Comedy heroes
Which comedians do comedians themselves find funny – and why?
Zoë Coombs Marr: ‘I looked like a disturbed five-year-old's Barbie’
The Australian standup and actor on the things that make her laugh the most
Dillie Keane on Tom Lehrer: songs that led me to torture my parents
The American singer and songwriter mocked the absurdities of the human condition by using jolly tunes and foul lyrics
Sarah Kendall on Lucille Ball, slapstick queen of a comedy revolution
With her shock of orange hair and clownish eyes, the star of I Love Lucy had me and my grandmother in stitches – she was my gateway drug to comedy
All comedians have a friend in Randy Newman
Don’t be fooled by the slurred, common-man delivery: the writer of Short People and other staples is one of music’s sharpest satirists, capable of duping even his targets with his deceptively simple songs
Adrienne Truscott on Andy Kaufman: mercurial and feminist prankster
Kaufman was a master of messing with every audience he had the pleasure of entertaining. Just don’t call him a comedian…
Mitch Hedberg: a shy alchemist who turned sentences into comedy gold
From behind sunglasses and bowed head, Mitch Hedberg delivered concise gags that opened up the mundane world – and showed anyone could be a comedian
Alex Edelman on Steve Martin: a ham-fisted entertainer who's in on the joke
In his perfectly pitched standup routines, Martin lacerated Hollywood’s celebrity culture from within. His jokes are as honed as his banjo playing
'We've all met a Margo': Penelope Keith's comic triumph on The Good Life
She’s a snob, a bully, a social climber and no doubt would be delighted by the emergence of Ukip. So why do we love Margo Leadbetter?
Reggie Watts: the one-man jam band
Improvised performance is ultimately about getting on a stage and taking a flight of fancy – and few people soar higher than this king of nonsense
Dave Chappelle's gags about Kramer and Michael Jackson: raw and hilarious
Chappelle has only ever done things on his own terms – his routines feel effortless and in the moment, every line he says is hilarious
Julia Davis: gleefully silly, explosively funny and deliciously twisted
The star of Nighty Night and Human Remains is one of the rare few in British comedy who has never put a foot wrong
Linda Smith cheerfully skewered the Tories with her brilliant barbs
She always came across as reasonable and down-to-earth, but Linda Smith articulated her anger at injustices with vitriolic precision
Cariad Lloyd on Julie Walters – a heroic talent, much more than just loveliness
If I could only be as real as she is – from Mrs Overall to Mrs Weasley, Walters’ niceness is in danger of overtaking her immense stagecraft
The Pajama Men on Leslie Nielsen: 'All class – and a complete moron'
The absurdist standup duo applaud the silver-haired master of deadpan comedy
Phil Wang on Patrice O’Neal – indefensible views, undeniably funny
Whether or not you agreed with his routines on race and gender politics, Patrice O’Neal was an incredibly funny and fearless standup
Lou Sanders on Tina Fey – no one is safe from her lovable rudeness
From Saturday Night Live to 30 Rock and the Golden Globes, the mischievous comedy star ridicules women, men, kids, dogs – but in a caring, sharing way
Andy Parsons on Peter Cook: the pure filth that inspired my career
With his brilliant satirical standup, groundbreaking TV sketches and unremitting swearing, Peter Cook set me on the path to a life in comedy
An encounter with Victoria Wood: ‘You can’t help but explode with laughter’
Standup Ellie Taylor applauds the exquisite and joyful use of language that helps Wood land her comedy punches
Milton Jones on Top Cat: ‘I wanted to make people laugh, and live in a bin’
My hero from the backstreets, where top-dogs had their come-uppance, always got the laughs
Mae Martin on Maria Bamford: ‘she brings a whole comedy cast to life’
‘Vulnerable and personal but confident: she moves effortlessly between the mundane and the political, the silly and the poignant’
About 30 results for Comedy heroes 
