h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Who are your comedy greats and why?

*Morcombe and Wise - their timing is/was superbe.

What's the funniest joke in the world? Not necessarilly the funniest,but one I cracked up over when the penny finally dropped was:

2 nuns sitting in a bath

One says "Wears the soap?"
2nd nun says "Yes, doesn't it?"




Is comedy a generational thing? Is what's hilarious to a 15-year-old totally incomprehensible to a 50-year-old?


* I sincerely hope not; otherwise all my child rearing skills aren't worth a light, and my teenage sons and I have been talking at cross purposes for years.

Does comedy cross cultural boundaries? Do different parts of the world laugh at different things? Or are some things just universally funny, such as slapstick comedy and toilet jokes?

* Some do,some don't, I guess.Puns don't work, but visual humour might do.

Do you believe there was a golden age of comedy? Are we living in it now?

*If we're living in it now, then there's no hope for the future!

The golden age for me was when comedians not only amused me,but entertained me;The Goons, Spike Milligan, M & W, Dave Allen, The Pythons,Billy Connelly... great performers all.

Are there things which you found hilarious a few years ago, yet when you go back to watch them, you wonder what you found so amusing? Are you getting older, you miserable git?

*Nope - what was funny then is still funny now.

Which new acts do you think will stand the test of time?

*Eddie Izzard with a bit of luck. Billy Connelly,too. Russell Brand might last awhile.

Is comedy increasingly the most effective way in which we can challenge the politcal status quo?

I do hope so; nothing else so far has worked very well, has it?