Our inspirations
I can’t tell you “the best” comedian, sketch or joke … but I can tell you the acts and performances that I respect, draw from and am inspired by.
So here are some of the performances and resources that I think are awesome and you should experience if you haven’t come across them before.
(And before you shout at me over the clips I’ve selected to represent some of these amazing comedians, I had to pick something!!)
Eddie Izzard, “Death Star Canteen”
Steve Martin
Monty Python
Victoria Wood, “The Ballad of Barry and Freda (Let’s Do It)”
Bob Newhart, “Stop It”
Robin Williams
Only Fools and Horses
Rhod Gilbert
Seinfeld
Leslie Nielsen / Airplane!
The Two Ronnies, “Four Candles sketch”
Peter Sellers
“Four candles (like “Who’s at first base?” and “Airplane!”) takes its inspiration from British and US music halls, especially burlesque sketches.
Blackadder
“Class sketch”
Ricky Gervais / The Office
Mike Myers
Dame Edna / Barry Humphries
Alan Partridge / Steve Coogan
Royale Family
Morecambe and Wise
Mrs Merton / Caroline Aherne
Philomena Cunk / Diane Morgan
Catherine Tate
Dawn French
Spitting Image
Cassetteboy
Josie Lawrence
Tommy Cooper
Billy Connolly
SkitHOUSE
Abbott and Costello, “Who’s on first?”
Rick Mayall
A baseball player called Albert Bailey “Allie” Watt actually played at second base for the Washington Senators in 1920.
Rob Brydon
Gavin & Stacey
Sean Lock
Armstrong & Miller
Armstrong & Miller
Armstrong & Miller
One of the toughest decisions I had to make was leaving out The Two Ronnies Mastermind sketch! (https://youtu.be/y0C59pI_ypQ)