Freedoms."

Joe Wilkinson's potato hole in one is a classic

# ? Sep 18, 2023 09:08

YardGlass: Jan 21, 2003; Instant asshole: Just add beer

I'm a big fan of James Acaster, who rather conveniently is a contestant on the fabulously unknown comedy show Taskmaster.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 09:11

Meskhenet: Apr 26, 2010

Benny hill and Alexis Sayle

# ? Sep 18, 2023 09:13

MrQwerty: Apr 15, 2003

if I can't name Monty Python or Rowan Atkinson, Benny Hill is goin on my list too

# ? Sep 18, 2023 09:15

Blow: Feb 10, 2004

The Kenny Everett Video Show was quite amusing too if I recall.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 09:26

git apologist: Jun 4, 2003

george carlin

# ? Sep 18, 2023 09:31

Dr. Cool Aids: Jul 6, 2009

pencilhands posted:

jimmy saville

presenter and DJ. fly away, troll

# ? Sep 18, 2023 09:38

Disco Pope: Dec 6, 2004; Top Class!

I generally agree that there's some incredible British comedy but I'm afraid to admit that publicly incase someone brings up Radio 4 Oxford Comedy society poo poo that's all like "that's not a hat it's a mongoose my good man <rapturous applause>."

# ? Sep 18, 2023 10:18

dr_rat: Jun 4, 2001

Yeah while there's some absolutely classic British comedy, the UK does have it share of garbage, and bad British comedy does tend to get pretty dire.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 10:22

Toxic Mental: Jun 1, 2019

Bad Purchase posted:

i haven�t heard of taskmaster, can you fill in the deets?

A bunch of Brits stand around talking for 52 minutes

At minute 31, one of the will try to crack an egg with a soccer ball. They spend the next 19 minutes standing and talking about the attempt.

Then the show ends.

There that�s the synopsis

There are 6000 episodes of this and Christmas specials as well

# ? Sep 18, 2023 10:30

Hammerite: Mar 9, 2007; And you don't remember what I said here, either, but it was pompous and stupid.; Jade Ear Joe

Disco Pope posted:

I generally agree that there's some incredible British comedy but I'm afraid to admit that publicly incase someone brings up Radio 4 Oxford Comedy society poo poo that's all like "that's not a hat it's a mongoose my good man <rapturous applause>."

another radio 4 comedy program where the presenter's voice goes UP AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SENTENCE and then CARRIES ON AT THE SAME LEVEL WHILE MORE NEWS-BASED JOKES ARE DELIVERED AND THEN down at the end of the sentence

# ? Sep 18, 2023 10:30

Hammerite: Mar 9, 2007; And you don't remember what I said here, either, but it was pompous and stupid.; Jade Ear Joe

taskmaster is so good and Dave were so forlorn when channel 4 grabbed it off them. they tried to do it again, made a poo poo Taskmaster ripoff with David Mitchell in the woods and it fizzled and died. they were like a puppy that had its favourite toy taken off it

# ? Sep 18, 2023 10:32

Funky See Funky Do: Aug 20, 2013; STILL TRYING HARD

Toxic Mental posted:

A bunch of Brits stand around talking for 52 minutes

At minute 31, one of the will try to crack an egg with a soccer ball. They spend the next 19 minutes standing and talking about the attempt.

Then the show ends.

There that�s the synopsis

There are 6000 episodes of this and Christmas specials as well

OP don't listen to this. It's not accurate. They're seated for almost the entire show.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 10:34

CaptainCourteous: Jan 15, 2009

Mitchell and Webb

"Haply jizz'" is one of the funniest phrases English has to offer.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 10:35

Mr Teatime: Apr 7, 2009

Look you can�t just filter out the nonces, the sex pests and the transphobes because there would be nobody left to be incredibly unfunny on our myriad panel shows. You�re asking for the moon really.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 12:28

Saalkin: Jun 29, 2008

Task master is very good and Toxic Mental doesn't actually like anything good or fun.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 13:23

Mr. Bung: Mar 24, 2005; Get out the pink press threat file
and Um-brrrptzzap the subject.

League of Gentlemen.

The Comic Strip Presents....

Bottom

The Fast Show

All full of top notch comedians.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 13:30

Inexplicable Humblebrag: Sep 20, 2003

AARD VARKMAN posted:

lets completely ignore the wizard master op

# ? Sep 18, 2023 13:35

YeahTubaMike: Mar 24, 2005; *hic* Gotta finish thish . . .; Doctor Rope

CaptainCourteous posted:

Mitchell and Webb

"Haply jizz'" is one of the funniest phrases English has to offer.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 13:37

mr_jolly: Aug 20, 2003; Not so jolly now

Al Murray.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr7bKYMuerA

# ? Sep 18, 2023 13:44

Szyznyk: Mar 4, 2008

Rik Mayall. Young Ones, Bottom, New Statesman. Lord Flasheart. Goddamned content.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 13:45

Croccers: Jun 15, 2012

lol, the US had one season of Taskmaster and they hosed it all up.

# ? Sep 18, 2023 13:49

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# ? May 3, 2024 04:54

BAGS FLY AT NOON: Apr 6, 2011; A Soft Nylon Bag

Oh man I don�t even know where to start but I guess with some of the greats such as:

# ? Sep 18, 2023 14:03

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