The Two Ronnies to Reeves & Mortimer: The top ten greatest comedy double acts
By Frank Skinner
From one of the most quotable funny acts of all time to a duo who loved language, FRANK SKINNER chooses those comedians who have most inspired him
1. THE TWO RONNIES
The Two Ronnies are one of the most quotable comedy acts of all time. There are lots of crafted one-liners, partly because Ronnie Barker was a writer himself
The Two Ronnies are one of the most quotable comedy acts of all time. There are lots of crafted one-liners, partly because Ronnie Barker was a writer himself
I always preferred The Two Ronnies to Morecambe and Wise. Theyre one of the most quotable comedy acts of all time. There are lots of crafted one-liners, partly because Ronnie Barker was a writer himself. I liked going to school on Monday saying, Zachariah Mild, the worlds untidiest man, died yesterday and is currently lying in a state. Its all beautifully put together. I also like that kind of wordplay comedy, of which Ronnie Barker was a master. From being on Mastermind and giving the answers to the previous questions to Four Candles, it really appeals to me. Ronnie Barker really enjoyed words, and I like comics who enjoy words.
2. LAUREL & HARDY
I cant think of any other double act in the same league as Laurel & Hardy. I remember watching a short 20-minute film by them when I was at my school Christmas party, aged five, and absolutely falling about laughing. I thought it was the funniest thing ever. And I could watch that now and still really laugh at it I cant think of any other comedy that has that kind of lasting effect. And unlike, say, Abbott and Costello, whose style was quite aggressive, there was a lot of love in Laurel & Hardy. And there isnt a straight man. I think theyre both equally funny. When I was a kid I thought Stan Laurel was the funny one and Ollie was the suffering one, but as you get older you find more and more funniness in Ollie.
3. LEE & HERRING
Stewart Lee and Richard Herring have both done well separately, but I really liked them together. They were clever, original and interesting. Often utterly vindictive, but in a funny way. And I like that they were able to do that old-fashioned patter, which a lot of double acts dont do now. They would talk about each other and talk to the audience while the other one interrupted them. Stewart Lee could say some cruel things, but he could also be extremely genial. Id really like to see them do a TV show now. It would be interesting to see how they operated today.
4. PETER COOK & DUDLEY MOORE
At the time I didn't have the sense that one of them was a genius and the other was his assistant - I thought Peter Cook and Dudley Moore were both extremely funny
At the time I didn't have the sense that one of them was a genius and the other was his assistant - I thought Peter Cook and Dudley Moore were both extremely funny
I used to watch them as a kid on telly, and it reminds me that before satellite TV people were in contact with much more challenging stuff. My family would sit and watch Not Only
But Also with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, a programme that would now be late-night BBC2 and probably watched by about two million diehard fans. But then, because there were only three channels, it was really popular. I dont know if that means were less intelligent than we used to be, or whether the people who make TV programmes have decided we are. At the time I didnt have the sense that one of them was a genius and the other was his assistant I thought they were both extremely funny.
5. GEORGE COLE & DENNIS WATERMAN
Minder was endlessly joyous and I don't think that gets enough credit. A successful double act needs to be a delicate balance of good material and strong performances
Minder was endlessly joyous and I don't think that gets enough credit. A successful double act needs to be a delicate balance of good material and strong performances
Minder was a laugh-out-loud-funny programme. It was meant to be a comedy drama, but I saw it as an hour-long comedy. Cole played that spiv character, who was completely free of morality; Waterman was the slightly noble character at his side. It was endlessly joyous and I dont think that gets enough credit. A successful double act needs to be a delicate balance of good material and strong performances, and its only when someone else tries and fails to replicate that as with the remake of Minder that you realise how good the original was.
6. RICHARD & JUDY
The great thing about Richard and Judy is that they had no idea they were really funny, and that was why they were so wonderful
The great thing about Richard and Judy is that they had no idea they were really funny, and that was why they were so wonderful
I laughed at Richard and Judy in a way that I havent laughed at lots of proper comedy double acts. Theirs was a very interesting dynamic. The basic persona was of two serious journalists, and I love the fact that they never really lost that. The problems start when people become too knowing about what audiences find funny about them and they try to play up to that. Once Ozzy Osbourne started doing the reality show, he knew what people wanted. They wanted a bit of swearing, so he started delivering it, and then there comes that danger of turning into a parody of yourself. But the great thing about Richard and Judy is that they had no idea they were really funny, and that was why they were so wonderful.
7. REEVES & MORTIMER
Reeves & Mortimer worked in a very interesting way. They were each other's audience to some extent, and that gave them massive confidence. They were very much comedians who loved language
Reeves & Mortimer worked in a very interesting way. They were each other's audience to some extent, and that gave them massive confidence. They were very much comedians who loved language
I first saw them when I did a gig at a pub called The Greyhound in Sydenham. They used to host a comedy club there before their TV stuff. It was a tough gig to do; after their 15 minutes everyone else seemed pedestrian. They worked in a very interesting way. They were each others audience to some extent, and that gave them massive confidence. They were very much comedians who loved language. The joke that always sticks in my mind is about a greengrocer who said that in future he wouldnt be selling Curly Wurlies because they were too elaborate. I thought that line was a thing of beauty.
8. SAINT & GREAVSIE
Ian St John represented the straight, conservative sports journalism we'd all grown up with. Greavsie was a sort of John the Baptist of the football fanzine
Ian St John represented the straight, conservative sports journalism we'd all grown up with. Greavsie was a sort of John the Baptist of the football fanzine
I dont think there would have been a Fantasy Football without Saint And Greavsie. They were a comedian and straight man, but the interesting thing about their dynamic was that it was like a living transition. Ian St John represented the straight, conservative sports journalism wed all grown up with. Greavsie was a sort of John the Baptist of the football fanzine. He paved the way. Saint would be taken aback by Greavsies openness, but he wasnt just a straight man. He was like an audience member. He used to screech with delight at Greavsies comedy.
9. THE KRANKIES
I didn't really value The Krankies as a double act until I saw them about three years ago on a tour of British comics. They were unquestionably the act of the night
I didn't really value The Krankies as a double act until I saw them about three years ago on a tour of British comics. They were unquestionably the act of the night
I know it sounds like Im being postmodern and ironic, but I always thought when I was younger, I kind of like The Krankies. I didnt really value them as a double act until I saw them about three years ago on a tour of British comics. They were unquestionably the act of the night. There was a recognisable brand there, but theyd started dabbling with it a bit, and in quite a courageous way. At one point Wee Jimmy Krankie was bouncing around the stage holding up his OAP bus pass singing Fan-dabidozi, and there was a bit where Ian Krankie said, Why werent you in school today, Jimmy? and Jimmy replied, Because Im a 61-year-old woman. I loved it. It was a sort of Brechtian approach. It challenged our suspension of disbelief and felt really subversive.
10. MORECAMBE & WISE
Eric Morecambe needed to be with someone he could bounce off and improvise around, but I don't know if it necessarily needed to be Ernie Wise
Eric Morecambe needed to be with someone he could bounce off and improvise around, but I don't know if it necessarily needed to be Ernie Wise
Eric Morecambe is one of the funniest men Ive ever seen. But the reason I wouldnt put them at the top of my league is that I dont buy into the fact that Ernie was an essential ingredient. I remember Eric doing World Of Sport with Dickie Davies, and I didnt think the chemistry was any more or less. Eric needed to be with someone he could bounce off and improvise around, but I dont know if it necessarily needed to be Ernie. Ernie was able to sacrifice himself on the altar of Erics comedy. Eric needed space. He needed someone who operated as a springboard. Eric Morecambe was kicking his comedy football against a wall, and the wall was Ernie Wise.
Frank Skinner picture byline: BBC/Avalon/Tessa Hallman
Room 101 returns on January 20 at 8.30pm, BBC1
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2082122/The-Two-Ronnies-Reeves--Mortimer-The-greatest-comedy-double-acts.html#ixzz1it0hJZXl
