Top 30 British Comedians of All time.
by cartman0000000 | created - 10 May 2021 | updated - 10 May 2021 | PublicAfter seeing the god awful job UK Gold made of this I felt compelled to make my own list.
1. Stan Laurel
Actor | Saps at Sea
Stan Laurel came from a theatrical family, his father was an actor and theatre manager, and he made his stage debut at the age of 16 at Pickard's Museum, Glasgow. He traveled with Fred Karno's vaudeville company to the United States in 1910 and again in 1913. While with that company he was Charles ...
2. Charles Chaplin
Writer | The Great Dictator
Considered to be one of the most pivotal stars of the early days of Hollywood, Charlie Chaplin lived an interesting life both in his films and behind the camera. He is most recognized as an icon of the silent film era, often associated with his popular character, the Little Tramp; the man with the ...
3. Ronnie Barker
Actor | The Two Ronnies
Ronnie Barker's remarkable versatility as a performer can be traced back to his time in repertory theatre, where he was able to play a wide range of roles and develop his talent for accents, voices and verbal dexterity. It was during this time that he met Glenn Melvyn, who taught him how to stammer ...
4. Peter Sellers
Actor | Being There
Often credited as the greatest comedian of all time, Peter Sellers was born Richard Henry Sellers to a well-off acting family in 1925 in Southsea, a suburb of Portsmouth. He was the son of Agnes Doreen "Peg" (Marks) and William "Bill" Sellers. His parents worked in an acting company run by his ...
5. Spike Milligan
Actor | The Bed Sitting Room
Spike was born an 'Army Brat', the son of an Irish Captain in the British Raj in India. Educated in a series of Roman Catholic schools in India and at Lewisham Polytechnic in England, he spent his formative years playing the fool and playing the trumpet in local jazz bands.
He joined the British ...
6. Rik Mayall
Actor | The Young Ones
Rik Mayall, one of the first and foremost alternative comedians in the UK, was born in a village called Matching Tye, just outside Harlow in Essex. His parents, John and Gillian were both drama teachers. His acting debut was at the age of seven when he appeared in one of his father's stage plays. ...
7. Rowan Atkinson
Actor | Johnny English
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson was born on 6 January, 1955, in Consett, Co. Durham, UK, to Ella May (Bainbridge) and Eric Atkinson. His father owned a farm, where Rowan grew up with his two older brothers, Rupert and Rodney. He attended Newcastle University and Oxford University where he earned degrees ...
8. Kenneth Williams
Actor | Carry on Cleo
The acting bug bit Kenneth Williams when, as a student, his English teacher suggested he try out for a school play. He found that he enjoyed it tremendously, but when he raised the possibility at home of becoming an actor, his father forbade it. Williams was eventually sent to art school in London ...
9. Tony Hancock
Actor | The Rebel
Tony Hancock was born in Birmingham, England, the son of John and Lillian Hancock. He was educated at Durlston Court, Swanage, and Bradfield College, Reading. He served in the R.A.F. (ground crew) during the war. In 1942 he was in the R.A.F. Gang Show. He was de-mobbed in 1946. He appeared at the ...
10. Eric Morecambe
Soundtrack | The Morecambe & Wise Show
Eric Morecambe was born on May 14, 1926 in Buxton Street, Morecambe, Lancashire, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968), Night Train to Murder (1984) and The Intelligence Men (1965). He was married to Joan Morecambe. He died on May 28, 1984 in ...
11. Sidney James
Actor | Carry on Cleo
The star of the Carry On series of films, Sid James originally came to prominence as sidekick to the ground breaking British comedy actor Tony Hancock, on both radio and then television. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa and named Solomon Joel Cohen, James arrived in England in 1946, second wife ...
12. Norman Wisdom
Actor | A Stitch in Time
Sir Norman Wisdom has become the great British clown in the mold of Sir Charles Chaplin with his little man in the ill fitting suit and cloth cap. His character is an everyman, much put upon but struggling through to a (usually) happy ending. He was brought up in an orphanage after his mother died ...
13. Les Dawson
Actor | Demob
Les Dawson was born on February 2, 1931 in Manchester, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for Demob (1993), The Loner (1975) and Sounds Like Les Dawson (1974). He was married to Tracy Dawson and Meg Dawson. He died on June 10, 1993 in Manchester, England, UK.
14. Dick Emery
Actor | Yellow Submarine
In the 1960s and 1970s, Dick Emery was one of the most successful comics on the box. He was voted BBC TV Personality of the Year, thanks to creations such as his toothy vicar, sex-starved spinster Hettie, crusty old Lampwick, outrageously camp Clarence, who coined the phrase: "Hallo honky tonks". ...
15. Harry Enfield
Actor | Kevin & Perry Go Large
Harry Enfield was born on May 30, 1961 in Horsham, Sussex [now West Sussex], England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000), Harry & Paul's Story of the 2s (2014) and Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul (2007). He has been married to Lucy Lyster since February ...
16. Lee Evans
Actor | Le Cinquième Élément
In 2014 Whilst being interviewed by Jonathon Ross on his show, he announced his immediate retirement from Stand Up and Touring after the premature death of his manager from a heart attack. He is now determined to spend more time with his wife Heather and daughter Molly, or Little Mo as he calls her.
17. Harry H. Corbett
Actor | Carry on Screaming!
Harry H Corbett (he added the "H" to avoid being confused with Sooty's friend) was born in Burma in 1925. His father was an officer in the army. His mother died when he was very young and he moved to England as a child and was brought up in Manchester by an aunt.
After his war service, he joined a ...
18. David Jason
Actor | Only Fools and Horses
David Jason was born in Edmonton, London, in 1940. He has become one of Britain's most famous, versatile and respected actors, who is most famous for his role in Only Fools and Horses (1981) as Del Boy. He made his debut in the series in 1981 and was still playing the same role up to the Christmas ...
19. John Cleese
Actor | A Fish Called Wanda
John Cleese was born on October 27, 1939, in Weston-Super-Mare, England, to Muriel Evelyn (Cross) and Reginald Francis Cleese. He was born into a family of modest means, his father being an insurance salesman; but he was nonetheless sent off to private schools to obtain a good education. Here he ...
20. Terry-Thomas
Actor | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
One of Britain's most beloved eccentric comedians, the irrepressible, gap-toothed Terry-Thomas was born Thomas Terry Hoar-Stevens in Lichfield Grove, Finchley. He was the son of Ellen Elizabeth (Hoar) and Ernest Frederick Stevens, a fairly well-to-do London businessman. He was afforded a private ...
21. Caroline Aherne
Actress | The Royle Family
Caroline Aherne was born on December 24, 1963 in Ealing, London, England, UK. She was an actress and writer, known for The Royle Family (1998), The Mrs. Merton Show (1995) and Mrs Merton & Malcolm (1999). She was married to Peter Hook. She died on July 2, 2016 in Timperley, Altrincham, Greater ...
22. Peter Cook
Actor | The Princess Bride
One of four stars of the London and New York revues Beyond the Fringe and Beyond the Fringe (with Jonathan Miller, Alan Bennett, and Dudley Moore). Later created scatological comedy routine "Derek & Clive" with Moore.
23. Tommy Cooper
Actor | The Cool Mikado
After leaving the army Tommy Cooper took up show business in 1947 and so started his long career of comedy derived around visual humour, magic tricks that didn't work and his trademark red fez, a prop that started from his days in the army. The BBC described him as an "Unattractive young man with ...
24. Benny Hill
Soundtrack | The Benny Hill Show
He was born Alfred Hawthorn Hill. It was his grandfather who introduced him to Burlesque Shows and the theatre from where the young Benny Hill was to draw much of his comic inspiration. After his national service with the army during WW2, Benny came to London, adopted the stage name Benny Hill (in ...
25. Ken Dodd
Actor | Hamlet
Ken Dodd was born on November 8, 1927 in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for Hamlet (1996), Cruella (2021) and The Ken Dodd Laughter Show (1979). He was married to Anne Dodd. He died on March 11, 2018 in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK.
26. Kathy Burke
Actress | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Ms. Burke was born in Camden, London in 1964 at the Royal Free Hospital. Kathy's mother died when she was a baby and she was in foster homes for a short time until her father, who was a heavy drinker, could regain custody of Kathy and live with her two brothers. Kathy attended the Maria Fidelis ...
27. Peter Kay
Actor | Phoenix Nights
He was taught metal work at school by the actor Steve Coogan's dad, and like Coogan he was an altar boy. He proposed to his wife Susan on one knee outside 'Andy's Records', because it was the first place where they kissed. He's worked everywhere, in a factory packing toilet rolls, in a supermarket,...
28. Billy Connolly
Actor | Brave
Billy Connolly was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. He left school to work in the shipyards, becoming a welder, and joined the Territorial Army (in the parachute regiment) at around the same time. He developed an interest in folk music, eventually being an accomplished banjo player and a ...
29. Mel Smith
Actor | The Princess Bride
His father Ken was born in Co Durham, he married Vera and together took over her family's greengrocers shop in Quick Road, Chiswick, London. He convinced her that the way forward was to convert the shop into a bookmakers and before long they'd moved to a semi-detached house. Mel was born in 1952 ...
30. Jimmy Carr
Self | 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Jimmy Carr is an award-winning comedian, writer and television host.
Among the most-respected and best-loved comedians working in Britain today, Jimmy is one of the biggest selling live acts in UK comedy, consistently performing to sell-out crowds across the country and around the world.
His ...
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