"There was once this woman..."
Rich Hall
By far my favorite stand up, he has been going for so long I can't even imagine stand-up comedy without him. I just love how he can improvise so much of a show and still be very funny even when he messes it up. On top of being an improvised legend he is also one of the best at topical as well. No hold barred on America as well has given him a great career in the UK. He recently done the Stand Up For the Week on channel Four and was by far the best on many of the shows. His routines make you think and also second guess his topics. He has also done stand up as a musician in the role of Otis Lee Crenshaw. With that character he won the Perrier Award and went on a hugely successful tour. The Otis character builds on his skills of improvisation and mixed with the music really makes him a great all round stand up.
Ricky Grover
Many people may not know him as his stint on the comedy circuit was never too large but he was very good when out in the clubs. He takes on the role of a rather overweight and scared person who seems to have the mind of a bullied child. Backed up with some great lines and a great persona he has the audience in his hands within minutes. He also done another character who was a bouncer, this one was again on the circuit and done well due to his experience before.
Lee Evans
So many people love him and know him as he is a star of TV now. Before Lee worked the men's clubs for years. His stage show for many is an act and they think he is playing the role of a childlike adult. But he is not, Lee Evans is pretty much as real as it gets. With some TV time in stand-up he went on to do some TV roles and after a few false starts made it big. He also done some films as well, acting in Hollywood but his comedy is the place he shines and in his TV roles he still plays the kid like adult but at times he does do well. His stage show is like no other. He can be topical, slapstick, musical and role playing all in one night. Not only that but he is one of very few who don't repeat old material. He writes a brand new two hour show every year. And I feel he deserves his success on stage as he was the first stand up to play Wembley arena.
Stuart Lee
The 41st best stand up in the world, we all know he should be higher but so many people just will not get him as his comedy is for a select few. He was on TV for years performing in sketch shows but after a break he has went back to the format he is best at. One of the few comics that know the physiology of playing in front of a room of people that well they can have the show include spots of solitude as comedy. He did a show for BBC 2 that was stunning and really gave his comedy a new stage to show the country. He for years survived on tours and self-funded DVD releases but I think his art is now ready for the nation.
Jack Dee
Jack for many people is a kind of old school stand up, he has been in the business as long as I can remember. Remarkably he was going to quit as his show did not go down well. Before his stage presence now he was far more positive on stage. He took advice from someone to go on stage and be himself and his stand-up act flourished. His demeanor on stage is so dour and provides for us the moaner old man of comedy. For over 20 years on stage and on TV he still is on the box even now doing stand-up. Many see him as only a deadpan comic but his jokes and stories are easily identified by anyone who has had a bad day. He co-wrote the Lead Balloon TV show that is just a bit close to his own self to call.
Jo Brand
The UK stand up gigs across the country consists of mainly working men's clubs (Or it did in the 80s). Jo Brand was billed as an overweight lesbian would play the clubs as the name The Sea Monster. To do this you must be mad or very good. She has been on many TV shows over the years and will always stand out due to her comic talent. After coming through the alt comedy of the 80s she has had great success in keeping her show fresh and fun. A woman who said in a British Legion "men are fantastic – as a concept" has the guts to not take any crap from anyone. One of the best at putting down her hecklers and can use that as part of the show if she wants.
Bill Hicks
Most people know Hicks and I find he is a love or hate comedian. I think he was great at what he does and also I feel he was capable of far more. Bill started as a teenager and never really changed his act at all over the years. It may have got angrier in later years but it was always compelling to listen to his shows on CD. You do get many people who are fan boys of him and ok he was good, great even but he was not the best ever. I think his alcohol problem really messed up his career as he for years drank heavily and never achieved much success in those years. Move to the UK and he was a big name and rightfully so.
Ross Noble
I love a comic that can go out and do proper stand-up. As in improvising a good bit of a show. This man only improvises his set as it seems. He is a great stand-up and one that many people will never really get. Due to the topics and the way he provides the laughs he is seen by many as very unfunny. But that is alt comedy for you and he is right up there with the best. I have seen him live and it is remarkable how he can stay on stage for 3 hours or more. One of is live DVD shows the audience start to leave due to the buses stopping at 11.
Billy Connolly
You have to have him on a list as he at some point was the best in the world. Five years before alternative comedy was started he was doing alt stand up in Glasgow. No mother in-law jokes or one liners his show was made up of original story telling with a knowledge of his audience would get what he says due to him having a similar upbringing. He was very popular in Scotland but even bigger in England where they got him on the spot and also one of a very small number of comedy people to make it in America.
Lee Mack
This guy is one of the few that could have existed before alt comedy came in. His stand-up is well rehearsed but he can at any time go off on his own and ad lib much of his set. He mixes quirky one livers with jokes and storytelling to get his giggles. His DVD from 2008 is one of the very best made and I can watch it over and over so many times as it is just so good.
I have so many more to write about like Tim Vine, Frankie Boyle, Dave Allen, Reginald D Hunter, Phil Kay, Al Murray, Mark Thomas and many more I could not bore you as unlike me you probably have some work to do.
