Tommy Cooper ‘funniest Briton’
Comedian Tommy Cooper has topped a poll of the funniest Britons of all time, according to Reader’s Digest magazine.
He beat the likes of Billy Connelly, Rowan Atkinson and Benny Hill to take the top spot in the 20-strong list.
The fez-wearing comic, with his “just like that” catchphrase and bumbling manner, suffered a fatal heart attack during a live TV broadcast in 1984.
Phoenix Nights star Peter Kay came second and Billy Connolly third in the poll of nearly 2,000 people.
“Comedy fashions come and go but as far as the British public is concerned you obviously can’t beat Tommy Cooper’s classic one-liners,” said a magazine spokesman.
“For Cooper to still be so popular, even among younger voters, is incredible.”
TV duo Morecambe and Wise were fourth, followed by the late Bob Monkhouse, who died in December, 2003.
The rest of the top 10 was made up almost entirely of old-timers – Ken Dodd, Roy “Chubby” Brown, Norman Wisdom and Les Dawson – though Lee Evans made it to number 10.
Dawn French was the only woman to make the top 20, finishing at number 11, equal with David Jason.
Eddie Izzard and Freddie Starr came in at the bottom of the list.
TOP FUNNIEST BRITS
1. Tommy Cooper
2. Peter Kay
3. Billy Connolly
4. Morecambe and Wise
5. Bob Monkhouse
6. Ken Dodd
7. Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown
8. (equal) Norman Wisdom
8. (equal) Les Dawson
10. Lee Evans
11. (equal) David Jason
11. (equal) Dawn French
13. (equal) Jim Davidson
13. (equal) Rowan Atkinson
15. Benny Hill
16. Jasper Carrott
17. Lenny Henry
18. Spike Milligan
19. John Cleese
20. (equal) Eddie Izzard
20. (equal) Freddie Starr
Reader’s Digest poll
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/3596628.stm
Published: 2004/08/25 01:21:15 GMT
© BBC MMIV
Has anybody been forgotten (and no forum members. please!), that you can think of – or is the list too safe and innocuous?
Flood
By: whalebone - 28th August 2004 at 00:25
Haha, yes, Sandy’s. Are you thinking Newchurch, August 44?
Which episode of “Round the Horne” was that then ? I must have missed it.:D
Try BBC Radio 7 if you have broadband or a DAB radio, you can hear loads of them again.
RTH is not scheduled at the moment but each week there is a fair smattering of Goon Shows, The Navy Lark, Handcocks Half Hour, Take it from here, radio episodes of Dad’s Army etc etc. All good stuff.
By: Flood - 27th August 2004 at 22:56
And no one has mentioned Terry and June…
Flood
By: Snapper - 27th August 2004 at 21:55
Haha, yes, Sandy’s. Are you thinking Newchurch, August 44?
By: Mark9 - 27th August 2004 at 20:15
Duncan Sandys
Lets Call Snapper :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Anna 😀 😀 Von Snapper to friends 😉 😉 😀
By: John Boyle - 27th August 2004 at 17:19
Duncan Sandys
By: whalebone - 27th August 2004 at 17:11
Are you sure it does Arthur, I’m not !
Hörten Sie das über den magischen Traktor? Er ging doen Straße gemacht zu ein Feld :p
Did you hear the one about the magic tractor ? It went down the road and turned into a field.
das ist ja sehr gut !
By: steve rowell - 27th August 2004 at 12:32
Whoops, i forgot John Major and Tony Blair
By: snakeman - 27th August 2004 at 12:27
Eric Morecame is one of the funniest but without Ernie Wise 🙁
Perhaps they should do funniest british double act ?
By: steve rowell - 27th August 2004 at 02:00
What obout some of the oldies
Tony Hancock
Sid James
D*ck Emery
Hattie Jacques
Joan Simms
Kenneth Williams
Charles Hawtrey
Barbara Windsor
Frankie Howard
Terry Scott
By: whalebone - 26th August 2004 at 18:43
I’ve only recently discovered German humour, but then again most of my countrymen don’t even know it exists.
Are you sure it does Arthur, I’m not !
Hörten Sie das über den magischen Traktor? Er ging doen Straße gemacht zu ein Feld :p
By: Mark9 - 26th August 2004 at 18:20
Von Snapper :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Cull Man 😎 If he would :rolleyes: Anna 😀 😀 😀
By: Flood - 26th August 2004 at 18:18
John Cleese’s last time being remotely funny was A Fish Called Wanda, i haven’t seen anything i could even interpret as being MENT to make me laugh after that.
He has gone bad, as far as being funny is currently concerned – if you had seen his advert for Marwell Zoological Park (possibly in penance for Scarey Creatures, which was filmed there) you would wonder if it had been written by a committee of suits who hadn’t a clue what they wanted so left it to the chipanzees to do the rest.
But for his older stuff…
Flood
By: Arthur - 26th August 2004 at 14:41
Why not add writers? Tom Sharpe, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett…
John Cleese’s last time being remotely funny was A Fish Called Wanda, i haven’t seen anything i could even interpret as being MENT to make me laugh after that. As far as former MPFC guys go, i think only Terry Jones (and Terry Gilliam somewhat, but he’s American) knows to keep me amused these days. His commentaries on historical documentaries is often brilliant.
And i agree with Flood – Benny Hill and Mr. Bean are definately not the benchmarks of British humour, but indeed humour is very hard to translate unless it’s mindless slapstick. I’ve only recently discovered German humour, but then again most of my countrymen don’t even know it exists.
By: futurepilot - 26th August 2004 at 14:31
No way! Spike Milligan is that low down. One of the funniest guys ever. Even his tombstone is funny: “I told you I was ill”.
By: Arabella-Cox - 26th August 2004 at 11:22
R.Weaver is in the same category as Jim Carrey – he TRIES to be amusing, but actually just irritates the sh1t out of people… 😉
By: steve rowell - 26th August 2004 at 09:36
No Cook and Moore. Bad.
Depends whether you like satire or slapstick, when it comes to satire, they were the masters
By: Low - 26th August 2004 at 09:32
No Cook and Moore. Bad.
By: Arabella-Cox - 26th August 2004 at 08:54
Isn’t Pamela Stevenson an Aussie…?
Funniest Brit? For me it’s any one from Michael Palin, John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Eddie Izzard.
By: steve rowell - 26th August 2004 at 05:14
I didn’t see Peter Cook or Dudley Moore on your list!!!!!!
By: Ren Frew - 25th August 2004 at 22:03
Smith and Jones ? Anyone from the Comic Strip Presents I haven’t already mentioned.
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August 25, 2004 at 12:53 pm