Your favourite ever comedian

[Bold Seagull]

The incomparable Peter Cook for me - the comedian's comedian.

He could do it all: monologues, sophisticated comedy with Dudley Moore, foul-mouthed and crude comedy with Dudley Moore, surrealist fantasies and biting, political satire - the parody of Justice Cantley was a highlight of British comedy.

One of the few public figures whose death genuinely upset me, he was a genuine comic genius.

He was unbearably cruel to DM towards the end of their relationship, his jibes at Dudley's mother's death from cancer toward the end of the Derek and Clive recordings wasn't comedy and a shame he soured their relationship that they barely spoke to each other again. I guess all genius comes with this dark side though.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

And now a local lad. Lewes, I believe.

Is he really? I didn't know that!

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Did he ever crack up like Dudley did? I can't recall a single sketch where he got the giggles.

He was brilliant at the silent chuckle with eye contact, which set Dudley off even more.

 

[Buzzer]

Is he really? I didn't know that!

Aye. For a few years now by the looks of it. http://www.bn1magazine.co.uk/sean-lock/

 

[KZNSeagull]

Rik and Spike for me.

 

[Buzzer]

He was unbearably cruel to DM towards the end of their relationship, his jibes at Dudley's mother's death from cancer toward the end of the Derek and Clive recordings wasn't comedy and a shame he soured their relationship that they barely spoke to each other again. I guess all genius comes with this dark side though.

As a counterpoint to that, Les Dawson's mother-in-law gave him full permission to tell all those gags but when she died he never told another joke about her. He was a genuinely lovely bloke.

 

[Wozza]

Bill Hicks.

 

[tonyt]

Jerry Sadowitz.

 

[Yes Chef]

When I was younger, me and my mates used to skin up a bifta, put a Reeves and Mortimer Dvd in and laugh until we had hernias. The fact that we knew what was coming made it even funnier.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Most of these guys (no women I see) have had their true moments of absolute, top of the game, genius. We all have our favourites. In their best moments, I loved Charlie Drake in The Worker, Hancock in Hancock's Half Hour, Michael Crawford in Some Mothers, Cleese In Fawlty Towers, Kenneth Williams on 'Just a Minute'. When The Goodies broke through, Oddie was comic genius.

But Lee Mack on the end of Worthing Pier and yes, Michael McIntyre at the Komedia, just before they really broke through, were so funny I couldn't breathe for laughing.

Plus, of course, le singe et dans l'arbre.

P.S. Nearly forgot - Milligan.

 

[Gwylan]

He was unbearably cruel to DM towards the end of their relationship, his jibes at Dudley's mother's death from cancer toward the end of the Derek and Clive recordings wasn't comedy and a shame he soured their relationship that they barely spoke to each other again. I guess all genius comes with this dark side though.

I don't think that's wholly right. It's certainly true that he had no 'good taste filter' on his material and could sometimes go too far. And it's probably true that he was jealous of Moore's Hollywood success (although that came after Derek and Clive) but it's not true that they barely spoke to each other again - they worked together a few more times and Moore was so upset at Cook's death, he was reported to have continually phoned his home to listen to Cook's voice message. He also put together a tribute concert for Cook, not the action of someone angered by his partner's behaviour.

But you're right that Cook was flawed: he was an alcoholic and that led to extremes of behaviour. I'm not sure that he was what people would call a good man ... but he was a very, very funny one.

Oh, for him now. He'd be brilliant on Trump and Brexit.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

We were discussing this today at work and I reckon it comes down to three for me...

Tim Vine, Rik Mayall or Les Dawson. Really difficult to pick one favourite from those three as I love them all for different reasons but if push came to shove I think I'd have to go for Les Dawson. What makes him even more remarkable is that he's one of the very few old style comedians still to have his reputation completely intact and still be regarded as funny.

I watch a lot of comedy and in the current batch there are some very different people out there. Tim Vine for one liners although I prefer Gary Delaney for not so family friendly one liners. Milton Jones for wonderful flights of fantasy. Jimmy Carr is a modern day Bernard Manning but without offending as many people.

Many of the old school stand the test of time. Two Ronnies, Eric and Ernie, Tommy Copper - all classic acts that still raise a smile today. Monkhouse was a very gifted comedian but most people only know him from game shows which is a shame.

However, I have to agree that Les Dawson is still one who I make a point of watching when he is on the TV. Some of his sketch show stuff was a bit cack and Cosmo Smallpiece was not a great character. His stand up stuff though is so clever and he was a fantastic wordsmith. Even on Blankety Blank, those opening monologues were always worth watching for. I always remember a very bad joke he managed to string out into a monologue about a bloke who had a head transplant with a sheep. The story was told with great pathos, ending with him shunned by everyone including his local pub from which he was "baa'd".

 

[banjo]

Peter Kay

 

[Buzzer]

I don't think that's wholly right. It's certainly true that he had no 'good taste filter' on his material and could sometimes go too far. And it's probably true that he was jealous of Moore's Hollywood success (although that came after Derek and Clive) but it's not true that they barely spoke to each other again - they worked together a few more times and Moore was so upset at Cook's death, he was reported to have continually phoned his home to listen to Cook's voice message. He also put together a tribute concert for Cook, not the action of someone angered by his partner's behaviour.

But you're right that Cook was flawed: he was an alcoholic and that led to extremes of behaviour. I'm not sure that he was what people would call a good man ... but he was a very, very funny one.

Oh, for him now. He'd be brilliant on Trump and Brexit.

Agreed. From what I've read, Cook did think that Dudley was a sell-out both intellectually and money-wise. Cook couldn't see further than the cabal of Soho bohemians, artists, hacks and has-beens. All of those people (Jeffrey Bernard, Willie Rushton John Wells, Richard Ingrams, Paul Foot, Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud et al) could be absolute shits at times and brilliant when they put their minds to it. Worth remembering though that Peter Cook wasn't so principled all his life. He had a piss-poor part in a piss-poor film: Supergirl.

Regarding the jokes about Dudley's mum, I do wonder if it was because as you say it was the only way Peter Cook knew of dealing with things.

 

[catfish]

As a counterpoint to that, Les Dawson's mother-in-law gave him full permission to tell all those gags but when she died he never told another joke about her. He was a genuinely lovely bloke.

His autobiography is well worth a read. He struggled for years to make it, and when fame finally arrived he never took it for granted.

 

[tinycowboy]

Tim Vine, Harry Hill and, when he's on form, Stewart Lee.

 

[Weststander]

Agreed. From what I've read, Cook did think that Dudley was a sell-out both intellectually and money-wise. Cook couldn't see further than the cabal of Soho bohemians, artists, hacks and has-beens. All of those people (Jeffrey Bernard, Willie Rushton John Wells, Richard Ingrams, Paul Foot, Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud et al) could be absolute shits at times and brilliant when they put their minds to it. Worth remembering though that Peter Cook wasn't so principled all his life. He had a piss-poor part in a piss-poor film: Supergirl.

Regarding the jokes about Dudley's mum, I do wonder if it was because as you say it was the only way Peter Cook knew of dealing with things.

It was also often said that Cook was an alcoholic bully, who grew jealous of Moore's popularity and financial success.

 

[Buzzer]

His autobiography is well worth a read. He struggled for years to make it, and when fame finally arrived he never took it for granted.

Sold vacuum cleaners door-to-door in Moss Side. I bet that was a tough gig.

 

[Buzzer]

It's also believed that Cook was an alcoholic bully, who grew jealous of Moore's popularity and financial success.

Without a doubt. And he was a dreadful snob but brilliantly funny too. Confirms the old maxim: never meet your heroes.

 

[dazzer6666]

Too many favourites to pick a single one. Top list for me would include standup/storytellers :

Dave Allen
Billy Connolly
Dara O'Brian (fantastic on stage)
Jasper Carrot
Micky Flanagan
Always found Mick Miller and Mike Reid funny as well.

As for sketch show/comedy series types :

Paul Whitehouse, the absolute Guvnor for me
Enfield
Spike Milligan
Rowan Atkinson
Mel Smith & Griff Rhys Jones
Coogan