Overrated comedians.

Eddie Izzard used to be one of the best but unfortunately he's lost his way a bit in recent times. I think to some extent the void has been filled by Bill Bailey (Part Troll being one of the best shows I've seen in years). You do need an understanding of irony though which some people on here seem to struggle with.

I know it's slightly off topic but one thing that is starting to grate now is the dodgy slapstcik routines that Top Gear seems to consist of these days. It was quite funny a few years ago but they're really flogging it for all it's worth now.

Bill Bailey? Are you on crack???

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Michael McIntyre - Don't you just want to slap him?!
Lee Evans
Peter Kay
Sarah Silverman - The award for the most overrated comedian ever has to go to her.

is this discission not totally pointless in the first place as everyone has such different taste

It's heartwarming to see who HASN'T been mentioned in a negative way yet - namely Dylan Moran and Eddie Izzard.
I saw Moran live in Dublin and was either laughing or giggling like a little girl non-stop (as was everyone else there). I think it was the Monster show. Black Books doesn't show half of what he's capable of!

As for Izzard, I've never seen him live, but I still listen to 'Unrepeatable' and the drilling cats bit always brings a smile to my face - though listening to it after a few years I was quite surprised, in a good way, how PG a lot of his stuff is.

Oh and Flight Of The Conchords may have been creaky at Edinburgh, but they are now infinitely more polished; some of their songs are pure comic gold, and actually decent tunes!

I think that idiot Jeremy Clarkson opened the floodgates regarding Gordons eye - now that guy is a waste of air space.

Personally I don't think a comedian needs to be offensive or cutting edge to be funny. I saw Eddie Izzard live last week and apart from the odd swear word it was pretty inoffensive stuff unless you hold fundamentalist religious views or are offended by mimes of animals coughing. It was also very very funny.
I agree that all the reality tv types and most politicians are fair game for comedians, the fact is they are voicing what a lot of the general public actually think but in a humourous way. It would be criminal not to make fun of someone who claims for having their moat cleaned on expences! Having said that it seems unfair to abuse Gordon Brown for only having one eye when there is so much more he actually had some control over that could be made fun of.

My point about Michael McIntyre was not that he was safe but rather that he is not funny but the BBC like him despite this because he is safe.
I don't agree that the Mock The Week regulars are smug, I find them very quick and clever although they do get tipped off about some of the subjects earlier so they are not as instantly hilarious as it would appear - as with all things though people have different perceptions of what they see. One mans confidence is another mans smugness.
I like to see them laughing at each others jokes, Frankie Boyle seems to amuse the other most while Michael McIntyre barely raises a smile from anyone, personally I fing Hugh Dennis the funniest and he is one of the least offensive.

One person who never fails to make me laugh Russell Howard, very funny.
The rest really just aren't worth it.

Following this forum over the weeks a few things have struck me. Obviously, the wide range of taste and opinion but there does seem to be a presumption by a fair percentage of contributors that a comedian has to be cutting edge to be funny - anybody deemed to be 'safe' or not hard-edged is automatically unfunny.

I think that too many comedians swear too much and go out of their way to be offensive and that is the sum total of their acts. I am not being po-faced and fuddy-duddy about this. I swear myself, probably too much and use words that get bleeped out on television. Why do I do it? Bad habit, frustration, anger and just plain laziness. Nobody thinks I am hilariously funny though. It has a part in comedy but is over-used. A while ago I went to a live performance and the support act was dire, his act really did consist solely of swearing - not even anything resembling a lame joke.

As to offensiveness, once again too many use a scatter-gun approach. In my opinion you can't be too offensive about politicians, even the ones I nominally support. Likewise the z-list celebritoids from soap operas, Big Brother and all its spin-offs. I do think you should avoid being offensive about people who can't hit back (or pay lawyers, agents, journalist to do it on their behalf).

As to a recent posting, I also find Michael McIntyre completely unfunny but am not particularly bothered by the response of the smug twats who infest Mock the Week.

On reflection perhaps I should modify what I said about politicians. Until recently no one but a tenth rate comic doing a gig at a provincial Conservative Club or Businessman's Dinner would have made a joke about Gordon Brown's eye. Some prat did make a joke about it and now every mediocrity feels obliged to do the same (see Mock the Week). Perhaps one of these comedians should have his eye poked out and be given two minutes to make as many jokes as possible about it (points will be deducted for time spent screaming in agony). Also, no 'topical' news quiz is complete without a joke about John Prescott and pies. Topical? They will be making fun of that nice Mr Asquith next.

You total and UTTER philistine

Not Dara O'Briain or Bill Bailey.... but....

Michael McIntyre
Nick Mohammed
Ricky Gervais
Frankie Boyle
Jimmy Carr

You want some really good stuff:
Colin Hoult
Late Night Gimp Fight
Rob Rouse
Russell Kane
Charlie Baker
Wilson Dixon

Well said re: the billy/butler spat, and sorry if i contributed to it in any way (eek!). Still, glad you copped on before it got REALLY silly...this could be the start of a beautiful double act...the new Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant maybe? Just kidding!

I really would like an explanation regarding the current popularity of Michael McIntyre - honestly I would.
It appears to me that he does very lightweight observational comedy, nothing that hasn't been pointed out before, but makes it his own by shouting about it, stomping around the stage and carrying on about it for way too long.
He has always been woefully unfunny on Mock The Week, you can see the other performers looking at him and wondering what he did to get the gig.
I saw him on the Jonathan Ross show last week, he wasn't funny and during the chat both he and JR seemed at a loss as to why he is now so popular, the audience didn't sound like they were splitting their sides either.
My own opinion as to why he is suddenly so popular is that since the Ross / Brand / Sachs debacle the BBC have decided that safe is the way to go and while (in my puzzled opinion) Michael McIntyre isn't very funny he is safe and unlikely to offend anyone.

Top marks to Butler and Casper for an entertaining spat that ended with them both catching onto themselves, climbing down from their interlectual towers (I didn't understand 30% of it I admit) and making up like well brought up and well educated chaps - if only all wars could be ended so amicably! Hilarious that you pretty much found out that you have matching tastes and DVD collections.

[Deleted by the author on 28 Feb 2010 19:46:10 GMT]

Well, after reading this through, I can firmly say that the British Public (or at least the British Public that comments on Amazon) know absolutely nothing about comedy.

The most overated comedian by miles is Dane Cook, an American comedian who despite being unable to tell a funny joke (despite stealing other peoples jokes... he can't even plaigarise right) is somehow massively popular. You will be grow to appreciate these guys if you watch him.

The person who said Bill Hicks is overated... Bill Hicks is underated, if anything. Such an inspiration and so few people even know who he is.

Ricky Gervais is overated, you all got that one right.

As for whether old comedy is better or new comedy is better, stop living in the past and realise the times have changed. There are great comics out there these days, and if you take the attitude that it will never be as good why even waste your time with comedy in the first place?

On the other hand, young people should be checking out the older comics too. I'm 19 years old and I love Monty Python, Dad's Army, Auf Weidersehn Pet ect.

Who do I dislike? (Different from being overrated.) Obviously Gervaise, anyone with Carr or Brand as a surname, anyone with a shaven head who has to explain his jokes after he's made them, anyone with a west-country accent and a hyphen in their surname and anyone who hosts a 'comedy chat show' and never shuts up. There I think that covers the field - Oh and anyone who shouts a lot.

Who do I like? Those who appear to think on their feet, Jack Dee, Paul Merton, Ross Noble, Sean Locke and David Mitchell.

Who do I like that do obviously scripted material? Milton Jones, Marcus Brigstock, Jo Caufield, Mitch Benn and Bill Bailey.

"Miller& Armstrong,even worse."
But you miss the point there, Armstrong & Miller are actors doing scripts NOT comedians.

Trouble with Ricky Gervaise is that he's a limited actor who thinks he's a comedian.

Your 'wish' about Bob Monkhouse has come true. He is dead.

[Deleted by the author on 6 Dec 2009 13:48:35 GMT]

[Deleted by the author on 28 Feb 2010 19:45:55 GMT]

[Deleted by the author on 6 Dec 2009 13:48:48 GMT]

Yeah, I'm not buying the tongue in cheek excuse either. It's an easy claim to make when you're losing the argument but I don't see anything to back it up. Butler's the hypocrite: everything he accused Billy of (unpleasantness, condescension, smarmyness etc) seems to have originated with him, and IMO Billy was just challenging it. Butler says his first post was made to get a reaction: a bit childish to begin with, as is the whole Billy-Bob thing. You can't go around starting fights and then cry foul when the other bloke hits you back, it's just not cricket. If you're going to throw down the gauntlet you need to make sure your argument is water-tight first (like calling yourself an intellectual then making basic spelling mistakes!).
Bring back the good old days when a petty disagreement was settled with a fight and a game of darts afterwards, it's more honest and less time consuming! (Butler, I'll let you decide if that comment was sarcastic or not, as being a casual Top Gear fan I'm obviously too thick to know my own intentions!)

My vote goes to Russell Brand, BTW, if anyone's still interested.

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