Unfunny comedians

[TheTecknician]

We've covered lousy actors and questionable singers. A further spin-off: who really isn't that funny, past or present? I offer:

Hale and Pace
Freddie Starr
Lenny Henry

Mean-spirited, I know.

On the plus side, I did like Jimmy Tarbuck. I'm probably being unfashionable but his delivery as a stand-up was perfect, even if some of the jokes wouldn't go down well today.

I heard Craig David talk on a podcast about Bo Selecta and how Leigh Francis basically ruined his life with his cruel impersination of him. It was shocking that was allowed to be aired looking back on it.

y

billy connolly was very funny.

strange how much hate Rosie is getting.

Jasper Carrott at his peak was very funny - I have an old tape of his Canned Carrott series which still makes me laugh now. Likewise Billy Connelly.

I don't like Stewart Lee at all. He comes across as quite sneering and unpleasant, particularly when he talks about women. Not keen on James Acaster either.

I wasn't that struck by Tom Allen and then I saw him live. Left with my tummy aching because I'd laughed so much - he was bloody brilliant. Very, very funny live, especially in smaller venues as he engages with various audience members and works them into his routine.

Same as many others.
I change channels for:
rosie jones - hope she’s not reading this! She just doesn’t say anything funny - no actual jokes! She just relies on saying something crude or slightly shocking and people laugh for some unfathomable reason (maybe they feel it would be ‘unkind’ not to?).
Nish Kumar - just so smug
Billy Conolly
Sarah Millican
Michael macyntyre - seems a nice chap, used to find him funny but boring now.

actually the list is huge!!!

Dave Allen was the best though.

Is it "hate" to say you don't find someone funny? To me, something hateful would be a really personal comment about that person that's intended to be deliberately hurtful. I don't understand why saying you don't like someone's comedy would be classed as "hate"?

I haven’t seen any hate for Rosie Jones, it’s just that almost no one seems to find her funny and yet she gets loads of work.

Not really, she's not funny...

There are people that like her comedy and find her funny, so she's getting work and doing well - good for her. I don't like her stand-up but that doesn't matter. I don't find her jokes very funny, but I thought she was funny on Taskmaster. Maybe because I like observational comedy so her making jokes about circumstances suited my taste better.

He relies on swearing too often to get a laugh.

Eddie izzard... He just isn't funny.

He had an astounding collection of silent movies/old comedy films. Used to present programmes on early comedy films.

I think he also looked after his disabled son.

Sometimes we forget the person we see on the box or stage isn't always the real person.

I love Ramesh, I find him hilarious, and I enjoy Michael McIntyre's show as family fun. It doesn't bother me that he's not doing stand up - it's not a requirement.

There are lots I don't find funny. So that makes Ramesh even more special for me.

Another vote for these two

Yes for Dave Allen as has been mentioned upthread. He did a monologue about post office queues - queues in general - which had me crying with laughter. And Laurel and Hardy too, I loved as a child and they still make me laugh.

Dave Allen - funny, clever, wise, kind, sexy. Incomparable.

strange how much hate Rosie is getting.
She's not though.
People are saying that they don't find her funny, same as Michael Mcintire and a few others whose names keep being repeated.

I'm evidently easy to please. I like most of the comedians mentioned in this thread. I dislike comedy that punches down, but am happy to watch things that are clever, warm, observational, political, sharp, witty, or surreal.

I don't mind swearing if it is in context; I don't like it if it is there to merely shock and replace humour. I don't like racist comedy, or anything that is offensively sexual.

I don't expect to find every word that a comedian says funny - humour is very personal - but they will rarely fall flat all of the time. Some people are great in particular areas - panel shows, acting, comedy clubs, writing - but not so great in others.

Comedians live that have been brilliant include Bill Bailey, Tim Minchin, Dave Gorman, Robin Ince, and Andy Hamilton. I think the world is better for having people like Ian Hislop in it - he is fearless at speaking truth to power and holding people to account in a way that includes humour but is driven by anger at injustice.

Yes to Ross Noble, I saw him at a warm-up gig at our local Arts Centre and laughed so much I couldn’t breathe.

I've never really found the whole stand up thing that funny and prefer comic actors, however Bob Monkhouse was brilliant and I don't mind Micky Flanagan and Ricky Gervais, though their themes are becoming rather repetitive.

Panel shows don't do it for me either. I find them contrived and I never laugh out loud, barely even smile when watching them. Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You, 8/10 cats, Taskmaster, etc - boring television in my opinion. Especially Taskmaster. I have no interest in celebrities doing tasks, but quite like Greg Davies, and Have I got News for you is OK.

Much prefer comedy acting and think Julia Davis, particularly in Nighty Night and Hunderby is fab!

I think live (scripted obvs) v scripted panel shows is different clearly

Not seen live but unwatchable:
Michael M (as per everyone else)
That tik tok famous comedian who just talks about sex and slags people
Matt Rife

Hunter - saw live and a pp is right . Weird, troubled, unfunny, very dark stories.
Katherine Ryan - Massively filtered back drop while also trying to be real. Encouraged screechy drunk women who were ruining it and wanted on about her kid.

OTOH Rosie Jones did 20 mins at the comedy store and was really funny.

Marcus Brigstocke - on Radio 4 a lot, goodness knows why.

Michael Mcintyre. Not funny or witty. I will never understand how someone so talentless is so famous. He must have some good connections in television.
Michael Crawford. The arrogance of the man completely puts me off him.

Yes, I am that old! 😄 I don't think women were 'allowed' to be funny then - you could be a singer with some jokes, like Marti Caine, or maybe a rare impressionist like Janet Brown...

When alternative comedy came along, there was a bit of a scrabble to be REALLY alternative by allowing a woman into the team of men, like Pamela Stephenson, and French and Saunders - they really were a novelty when they first came out.

I think there are certain men who won't laugh at a woman, like they won't read a book by a woman, because their male ego won't allow it...

Hunderby is amazing! Nice to see another fan! 👍

I can't understand why Jimmy Carr isn't high on this list.

He just tries to shock people by saying controversial stuff about disabled people or other minorities.

He's just not a nice person and is not funny at all.