I watched a Ross Noble standup gig on the television last night.
He was desperately unfunny, in an excruciating way. His entire oeuvre seems to consist of creating 'wacky', nonsensical situations of a kind of pseudo-surrealist nature.

Sample: 'wouldn't it be funny, like, if you had a specially designed massive haircut that you you could unfurl when you were in audience, just to annoy the people behind you? With a kind of pulley system?'.


I know the answer to this one. No, you horse-faced helmet, it would not. Not one bit. Not in the slightest.

Why is he regarded so highly as a standup? He struck me as a one-trick pony, whose one trick is, frankly, pony.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 13:55, 77 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

I have noticed this with a lot of popular "comedians" and sit-coms
and have reasoned thus:

most people are stupid, and will laugh at "wacky" things, or even tripe like Gavin and Stacey.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 13:58, Reply)

Glad you said that...
...I watched G and S as I thought I was missing out on something great, but it was utter poo.
(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 13:59, Reply)

If gavin and Stacey was a documentary you would laugh
I see it as a documentary, and I laugh.
I like the characters, as though they're real.
And I'm like Nessa, a bit. I think I'll be just like her when I get fat.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:10, Reply)

Oh thank god, someone else who just does not get the appeal of Gavin and Stacey.

( fuck shit up the best you never had, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:17, Reply)

some of my family has redeemed itself
my london brother emailed me earlier to ask if I hated it as well. I was pleased to find out that he did.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:27, Reply)

Yay, 3 of us against a world of morons :)

( fuck shit up the best you never had, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:29, Reply)

my mrs hates it too
we're building an army
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:34, Reply)

I am the Obergruppenfuhrer of hating it.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:55, Reply)

I intend to steal this comment and use it for my own nefarious ends

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:55, Reply)

I watched Tim Michim (sp?) last night
Who I do actually find hillarious.

Nope nothing to do with your post really...
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 13:58, Reply)

I saw that....
...he is very funny.
(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:00, Reply)

Minchin? The musical fellow?
I'm afraid I've found him embarrassing too.


PS 'hilarious' with just the one 'L'.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:01, Reply)

You are very easily embarrassed...
...you should see my Garfunkel.
(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:05, Reply)

I am very easily embarrassed.
I get embarrassed for other people, particularly in situations where they don't seem to be aware that they have embarrassed themselves.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:07, Reply)

Such as spelling and punctuation?
Or general Bowie-ism?
(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:12, Reply)

It's all day, every day.
I think a lack of self-awareness is simultaneously both the greatest blessing and the greatest curse one can have.

On the one hand you blunder through life completely ignorant of people's sniggers and hatred, but on the other, being completely unfettered by such concerns, you can go far.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:19, Reply)

This a dilemma I face with getting stoned
I could give up and be a loudmouth confident type, with a dulled sense of social nuance, or I could carry on being an introverted weirdo, but with an imagination.
(Fancy a weekend on my Raymondo Luxury Yacht?, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:25, Reply)

I know what you mean here
I find watching Hollyoaks embarrassing
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:35, Reply)

I think he's shit.

(PsychoChomp, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:04, Reply)

My Brother loves Tim Minchin and makes me watch various videos
I have never laughed once.
( Peej, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:25, Reply)

he was funny on some panel show I saw him on
but not so much with his stand-up and songs
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:28, Reply)

OH EM GEE!!!!
MONTY DOESN'T LIKE SOMETHING!!!!

Folks, the moment we dreamed of has finally happened, the man with the seemingly boundless supply of happiness and tolerance has discovered something which didn't make him spontaneously start singing and scattering flowers and kittens around!
(Bazongaloid, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 13:59, Reply)

=/
I think I spot a touch of sarcasm. I could be wrong, I'm not very observant.
( Kroney, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:08, Reply)

By God, I think you might be right!

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:12, Reply)

I saw a bit of that
He can be a lot better, but is very hit-and-miss because he improvises a lot and seems to have disabled the shit-filter.

By chance I saw him live in a small club in 1998 and he was electrifying. Spent most of the time ripping the piss out of the crowd. I've rarely laughed so long and hard.
(Fancy a weekend on my Raymondo Luxury Yacht?, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:00, Reply)

Since then he's gone on the wagon
connection?
(Fancy a weekend on my Raymondo Luxury Yacht?, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:02, Reply)

You said 'long and hard'.

(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:03, Reply)

^ I miss them so much

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:11, Reply)

They knew when to stop.
Unlike most comedy shows.
(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:14, Reply)

They needn't have made that film
But I enjoyed it.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:16, Reply)

ugh I have a question
is this a god dam?
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:28, Reply)

"Do they have lots of sluts in Vegas?"

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:30, Reply)

"There's a wonderful and exciting world out there when we discover that we don't need TV to entertain us."

"Huh huh huh. He said, "Anus."
(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:33, Reply)

My fave bit is...
...Lesbian Seagull.

What a song.
(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:31, Reply)

I'm a nightmare for unintended innuendo
I think it's my subconcious wanting me to get laid for once.
(Fancy a weekend on my Raymondo Luxury Yacht?, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:19, Reply)

Oh my god, is that why i do it???

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:37, Reply)

Frankie Boyle's where it's at these days
His autobiography got me through xmas.
(Fancy a weekend on my Raymondo Luxury Yacht?, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:03, Reply)

*sigh*
He's a mong. A swear word is NOT a punchline.

Derek and Clive made 'swearing as comedy' their own, and only they can get away with it. "Angry Sweary Glaswegian" has been done before, with much more skill, wit and grace than this bovril.
(Cancer Joy was short lived, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:08, Reply)

And Malcolm Tucker does it better.

(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:13, Reply)

He does swear too much, I agree
But he's a clever chap. Like a lot of comedians the quality varies.

The autobiography's a great read. The swearing is very much in context.
(Fancy a weekend on my Raymondo Luxury Yacht?, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:15, Reply)

Although the first chapter, the "introduction", right..
..it's like a mini standup routine, and would have been laugh-out loud funny if I didn't think I'd seen most of the jokes on b3ta. There was some controversy with sickipedia claiming he'd nicked jokes a while back I think.
(Fancy a weekend on my Raymondo Luxury Yacht?, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:18, Reply)

Northern people like him because he's northern.
See also: Peter Kay.
(PsychoChomp, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:01, Reply)

By that logic I call him a cunt...
...and suggest only cunts like him.
(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:04, Reply)

Well the words 'northern' and 'cunt' are nearly always interchangeable .

(PsychoChomp, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:07, Reply)

How fucking dare you

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:11, Reply)

yes!

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:29, Reply)

Not sure what you were expecting him to be like, other than cancer personified.
From the little I have seen he spouts the same infantile nonsense my 13 year old son and his mates do..... on second thoughts Ross Noble even isn't as funny as them.


I hope you haven't forgotten about those Sadowitz gigs down your way!
(Cancer Joy was short lived, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:03, Reply)

There is nothing quite so frightening
than being told to fuck off by Jerry Sadowitz.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:15, Reply)

trying to get my brother to come with me. I LOVE Sado.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:16, Reply)

*really tries*

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:16, Reply)

*finds Roots 'really trying'*

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:42, Reply)

*low growl*

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:47, Reply)

I say.....

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 15:01, Reply)

I was trying to be quietly menacing

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 15:01, Reply)

Ah, I see
*zips up*

Won't be needing that, then....
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 15:03, Reply)

Aye, wacky northern comic says something wacky
Vic and Bob have a lot to answer for
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:10, Reply)

Heresy, they are awesome
Has anyone even tried to copy them? Maybe Ant and Dec, that's all I can think of.
(Fancy a weekend on my Raymondo Luxury Yacht?, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:21, Reply)

That's not what I said
Vic & Bob are awesome, but every wacky northerner thinks they can do it as well.

(BTW, "The smell of reeves & mortimer" is on DVD now...almost as funny as I remember it)
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:24, Reply)

No worries
If Ross Noble is borrowing from Vic And Bob, he's doing it very very badly.
(Fancy a weekend on my Raymondo Luxury Yacht?, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:28, Reply)

the 'Baron's Nightclub' sketches were incredible.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:33, Reply)

It's EROTIC night!

( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:36, Reply)

MANDATE!
"I swear on my NECK..."
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:37, Reply)

*orders DVD*

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:51, Reply)

The whole thing is on youtube by episode
genius
(Fancy a weekend on my Raymondo Luxury Yacht?, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:58, Reply)

I have also noted his lack of funny
I think the Mighty Boosh has re-introduced wackiness into contemporary comedy as a brand of humour that the kids have taken to.

For example, insert anywhere into your routine something like *thinks hard* "spasticated rhinocerous suffering from diarrhea", and someone, somewhere, is going to laugh. Because it's just so "random" innit?
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:46, Reply)

The Mighty Boosh have never ever been funny
If I say that in public now it looks like I'll be lynched.

Does it stop me? Does it fuck.

Also, can we kill Russell Brand while we're at it?
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:50, Reply)

They aren't funny, neither is Brand whose voice grates more than I can actually believe.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:53, Reply)

I have to say I loved Series 1 & 2 Mighty Boosh
but Noel Feldings career seems to be centred on this "random" brand of humour which is fine once in a while but you really can't build a career on it.

Brand can F.O.A.D.
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:56, Reply)

I've been told that I look like Brand.
I don't.

The end.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 15:02, Reply)

This reminds me of this heifing fat girl I know
who used to take great pleasure in telling us that someone compared her to Catherine Zeta-Jones.
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 15:06, Reply)

as in 'comparing you to C Z-J, I reckon you're about 4 times her size'...?

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 15:08, Reply)

Or just 'Welsh'.

(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 15:37, Reply)

I can understand why others don't like him.
But I'm a massive fan. His ability to dip in and out of different parts of his material is superb, and his crowd interaction is great too.

True, I'm biased because I'm a fan (and on his latest DVD), but it's simply my opinion.

However, if you're really talking about unfunny stand ups, then surely Lee Evans is the worst? Along with Andrew Dice-Clay, Joe Pasquale and Omid Djalili.

On the opposite note, I discovered John Bishop a couple of weeks back, and I think he's genius!
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:49, Reply)

it's a sad state of affairs
that Omid Djalili's funniest work is that moneysupermarket (or whatever it is) advert that he has recently done
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 14:56, Reply)

We have a word for people who can't haggle
British
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 15:11, Reply)

Reginald D Hunter
is my current favourite.
(oneinthepink is at your cervix m'lady, Mon 11 Jan 2010, 15:22, Reply)

Very hit and miss, Noble
But still one hundred million times funnier than Stuart fucking Lee.
(The Boy Monders I have ginger bits in my beard., Tue 12 Jan 2010, 15:23, Reply)