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Unfunny comedians


sadoldgit

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Maybe I am just get old and grumpy but I find that many comedians just aren't that funny these days. How Keith Lemon gets work is beyond me. I love a bit of surreal comedy but Noel Fielding doesn't make me laugh. Mrs Brown could have been written by a 14 year old boy with Tourette's. Decent comedy shows on TV are few and far between. Am I missing something? I remember the new wave of comedians coming through in the 80s (Comic Strip, ben Elton etc) and blowing away the bloated golf chums (Tarbuck etc) away. After watching the self satisfied bunch on Big Fat Quiz the other night this lot could also do with being blown away.

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Mrs Browns Boys is possibly the least funny programme I've ever seen.

 

Agree. As SoG says, it's pretty juvenile. It's weird, I saw the guy (name escapes me) on some Graham Norton and he was actually quite funny and pretty likable. The show is rubbish.

 

Add Michael McIntyre to the list. I just don't get it, he's not funny.

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there are awful comedians around , just as there always was. But there are also some excellent 'newer' comics around as well.

In the last year I've seen Dara O'Brien , Dave Gorman, Sean Lock, Monty Python and David Mitchell live and they were all great nights out. Never ever saw the appeal of Jethro or Chubby Brown but I suppose if we all liked the same thing life would be boring.

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Michael McIntyre & Miranda are criminally unfunny. How they get on TV is beyond me. I've noticed the people that like they are usuall thick and divs who tend to be the people who like things because everyone else does.

 

Ah, meant to mention her too. Painfully unfunny. Again, I just don't get what people find funny about it.

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Miranda is very unfunny

 

I like lee evens. Could be very funny without swearing his nut off

Sean Lock is funny also

 

See i dont find Lee Evans funny either, sweats alot, talks in stupid voices and swings his arms around, he irritates me. Russell Howard is also terrible.

 

Sean Lock yes, Micky Flannigan also although he's starting to become a bit to overdone now.

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See i dont find Lee Evans funny either, sweats alot, talks in stupid voices and swings his arms around, he irritates me. Russell Howard is also terrible.

 

Sean Lock yes, Micky Flannigan also although he's starting to become a bit to overdone now.

 

Peter Kay is one of my favourites

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The problem is that the material is far too safe and apolitical. I can remember The Young Ones doing some very decent stuff that was right on the edge of taste.

 

The "Lord Scarman need never know" sketch is a great example.

 

These days, just safe díck and fart jokes done by safe comedians on safe panel shows.

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Do you want some KRG? :)

 

 

So, part of the reason may be that I saw him once years ago at a comedy night put on by an old teacher of mine. He picked on me basically because I was a teenager, the bit being pretty much, he's young he needs to go have a w*nk. No problem comedians taking the **** out of me, but at least be original/funny.

 

The rest of it is just that silly face he is constantly pulling, that bizarre sped up waddle he does and the incessant head shaking. Eurgh.

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Most of these make me want to throw up or at least turn the tv over:

 

Alan Carr

Michael McIntyre

Phill Jupitus

Miranda Hart

John Bishop

Russell Howard

Al Murray

 

People who I'm not offended by and do sometimes make me laugh but I don't understand their popularity:

 

Peter Kay

Jimmy Carr

Lee Evans

Jason Manford

Stephen K Amos

Sarah Millican

 

Eddie Izzard is in a weird category by himself. I've seen him live a few times and once he was supremely funny, another time pretty good and the last time just dull.

 

As for those who do make me chuckle I'll mention Stewart Lee, Doug Stanhope, Louis CK, Ross Noble, Adam Buxton, Kevin Bridges & Dylan Moran.

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Most of these make me want to throw up or at least turn the tv over:

 

Alan Carr

Michael McIntyre

Phill Jupitus

Miranda Hart

John Bishop

Russell Howard

Al Murray

 

People who I'm not offended by and do sometimes make me laugh but I don't understand their popularity:

 

Peter Kay

Jimmy Carr

Lee Evans

Jason Manford

Stephen K Amos

Sarah Millican

 

Eddie Izzard is in a weird category by himself. I've seen him live a few times and once he was supremely funny, another time pretty good and the last time just dull.

 

As for those who do make me chuckle I'll mention Stewart Lee, Doug Stanhope, Louis CK, Ross Noble, Adam Buxton, Kevin Bridges & Dylan Moran.

 

We have almost as similar taste in comedians as music TC

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Also glad to see people not loving Keith Lemon. My mates love Celebrity Juice, and think I'm weird for not liking it. It does nothing for me, just like The Inbetweeners.

 

I've a much darker sense of humour I guess. Stewart Lee is the funniest around for my money.

 

On the unofficial bingo bus to Swansea last season they put on a dvd boxset of celebrity juice. Nevr in my life was I so glad I had a pair of headphones and a spare phone battery.

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Oh, and if we aren't just referring to tv here could somebody, somewhere, please explain to me why Susan Calman, Mel Gydroch or Sue Perkins despoil our airwaves with such grim regularity?

 

Back to tv, I cannot stand Andy Parsons. His scriptwriting is ok, but his delivery is even more annoying than Russell bloody Howards, and thats saying something.

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Jack Dee?

 

Seen him live, he was good. Also excellent when hosting HIGNFY and that thing on Radio4 whose name escapes me now. Lead Balloon was also funny.

 

I'll add Billy Connolly to the list of comedians I don't get. His habit of laughing halfway through jokes he's told 1000 times irritates me no end.

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Oh, and if we aren't just referring to tv here could somebody, somewhere, please explain to me why Susan Calman, Mel Gydroch or Sue Perkins despoil our airwaves with such grim regularity?

 

Back to tv, I cannot stand Andy Parsons. His scriptwriting is ok, but his delivery is even more annoying than Russell bloody Howards, and thats saying something.

 

Parsons is rubbish. He tours big venues and sells them out on a regular basis. I don't get it.

Susan Calman isn't particularly funny, nor are Mel & Sue who are the only 2 people in the world smugger than Jo Whiley.

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Whatever next? Human beings having different tastes in music? Where will it all end? Shocking.

 

:)

 

Whatever next, trousers pointing out that people like different things while offering up his own choice which he knows will befuddle other forum users.

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Seen him live, he was good. Also excellent when hosting HIGNFY and that thing on Radio4 whose name escapes me now. Lead Balloon was also funny.

 

I'll add Billy Connolly to the list of comedians I don't get. His habit of laughing halfway through jokes he's told 1000 times irritates me no end.

 

I'm sorry I havent a clue, possibly the funniest programme on radio imho. And he is excellent as chairman, very funny comedian as well.

 

And I'd forgotten Connolly and his uncontrolled hilarity halfway through his own jokes. Dreadful stuff, I find him unwatchable.

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I watched a couple of programmes over Christmas that I had missed when first on. One was a life story of the terrific Dave Allen and the other a look back at wonderful Rik Mayall and his work. The programmes reminded me just how excellent, clever and risque both were. Unfortunately, someone then showed me a recorded programme of 8 out of 10 cats and I was reminded of how shyte modern "comedy" programmes are.

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Punt and Dennis. I can't understand how they get so much work still.

 

It's all a pretty personal thing isn't it? I don't really enjoy Milton Jones, Jack Whitehall, Lee Evans, Phil Jupitus, Miranda, Keith Lemon, Chris Addison or Ross Noble and I have never liked a comedian who does "funny voices", because they're never funny.

 

There are loads of great ones though. I like Sean Locke, Sarah Pascoe, Lee Mack, Rich Hall, David Mitchell, Stewart Lee, Mark Watson and Jon Richardson, but I'm sure some of those grate on some people here.

 

Michael MacIntyre seems to draw a lot of hate, but I've only heard him in fairly short bursts and didn't find him especially funny or annoying. Noel Fielding has a pretty limited, persona based act that got old years ago.

 

Tim Vine is incredibly one dimensional, but you have to be impressed with how good he is at what he does. There are a lot of poor comedians who have managed to get on the panel show gravy train and extended their careers beyond the natural lifespan by specialising in that. That said, Would I Lie to You and 8 out of ten Cats have four of the funniest men around as team captains.

 

Don't want to go too far back as so much comedy dates badly. For example Bill Hicks seemed great in the eighties/early nineties, but some of it seems awful now, not his fault, he wouldn't still be doing that sort of stuff if he was still around.

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I watched a couple of programmes over Christmas that I had missed when first on. One was a life story of the terrific Dave Allen and the other a look back at wonderful Rik Mayall and his work. The programmes reminded me just how excellent, clever and risque both were. Unfortunately, someone then showed me a recorded programme of 8 out of 10 cats and I was reminded of how shyte modern "comedy" programmes are.

 

I watched the Rik Mayall documentary, hilarious and sad viewing, gone way before he should have.

 

I agree with pretty much all comments about McIntyre, can't stand the bloke, stupid walk with his bouncy hair and high pitched voice just riles me.

 

Going to see Stewart Francis in May at the Mayflower, saw him when I went to see Ricky Gervaise live as he was the warm up and funnier than Gervaise.

 

Away from stand up I must say I love the Boosh, Flight of the Conchords and Trailer Park Boys.

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Just a mention for Chris Morris because while not technically a comedian in the sense that he never does stand up (or anything much these days) he has made some of the funniest tv and radio of all time.

 

Yep, got all the Day todays, Jam and Brass Eye. Genius.

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Meant to mention Miranda too - all those looks to camera - pah.

 

i think she's sposed to be like Hancock. I've seen precisely one episode, one of the Christmas ones, and I thought it was quite good show, really. I mean, I dunno that I would have realised if it was comedy except for laugh track, but I wasn't bored, and that's the most I've come to expect from BBC1

 

Nathan For You was my Most Funny TV show from last year. I watched Charlie Brooker 2014 wipe yesterday, that was good too! TV is tough for stand-ups tho, I reckon. Whenever I've seen comedian live, especially at smaller club, I lol like hyena at material which, were I watching on tv, would have me yawning like a hyawna.

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Seen him live, he was good. Also excellent when hosting HIGNFY and that thing on Radio4 whose name escapes me now. Lead Balloon was also funny.

 

I'll add Billy Connolly to the list of comedians I don't get. His habit of laughing halfway through jokes he's told 1000 times irritates me no end.

 

IMHO Jack Dee is very good, especially as a host of TV and radio. And his live shows are excellent too.

 

I went to see Billy Connolly live and thought he was very good. He knows how to work an audience. If someone was to script his stage show, then it would appear mostly like garbled rubbish, but he knows how to play the show, which made his shows very enjoyable, IMHO of course.

 

One of the most unlikely, but nonetheless very funny comedians I have seen live is Mark Little (aka Joe Mangle!) who was really clever, funny and well thought out show, without any reliance on swearing and knob/t!ts/vag gags.

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Most female comedians - Miranda's smirky knowingness is the pick of a bad bunch (US female comedians are much better)

 

But most of my ire is saved for Jack Whitehall. Atrocious.

 

Never really liked Jack Whitehall myself. Completely cemented that view when I found out his stand-up isn't really his stand-up.

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Maybe I am just get old and grumpy but I find that many comedians just aren't that funny these days. How Keith Lemon gets work is beyond me. I love a bit of surreal comedy but Noel Fielding doesn't make me laugh. Mrs Brown could have been written by a 14 year old boy with Tourette's. Decent comedy shows on TV are few and far between. Am I missing something? I remember the new wave of comedians coming through in the 80s (Comic Strip, ben Elton etc) and blowing away the bloated golf chums (Tarbuck etc) away. After watching the self satisfied bunch on Big Fat Quiz the other night this lot could also do with being blown away.

 

I'm with you on this. We're just getting old and grumpy.

 

And Mrs Browns Boys is possibly the least funny programme I've never seen.

Edited by Whitey Grandad
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ORLY?

 

According to Stewart Lee, yes.

 

McIntyre in same camp.

 

Personally, I've no problem with comic performers fronting themselves as that. Since the 80s though, there's been an assumption on the part of the stand-up audience that the person performing the material wrote the material. Whitehall and McIntyre exploit that assumption.

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Most female comedians - Miranda's smirky knowingness is the pick of a bad bunch (US female comedians are much better)

 

Yes, I really enjoyed ‘An Audience With Joan Rivers (2005)’ on TV over Christmas.

 

On her day, no other female comedian comes near, imo. Great shame she's passed on.

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