Unfunny Comedians

[Supershrimper]

Bit of a hard one to answer because one person's unfunny is another's funny. My Top 3 funny are
Jimmy Carr
Tim Vine
Peter Kay

Bottom 3 unfunny are
Rosie Jones
Julian Clary
Bill Bailey

Rosie may well be very funny but most of the time I've arrived at the punchline whilst she is still telling the lead up to the gag. If I see her on a panel show I turn off.

Julian I don't think I'd manage laugh at any of his routine even if I had someone tickling my feet.

Bill Bailey I find midly amusing on panel shows but live shows his brand of comedy just doesn't hit with me.

 

[blues exile]

Most comedians who are on TV nowadays. The standard of comedy in general in this country has declined so much. It's been killed by political correctness, wokeness whatever you want to call it.

Yes, let's bring back Bernard Manning, Jimmy Jones, Jim Davidson and all those other racist, misogynistic and sexist stalwarts of the comedy scene 50 years ago!

 

[Napster]

Bit of a hard one to answer because one person's unfunny is another's funny. My Top 3 funny are
Jimmy Carr
Tim Vine
Peter Kay

Bottom 3 unfunny are
Rosie Jones
Julian Clary
Bill Bailey

Rosie may well be very funny but most of the time I've arrived at the punchline whilst she is still telling the lead up to the gag. If I see her on a panel show I turn off.

Julian I don't think I'd manage laugh at any of his routine even if I had someone tickling my feet.

Bill Bailey I find midly amusing on panel shows but live shows his brand of comedy just doesn't hit with me.

Bill Bailey twenty, thirty years ago was brilliant live. Now I think he got bored of the whole thing. Tim Vine is hilarious live - had front row seats to see him a few years back, and yes, got picked on, but he was brilliant.

 

[Dave Smiths Love Child]

Yes, let's bring back Bernard Manning, Jimmy Jones, Jim Davidson and all those other racist, misogynistic and sexist stalwarts of the comedy scene 50 years ago!

Ricky Gervais is the modern version, as he states it’s comedy and that’s it nothing serious unless easily offended

 

[Dave Smiths Love Child]

Bill Bailey twenty, thirty years ago was brilliant live. Now I think he got bored of the whole thing. Tim Vine is hilarious live - had front row seats to see him a few years back, and yes, got picked on, but he was brilliant.

Saw Tim Vine at Cliffs superb from the start even like Tommy Cooper you knew what was coming

 

[Mad Cyril]

Saw The Pub Landord aka Al Murray at the Cliffs a few years back.thought he was hilarious but my (French) wife thought some of his anti-French jokes were a bit iffy .

Al Murray is someone I would accuse of punching down.

 

[Mad Cyril]

Saw Tim Vine at Cliffs superb from the start even like Tommy Cooper you knew what was coming

He is absolutely superb.

 

[Seaside Shrimper]

Comedy is like football: it’s much better live and in the moment. Stop watching panel shows on TV and get yourself down to your local comedy club.

This is the best comment on this thread. If you are judging a comedian by their TV appearances rather than seeing them live then you haven't seen the comedian. If you saw a comedian at a theatre or their name was the one on the ticket, then that show is for their fans and will be have been written accordingly.

The best way to see comedy is live on a mixed bill. There are brilliant local comedy clubs (Little Smash Comedy in Southend is a particular favourite, but Colchester actually have a really good night in their ground called Big Cheese Comedy)

 

[londonblue]

Bill Bailey twenty, thirty years ago was brilliant live. Now I think he got bored of the whole thing. Tim Vine is hilarious live - had front row seats to see him a few years back, and yes, got picked on, but he was brilliant.

I saw Bill Bailey live at The Comedy Store as part of a duo. They were superb.

 

[Napster]

I saw Bill Bailey live at The Comedy Store as part of a duo. They were superb.

The Rubber Bishops?

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Al Murray is someone I would accuse of punching down.

Think that's rather what my wife though.Anyway the but of his "jokes" in most of the first half of the show was a female teacher of French sitting in the first row, who he used to vent his anti -Frencn narrative.. (believe his own wife is asimilary a teacher of French) . I thought he was quite funny (as I said) but my wife was certainly uimpressed by the anti-French seniment in the room which AM successfully tapped into.

 

[cerbera45]

Think that's rather what my wife though.Anyway the but of his "jokes" in most of the first half of the show was a female teacher of French sitting in the first row, who he used to vent his anti -Frencn narrative.. (believe his own wife is asimilary a teacher of French) . I thought he was quite funny (as I said) but my wife was certainly uimpressed by the anti-French seniment in the room which AM successfully tapped into.

sounds a bit like 'Allo 'Allo ;-)

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

sounds a bit like 'Allo 'Allo ;-)

Yeah I know "Frogs" are an easy target for some but ...

 

[londonblue]

The Rubber Bishops?

I can't remember, it was a very long time ago, but that certainly rings a bell.

 

[WhiteNoise]

Ricky G certainly wasn't punching down at the Oscars. Calling out the Hollywood elites to their faces was an outstanding performance.

true, but he definitely was punching down when rape victims, disabled people, autistic people, and trans people were the target of his content.

 

[Swiss Tony]

Yes, let's bring back Bernard Manning, Jimmy Jones, Jim Davidson and all those other racist, misogynistic and sexist stalwarts of the comedy scene 50 years

Think that's rather what my wife though.Anyway the but of his "jokes" in most of the first half of the show was a female teacher of French sitting in the first row, who he used to vent his anti -Frencn narrative.. (believe his own wife is asimilary a teacher of French) . I thought he was quite funny (as I said) but my wife was certainly uimpressed by the anti-French seniment in the room which AM successfully tapped into.

Just banter I would think,there must be millions of French people who are very nice folk , just ain’t met one yet.(see what I done there just banter.)

 

[rigsby]

true, but he definitely was punching down when rape victims, disabled people, autistic people, and trans people were the target of his content.

As Ricky has proved. If you target everyone then you can't discriminate.

More to the point he is really funny when he does.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Just banter I would think,there must be millions of French people who are very nice folk , just ain’t met one yet.(see what I done there just banter.)

You havent mret my wife.

 

[Ricky Otto]

Rosie Jones takes a bit of time to get use to her cadence. First time I saw her it was a bit of a struggle and it was only towards the end of her (short) set I was in step with it. Subsequent times it’s been quicker to adjust. She has absolutely killer comedy timing once you get use to that cadence.

I don’t imagine she works as well on TV though where it’s more one liners and they don’t have the time for longer set ups or to build the tension and a lot gets lost in the edit. It’s a bit like cricket: panel shows are the T20 highlights. Sure it’s fun seeing someone smack a six but it’s an ephemeral moment: what sticks with me are the days when I watched the entire innings when things ebb and flow and are allowed to build and you don’t know how things will unfurl.

You could be right mate, I've only ever seen her on TV

 

[Ricey]

As Ricky has proved. If you target everyone then you can't discriminate.

More to the point he is really funny when he does.

He more often than not during his shows explains about the jokes.

I think it all depends on what sort of humour you have been brought up on or been around. I have come from a military background and aviation which is always very dark. You have people having to make light of bad situations to stay sane.

Ricky Gervais for me is a genius and that is proven in things like Derek and After Life. Derek for me can have you in fits of laughter one minute and then a wreck in tears the next.

At the end of the day if you don't find someone funny don't watch them. I think Peter Kay is hugely overrated so I don't bother watching him. I don't think he is unfunny, just think he's average at best.

I know it's been mentioned in here before but Russell Howard is god awful! He can make something he has said that is quite funny then unfunny by dragging the joke out. He is obviously trying to be like others, he went through a stage of trying to do Lee Evans and that is never going to work for you.

I struggle with female comedians, some are quite good on panel shows but I cannot stomach any of their stand ups.