Do you think British comedians generally get worse overtime at stand up?
Posted by CompetitionNo3466@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 199 comments
There doesn’t seem to be as much stand up comedy or TV and streaming services so maybe this take is bad. Do you find the comedians who did make it big do less stand up now as they can’t associate with common peoples lives anywhere near as much?
People said that Billy Connolly for example was better in the earlier years of his career as he worked and had lots of stories from the docks.
SM_83@reddit
Disagree about Billy Connolly. His best material was in the late 80's-90's in my opinion
Suspicious_Neck_5156@reddit
That video from the 90s where he talks about going to that posh house for Christmas dinner, and the lionesses trying to catch wilder beasts is hilarious.
SM_83@reddit
It's the one about the guy who worked on the Liam Neeson film Rob Roy, who ran over a cat in a Scottish village that gets me
Suspicious_Neck_5156@reddit
No, but I remember that very well. I remember being very impressed that he started telling that story, segued for an hour and finished with it with the same story. It’s the first time I ever noticed structure in stand up comedy.
The one I’m on about is the two night stand one.
SM_83@reddit
Sorry you misunderstood me. I know which one you mean. The Rob Roy one is my favourite. There's never been a better comedic storyteller than the Big Yin.
Suspicious_Neck_5156@reddit
Yeah he’s the best, no question. It’s really sad seeing the way his health has turned out, it’ll be a really sad day when he goes.
When it comes to the best comics there’s Billy Connolly and then there’s a massive gap, and then there’s everyone else. He’s peerless.
OkPea5819@reddit
Yes. Have you seen the progression of Ricky Gervais.
im-sorry-watt@reddit
Rickys biggest fan is himself.
I love Frankie Boyles bit on him saying something like "A man identifying as a woman is no stranger than Ricky identifying as a comedian"
Unhappy-Philosophy-9@reddit
I’m so glad somebody has said this, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed at something Gervais has done/said. He almost always punches down.
Even the bit he did calling out celebrities at the Oscar’s, I can appreciate what he said, but none of it was particularly funny.
Odd_Bug5544@reddit
The Office was legitimately good but that was a LONG time ago and a very different format
Tough-Oven4317@reddit
Punches down, but you comment you replied to is implying trans people are not their presented gender
rotunderthunder@reddit
It isn't
Tough-Oven4317@reddit
"a man identifying as a woman" is transphobic as fuck lol
socratic-meth@reddit
What isn’t these days
Tough-Oven4317@reddit
It's funny how half the replies are from people who would be outraged over transphobia, and the other half from people who love it
socratic-meth@reddit
Genuine transphobia is bad, which is treating trans people badly. Quibbling over phrases that seem to change monthly is just silly. Self identity is what transness is, how is that phrases transphobic?
Tough-Oven4317@reddit
Because it's saying the identity isn't valid and they they're actually men. The guy totally fucked up the Frankie Boyle quote and changed it from a jab at Ricky into something that invalidates being trans lol
therikertechnique@reddit
Oh fuck off
Tough-Oven4317@reddit
Lol what's your problem?
Gold-Secretary-6654@reddit
It’s funny because it’s true!
Tough-Oven4317@reddit
But a man doesn't identify as a woman?
jake_burger@reddit
Gender is scientifically defined as an expression, not an innate characteristic like chromosomes and sex.
So yes, trans people are in fact the gender they say they are.
Crafty-Strength1626@reddit
Lol
OkHistorian9521@reddit
That’s not the traditional definition fyi
breadandbutter123456@reddit
You didn’t find his joke regarding the Irishman being so long that by the end of it that Leonardo di caprio date was too old for him?
Unhappy-Philosophy-9@reddit
I can appreciate the rip, but again, I didn’t laugh.
DoctorWhofan789eywim@reddit
I think Ricky's first three stand up shows, Animals, Politics and Fame are great. The self aware 'I'm so famous' persona really works well and he tells some great stories. Science was the beginning of the end for his stand up, nowhere near as witty or well written, right through to the right wing punching down slop he puts out on Netflix these days.
Crafty-Strength1626@reddit
The same Frankie Boyle that takes the piss out of disabled kids
WestleyMc@reddit
Frankie’s Michael Jackson’s children’s hospital bit is probably the most outrageous/controversial joke i have ever heard. The fact he can criticise other comedians after that joke is laughable to me.
Optimal-Room-8586@reddit
Didn't he also do the joke about Katie Price's son? That didn't sit well with me.
Crafty-Strength1626@reddit
I always thought he was maga lol
passabletrap@reddit
Frankie is a weird one. Hes as liberal as they come, but made a couple of million being a complete piece of shit.
AnotherRoundabout@reddit
He specifies stand up comedian to be fair, I think a lot of comics were annoyed Gervais got massive venues for mediocre stand up off the back of the office and extras.
Ill-Yogurtcloset1515@reddit
Frankie is the perfect example of a British comedian getting worse over time ….. ironically
WestleyMc@reddit
I mean, his stand up tours have multiple records for the highest grossing of all time, he gives millions from each tour to animal charities and I watched him kill it at the sold out Ovo Wembley arena in front of 13 thousand people or whatever the capacity is.
He might not be your cup of tea and he clearly has an ego, but he is one of the biggest and most successful comedians on the planet.
Tough-Oven4317@reddit
Did Frankie Boyle actually say that? Seems strange the throw trans people under the bus to attack Ricky Gervais
im-sorry-watt@reddit
Yes. It's literally a clip you can find on Youtube. Frankie was getting annoyed at Rickys sad attempt at stand up, which mainly focused around trans folks, and he pull that line.
It wasn't mean to have a go at trans people as much as it was Ricky
Tough-Oven4317@reddit
I believe said it, the guy will say anything despite recently pretending to be a woke progressive. Just quite crazy his fans haven't noticed how transphobic it is lol
Evening-Tomatillo-47@reddit
You've just reminded me of when he said the queen was so old her pussy was haunted. Some news presenter had to read it out because it caused a stir
Rossco1874@reddit
only on a repeat years later the orignal airing got 0 complaints
Occamsfacecloth@reddit
How does that throw trans people under the bus?
Tough-Oven4317@reddit
The joke is that Ricky calls himself a comedian despite not being funny, what has that got to do with trans people if he's not saying they identify as X gender despite (according to Frankie) not being it
Occamsfacecloth@reddit
Sounds more like he's defending trans people from the likes of Gervais shit standup
Tough-Oven4317@reddit
I just watched it and it turns out you reworded it to be transphobic, probably accidentally, so good job on that lol
Occamsfacecloth@reddit
I reworded what?
Tough-Oven4317@reddit
Clearly not you but the Redditer you're championing for lol
Metalicks@reddit
Talking about comedians who have got worse over time...
glasgowgeg@reddit
Ricky only ever wrote contrived situations where he gets to be correct.
After Life is some of the most masturbatory pish I've ever seen.
CosmicBonobo@reddit
Yeah, you can tell a lot of it is based on when he's thought of the perfect comeback to a situation twenty minutes later.
CosmicBonobo@reddit
The thing is though Ricky's not really a comedian. He's a sitcom writer and comedy actor who's parlayed that into a standup career. He skipped the bit about playing the circuit and went straight into being paid millions to read through his Twitter account in a stadium.
v00g@reddit
Stephen Merchant was the talented and naturally funny one of the two and now they've gone their seperate ways.
AirconGuyUK@reddit
Merchants stand up sucks too though.
They worked really well together. None of their solo work has been as good as the stuff they worked on together.
DoctorWhofan789eywim@reddit
Hello Ladies - the sitcom not the standup show - is really funny to be fair.
Few_House_5201@reddit
Exactly this. But you’ll often get shouted at on Reddit for pointing it out.
Few_House_5201@reddit
If that were the case then outlaws and hello ladies would have been as good as The Office and Extras. They weren’t.
They clearly both needed each other to reach those dizzy heights. Both their solo stuff if watchable but nowhere close to their joint work.
OkHistorian9521@reddit
He’s not really funny though is he
alexmate84@reddit
I used to think this, but I don't think it's the case. I think if anything Merchant acted as quality control
AirconGuyUK@reddit
Ricky lifted a ton of material from the XFM show (and thereby Karl and Steve) on his early stand up shows.
AllYouNeedIsRawk@reddit
It got worse than that, his commentary on his Politics dvd became material for his next Fame tour.
penguin62@reddit
Eh, his stand up was never very good.
OkPea5819@reddit
I’m not sure. I think some of the content e.g. Humpty Dunpty, Genesis snake etc was pretty good.
ShiteCrack@reddit
Money for old rope…
GlumAd9856@reddit
Let's see shitecrack's little show then.
GourangaPlusPlus@reddit
*trope
LewisMileyCyrus@reddit
gotta ave yer critics
GlumAd9856@reddit
Weak observations, poorly performed.
el_weirdo@reddit
Is he still atheist?
Mackem101@reddit
He's keeithe evangelical conversion in his back pocket just in case.
OkPea5819@reddit
He doesn’t like to talk about it.
Flames_jesters654@reddit
He's never been funny. People only like him because of the Office and him making that hypocritical speech at the Oscars.
Bogroleum@reddit
I think he's a genuinely funny guy, you see (hear) it shine through in the radio shows, especially the ones where Karl isn't there. But Afterlife is utter shit and so are his recent stand ups.
Bayff@reddit
It’s just not true, his radio shows and podcasts are hilarious.
I hated the office. I like his standup (not seen the recent one).
You share the opinion of Reddit, not the general public.
noodlezs76@reddit
I’m with you on this, I can’t stand The Office, didn’t care for Extras either, but his stand up specials have all been a hit, the new one is probably one of his best.
Bogroleum@reddit
Weak observations, poorly performed.
EchoesofIllyria@reddit
Tbf he’s comfortably the least funny of the radio trio in terms of jokes, gags etc.
Bayff@reddit
I personally don’t find Steve funny when it’s from Steve.
He’s a fantastic writer, one of the best comedy writers we have in the UK. But I’m not the biggest fan of his delivery.
I completely acknowledge that I am in the minority though.
EchoesofIllyria@reddit
That’s fair, it’s obviously subjective. I should have added “imo”.
Ricky’s at his funniest for me when he’s reacting to Karl (and sometimes Steve), or doing improv skits with Steve. You can really see how he and Steve had the chemistry to write such well-regarded TV.
OkPea5819@reddit
Extras too. There was some good stuff in the early stand up as well - some of Animals and Politics, before it became about how clever and offensive he is.
Flames_jesters654@reddit
His whole schtick is the same as Clarkson. At least Clarkson is naturally funny.
Accurate-Toe1894@reddit
Most of Clarksons stuff is scripted as well.
Tough-Oven4317@reddit
Clarkson being funny but Ricky not is ludicrous lol
Flames_jesters654@reddit
Ludicrous cos it's true lol
EvilRobotSteve@reddit
He also surrounded himself with actually funny people like Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington. It's always been kinda weird to me that a show was named after Gervais, but it's hard carried by Pilkington.
EchoesofIllyria@reddit
Tbf Gervais himself said that was farcical. But it’s not that weird - he had the name recognition.
MercuryJellyfish@reddit
Sorry, he said comedians.
qwogadiletweeth@reddit
Gervais literally became his extras character ’Andy Millman’.
Zealousideal-Low3388@reddit
Insert screed about free speech and being cancelled, because of literally any criticism ever
Muffinlessandangry@reddit
"Watch my new award winning special on the world's most popular streaming platform: I'm not allowed to say anything and they're trying to silence me."
SavageRabbitX@reddit
He was always shit
EchoesofIllyria@reddit
Ricky is not an archetypal comedian though. He didn’t spend years on the circuit honing his craft, get big, then get too famous to be able to relate to the common man.
He started as a musician, did I think ONE Edinburgh show, got his big break as a comedic actor and THEN went into standup.
He’s not and never has been a natural standup comedian.
SpudFire@reddit
If it's observational comedy like a lot of standup has been for the past 15 years or so, it's probably because the comedians have aged, their life experiences they draw from have therefore changed and so their shows can feel quite different to what helped make them big.
Kevin Bridges went from talking about messy house parties to being a dad in his mid 30's. A lot of people want to see new stuff that is similar to the old stuff because of nostalgia so they tend to think the new stuff isn't as good.
Making a boatload of cash from selling out arenas means a lot of comedians don't need to do it anymore, so that will reduce how often they do tours and do it more for the love of performing. And they'd have to put on more shows because more people will want to see them than when they were up and coming.
Similar to musicians. People want new albums from their favourite bands but don't want it too different to the old stuff. Arctic Monkeys come to mind - their last two albums are very different to some of their older stuff. They can't really write about the same shit they did for their first two albums though because they're much older.
garrardadoresit@reddit
I'd contest that Arctic Monkeys are actual against this trend. Still pushing themselves artistically rather than producing for the masses.
breadandbutter123456@reddit
Kevin bridges recent material for me is as funny as his old material. He’s been doing lots of American shows recently. I think he has to moderate what his material for that market will be.
Lufc87@reddit
Ultimate irony with Arctic Monkeys. Fake Tales of San Francisco, a self fulfilling prophecy.
KopiteSpartan@reddit
Yep, they are now ‘the super cool band with trilbies and glasses of white wine’. I’m all for bands evolving but the new stuff is just tosh imo
Lufc87@reddit
Fully agree. Nobody is expecting them to still be writing songs about nights out in Sheffield but equally I don't want to listen to someone wanking about on the moon.
ApprehensiveRun1382@reddit
Certainly.
It’s the same with musicians.
If you’re a creative, you probably see yourself as a factory that can keep churning out things, as long as you try.
The truth is probably that we all only have a certain amount to give. Some people have a lot to give, some people only the once
CosmicBonobo@reddit
Someone pointed this out to me about Mark E. Smith. That early on in The Fall, you could see what books he'd been reading from his lyrics and subject matter. Then, as time goes on with the constant touring and recording, he clearly no longer has time to be reading so much so winds up writing songs about adverts on TV that annoy him, and how iPhones are stupid.
Dapper_Otters@reddit
It's why the 'second album problem' exists for a lot of musicians. Yes they might have improved technically, but from a creative standpoint they've had effectively their entire lifetime up to that point to develop the ideas behind the first album, with no outside pressure.
It's not as easy to do the whole thing again in a short time frame and under the expectation to stay relatively 'on brand'.
Boldboy72@reddit
the thing is that they often have enough material for 2 albums when they start out and the stuff that got rejected for the debut goes on the second.
I loved Radiohead's Pablo Honey and it seemed like forever for their second album, they released the My Iron Lung EP to bridge the gap and then gave us The Bends. Superb albums. OK Computer came out and I didn't like all the electronic songs.. and Kid A was the end for me but that's when they really hit the big time.
I might just be a snob...
stellarplanetary@reddit
Radiohead is not a good example of this. You may like it but the vast majority of people would say Pablo Honey is their worst album. My favourite Radiohead album is Kid A and In rainbows is amazing.
Confident_Yak_1411@reddit
+1 In Rainbows
XJK_9@reddit
I think musicians have it a bit easier though, everyone is happy for them to play their hits. No one wants to hear the same jokes again
Routine_Ad1823@reddit
It's also that people pour their heart and soul into their first album over years.
Then if it is a hit they have pressure for constant followups
Ok-Blackberry-3534@reddit
Also you start out making music about real life. The audience connects with that. The further you get from real life, the harder it is to connect.
CertainJudgment5045@reddit
Or you transition into making the soundtrack to old Thunderbirds episodes like Arctic Monkeys have done in their last two albums.
OldManChino@reddit
Okay, now that's sounds interesting
Force-Grand-2@reddit
Hey now, they had that one song that was a really good David Bowie tribute act (Body Paint).
CertainJudgment5045@reddit
I actually love their last two a lot more than their originals haha. Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino got me into them.
"Whaddya mean you haven't seen Blade Runner?"
Boldboy72@reddit
as I was reading the top comment, the Arctic Monkeys was the band I had in mind... that's so weird.
They felt so much more authentic and energetic in their debut and then bland and uninventive ever since, but they got a bigger audience and went with it.
In my day we called that selling out
MrPogoUK@reddit
I’ve got the theory that most musicians have a roughly ten year creative peak from the ages of about 20 to 30. Bands like the Beatles really capitalised on that by spending that whole decade churning out classic albums, whilst the modern cycle of an album about every three years with extensive touring in between means most acts are unlikely to release more than 3 in that time.
Matt-J-McCormack@reddit
I disagree that it’s people only having a certain amount to give.
I think success itself can be anathema in some ways, it can very quickly remove a person from their target audience (not comedy but The Streets went from voice of working class experience to trying to talk about doing coke with Rachel Steven’s and that’s a very small pool of people who can relate).
The other reason is the more successful, the less people say no, so the quality control can fall off.
Puzzleheaded-Mix2576@reddit
I can't remember which comedian said it, but they pointed out that once you become really famous as a comedian, you stop having to try as hard with your comedy, because you know that people are going to laugh uproariously at everything you say/do because you're Michael McIntyre (for instance). So you get lazy because the people coming to see you are already your fans and therefore you don’t have to try as hard because they already like you. When you’re still up and coming and having to do gigs in pubs/clubs etc then you have to be more proactive because you’re trying to win over a room of people who have no idea who you are and don't care either.
coxythelegend@reddit
The issue for me was when the panel shows like Mock the Week started, and the likes of Frankie Boyle and Russell Howard were telling the same jokes on tv that are on their stand up specials, only sometimes with an extra F-bomb thrown in for good measure
LegendEater@reddit
I don't think they get overtime. I think it's more of a set cost thing.
bored_toronto@reddit
I thought the exit strategy for comedians was becoming authors/writers.
butterflyrattle@reddit
I think the problem is the more famous you get, and especially if you start doing more projects, the further away you can get from the material that made you funny and relatable.
I think Eddie Izzard said something along those lines - when you’re starting out you have more to talk about, as you get more famous and have less relatable things to share, it gets harder to write the material.
SceneDifferent1041@reddit
In other news, people getting older think the new generation is nothing compared to things from their day.
box-o-locks@reddit
There's a difference between "over time" and "overtime".
Do I think British comedians get worse overtime? I don't think they get paid overtime, they just get a fee for their set.
Dartzap@reddit
I actually think there is more stand-up now - its just spread across loads of platforms.
OkHistorian9521@reddit
And it’s all crap
Dartzap@reddit
According to whom?
There's far too much out there to just brush it all aside.
Or perhaps comedy taste is like music tastes, and anything released after your teen years is just instantly bad?
OkHistorian9521@reddit
A bit like music in that the quality has objectively dropped off massively in the last 10-15 years
CompetitionNo3466@reddit (OP)
There’s a lot more comedy but doing bits on YouTube, social media and panel shows is fundamentally different to stand up
Mandolele@reddit
There's so many full hour shows on YouTube alone, comedians have them filmed and upload them when they're done touring that show because they don't need an executive to say they can.
Here's a list of about 200 that are all ethically uploaded, not stolen and monetised by someone else if you want a starting point.
conradslater@reddit
I think Alexi Sayle is funnier these days. His Sandwich Bar show has real bite, but he can still throw out some brilliant one loners.
TremendousCoisty@reddit
Kevin Bridges is the king of
parkthebus11@reddit
Eminem is the Pinnacle of this principle for me. I find it so interesting that he could have years of being considered the best rapper in the world and now his music is not better than KSI.
gxb20@reddit
It’s got to be hard to do stand up when you’ve got a radio shows, panel shows and a podcast. Could it just be time out of the clubs means their stand up just isn’t being done enough?
BigSkyFace@reddit
If I've understood it rightly, a lot of big name comics do unannounced spots at comedy clubs to test the material without necessarily packing the room out with the fans that will be coming to see them on tour. I'm sure it still doesn't match the sharpness they get from road testing on the circuit full time though.
Long-Woodpecker-1980@reddit
You can see some pretty big comedians at charity comedy gigs. The material is hit and miss because they're testing out new jokes, and there's an expectation some of it will be crap.
But if it's cheap and for a good cause then everyone wins, pretty much
Rossco1874@reddit
Chris Ramsey said he was retired from stand up few years ago half joking as he couldn't be bothered with it but suppose if you have evolved to other media with a successful podcast & a live tour of that along with a tv show it can be hard to slot back in to a stand up routine.
CompetitionNo3466@reddit (OP)
Agreed, it’s easier to be a podcaster than comedian. Just talking to mates rather than testing and coming up with new material all the time.
MobiusNaked@reddit
You can imagine really working hard on your routine when it’s your sole income.
patrickb1920@reddit
Some people's fame lapses due to comedy which some people may view as outdated. I'm thinking of Lee Evans and Peter Kay here; I enjoy their comedy but I feel younger people don't relate to them as much as older people aka 30's plus.
XuzaLOL@reddit
Peter Kay is still the number 1 standup in the UK and hes still touring.
Crafty-Strength1626@reddit
Touring Bolton
sonictuesday@reddit
Still touring, but retelling 30 year old material sadly
alexmate84@reddit
Lee Evans had a huge fanbase of all ages. I think I reaad he retired to spend time with his family.
DaveL16@reddit
Lee Evans fame didn’t lapse. He actively retired from comedy (having sold a trillion dvds didn’t hurt the retirement fund I guess).
Scared-Room-9962@reddit
Yeah
It's like with Hip Hop. Great debut where they rap about their lives growing up in a hard place, struggling to get by etc
Then they get get rich and rap about their lives of bling and loads of unrelatable bollocks.
lilzanacs@reddit
Do you have an example in mind?
ydktbh@reddit
"hip hop, bling"
patrickb1920@reddit
Can certainly be the case. It's common with rock or metal bands as well, where their initial tone is aggressive and emotive, but when they reach peak fame, they don't have the same aggression or realism in the lyrics.
tiorzol@reddit
The first four Metallica albums will always be the ultimate run for me, how they kept getting better and better with different flavours of brutality at such a young age is incredible
patrickb1920@reddit
it's that rawness which makes an bands/artist's first albums the best. Marilyn Manson is another example.
arky_who@reddit
The people who really managed to hone their craft don't really do a lot of TV, like once a comedian is on TV they usually don't really spend much time on their stand-up anymore, because they're focused on the more light entertainment or comic acting sides of comedy, which are really different crafts.
Also a lot of standup that does well on TV is observational comedy and storytelling, and that stuff ages poorly and is not usually particularly insightful coming from the mouth of a millionaire. There are a lot of great stand-ups that have been doing the job well for decades and have honed the craft, they generally do well enough to make a living to continue spending time on the craft. They'll be doing shows 150-250 nights a year, so they get really good at it.
Arnie__B@reddit
I really like Matt Richardson's tictok account for this. He answers about 3 or 4 questions a day..
One thing I didn't realise is that the better circuit comedians often play 2 gigs per night.
signalstonoise88@reddit
I dunno man, Daniel Kitson has only gotten better, and he was pretty fucking good to begin with.
Few_House_5201@reddit
Of course. It’s the same reason most TV shows start off better than they end.
It’s very hard to keep coming up with fresh, new ideas and people use their best work early on.
EmperorOfNipples@reddit
They just get less relevant.
datguysadz@reddit
I find it's usually the case for artists and creatives in general. Look at musicians, filmmakers, etc. Almost everyone's earlier work is their best. People are better when they're younger and actually have something they want to say, as opposed to older, wealthier, comfier, etc.
Johnny Vegas's underrated (and amazing) Who's Ready For Ice Cream? covers this a bit in relation to comedy. The basic premise is that he's now rich and famous and his audience no longer find him relatable. Even the opening joke "I'd love to tell you that something funny happened on the way over here, but having a chaffeur-driven car really cuts down on awkward coincidences".
alexmate84@reddit
There are exceptions: Sean Lock, Sean Hughes, Barry Cryer, Peter Cook, Victoria Wood, Bob Monkhouse remained persistently funny until the end.
With Billy people said he was less funny after undergoing therapy.
With Gervais I stand by both The Office and Extras were overrated, but extremely funny very occasionally. His first two stand up shows were better than most at the time. Arguing with nobody's "ooh you can't say that anymore" while getting paid to do a Netflix stand up special is just sad.
I think if anything Stewart Lee and Simon Munnery have got better since the 90s. With Herring it depends on the show as they are theme based. I saw Sadowitz a couple of years ago. I thought he was brilliant, I would have liked more magic tricks.
veritasmeritas@reddit
I mean, Stewart Lee sort of IS culture at this point, isn't he? Although probably couldn't cut the mustard on a panel show tbh.
marcdk217@reddit
It seems like comedians over here settle into doing panel shows for easy money, or start becoming political. I guess aside from an arena tour every few years, there's no real need for them to do regular stand up once they've "made it"
alexmate84@reddit
I think Mock The Week at least used to be a showcase for new talent. I think some comedians do it for an easy paycheck like you say, but it's also free advertising for a tour
CaptQuakers42@reddit
How can they not?
Good comics use real life events or things that have happened to them and by the time they have been on the scene for a decade or so you run out of material and even new events don't help because you've used a similar situation before.
The best thing a comic can do is drop an absolute banger and then do something else. Eddie Murphy perfected this. For me Delirious is as good as a stand up show gets and then he basically did Raw and said enough of that and did movies.
Scary_Vehicle9023@reddit
Steve Martin another great example. Became the biggest stand-up in the world then moved on.
alexmate84@reddit
And Alexei Sayle started writing books and I can vouch that his short stories are great
Bigtallanddopey@reddit
Like musicians, success changes them. And like musicians, once you gain some success, you can no longer really make content about living in poverty and a council house, when you know live in a 5 bed detached, with a Range Rover on the drive.
The problem there is, they are no longer living the life or the experiences that they drew upon that made them great in the first place.
jake_burger@reddit
“People are funnier when they take the bus”
GiovanniVanBroekhoes@reddit
Frank Skinner was always brilliant when I saw him.
Not_A_Toaster_0000@reddit
I think they get paid a fixed rate per set
geniusgravity@reddit
Near every comedian does regardless of nationality, exactly like musicians. You spend years building up material and your breakout can only happen with the best of that. Second album/ tour arrives and you've got some decent bits left and a few pieces you can tag on youve written recently......then comes the difficult third album/tour. Some artists are good enough to deliver an acceptable 3rd and even 4th episode. Only the truly great deliver after that. They are few and far between. Genius: examples Bill Hicks (comedy) and MJ (music).
MarthaFarcuss@reddit
Yes. The more successful you become the less relatable your material becomes
takesthebiscuit@reddit
I blame ticktok it’s all one line bullshit now
Reallyboringname2@reddit
All artists. All nationalities.
It’s called getting old. Comfortable. Complacent.
PartyPoison98@reddit
I forget which comedian said it, but they said when you're starting out crowds are TOUGH, and you'll know quickly what material is good and whats shit. But when you get famous, you can write a middling set and crowds will still laugh because they're primed to like you. Ergo the more famous you are, the trickier it is to write a good set.
MercuryJellyfish@reddit
I doubt any comedian's first gig is their best. They probably peak at some point.
Expensive_Peace8153@reddit
I don't think stand up pays overtime.
PassiveTheme@reddit
It's not about being British. Stand ups generally go through a thing where at the start of their career they have to write good jokes to get laughs. When they get popular, they start performing to large rooms full of their fans that have paid specifically to see them and will laugh at anything they say. I have heard comedians from the UK and the US talk about this and the good comedians are aware that it's a problem.
LondonStu@reddit
I heard that the overtime for stand up was pretty good, especially on Bank Holidays.
mawarup@reddit
a few things:
Comedians that get popular and have long-running careers tend to play more big arenas or do shows for mass consumption on streaming. They are, by necessity of their target audience, aiming their sets at people who are less interested in comedy and want something a bit less edgy.
Comedians that get popular and stay that way tend to run low on anecdotes that most people would find relatable.
Stand-up comedy used to be the pinnacle of the comedy line of work in the UK - if you could get a good show and sell DVDs that was both profitable and respectable. Nowadays there’s more interest in panel shows, podcasts, semi-biographical fiction and short form content. Fewer top performing comedians are focusing hard on stand up.
There are still some older comedians that do a fantastic job at stand-up, like Dara O’Briain. I don’t think it’s necessarily a young person’s game. I do think young comedians worth their salt tend to try their hand at other things more these days, though.
GrabbedByTheGhost@reddit
Worse than what? They don't work overtime theyget paid by the hour.
ActionBirbie@reddit
ITT: Tankie brigaders trying to out performative each other.
Hazz3r@reddit
Comedians who make it big I assume don't do as much stand up because they don't need to. They get by on TV appearances and maybe the odd bit of sketch writing. And the people who are truly amazing at Standup will do an Arena Tour every 5 years.
lost-in-midgard@reddit
I just think standup takes energy, which means people are (generally, not always) better at it when they're younger.
PsychologicalDish430@reddit
Yes they all do, I have to say I was disappointed with even Peter Kay's recent live show, yes it was fun but there wasn't much actual comedy sharpness or belly laughs.
franki-pinks@reddit
Yep. I think most comedians do across the world to be fair. Can’t think of one who was funny for more than 10-15 years.
Electricbell20@reddit
I think it's because you get more years prior to your first show to come up with material. Start at 35. You've got a good 20 years to look back to pull from
Then when you are 40, you've had 5 years more years of life, then some of the stuff from that 20 years which you didn't think were funny.
Then at 45 you've got another 5 years and pulling from the dregs of the 25 years past.
You will get worse at time..
DDAAVVEE123@reddit
Frank Skinner is a prime example. Steers well clear from the rude and crude stuff that he was so good as he's grown older and is considerably less funnier (at stand up, he's still v.funny otherwise)
TermAggravating8043@reddit
Kevin bridges is another great example. Once he got rich, his comedy for the average working man went down hill. Some if the stuff he’s talking about now, people can’t relate.
“Hoose rice” was the last funny thing I can remember him doing
BillyJoeDubuluw@reddit
It’s not so much a case of the individual comedian “getting boring” as it is comedy evolves over time and what we piss ourselves at changes…
Don’t get me wrong, I can see how somebody who is working on the tools etc. could have a much more direct insight that ultimately gains more laughs… They make their money, don’t need to lift as many fingers and so that particular aspect of their life doesn’t actually exist anymore…
The bigger factor is changing ideas of what is funny, though…
I know it’s not standup, but I’m on a bit of a Benidorm rewatch at the moment and it occurred to me recently that some of the humour has aged to a point where a younger viewer probably wouldn’t find it funny anymore… Now, for me, the programme still feels like it always did because I was there the first time around… but I could honestly imagine a younger person being really put out with some of it…
bars_and_plates@reddit
I think it's true of basically all artists in any medium.
Bands and solo artists are better when they start out. The first one or two albums are usually the blockbusters. Rock bands and rap artists notoriously. It just comes across as fake/cringe when you're talking about being in the hood or whatever but your albums bring in millions.
Modern art and fashion, at least the high end stuff you see in galleries and on the catwalk, is a bit weird, I think because it's just so detached from any kind of sense of practicality or meaning.
Sirlacker@reddit
I mean they all have their thing that makes them famous, that makes them funny. And then over time, it's not that they get worse, they're still the same, we just move on from that type of comedy, or we have watched way too much and have grown bored of that type of comedy.
The people who try and change to adapt usually don't get lucky a second time.
It's very rare for people to have timeless comedy that spans generations either.
Add all that with the how wide the world and open the world is now, I might like a British comedian and would watch them if that's all that was available to me, but since it's not and I can watch any basically any comedian around the world, I'm picking and choosing and that British guy might just be at the bottom of the 'will watch' pile.
Nandor1262@reddit
I think people who do stand up a lot are good at stand up.
Some comedians get famous and then are using all their jokes on TV or doing more media stuff and don’t have time for stand up. This leaves audiences feeling like they’re repeating stuff or when they come up with new stuff they have less time to test it and it’s not as good as their older material.
The people who become famous for standup a lone and keep doing it are better at it.
w1gglepvppy@reddit
I think with stand up, it's important to stay grounded so you have real life references to call from.
Ricky Gervais just talks about arguments he's had on Twitter.
AdministrativeLaugh2@reddit
Not exclusive to Brits or comedians, but yes. Once you’ve “made it” by selling out tours, selling DVDs (albeit not so much that anymore) and being on panel shows etc, then people will just watch you in anything so you can be more complacent.
Fame can disappear at any moment, too, so comedians will devote more of their time to staying relevant by appearing on TV and doing other appearances than spending as much time working on creating the high-quality material that likely made them famous in the first place.
Same happens with lots of TV shows, especially in America. Once they get past the first three or four seasons and have strong viewership that won’t drop off a cliff, the writing becomes lazier.
Glum-Funny-6073@reddit
I always remember the saying 'leave the stand up before the stand up leaves you'. The stand up has left him. At this top level, he needs to call it a day at this level and move.
Glum-Funny-6073@reddit
But yep it’s always going to go hill at some point, it’s incredibly rare to be at the top level of anything for too long
Which-World-6533@reddit
Do you not watch tv or streaming services...? There's so much standup available now it's insane. There's YouTube channels. I think we have never had this much quantity as well as a lot of high quality standup.
Good standup doesn't forget their roots. Other standups move over to other pursuits like book or theatre writing.
im-sorry-watt@reddit
I've found comedy rarely ages well. Panel shows tend to hold on a bit better as it gives each comedian a break with others filling in.
Dazz316@reddit
People change and their material changes. Whether that gets worse or better is up to the person listening.
DutchOvenDistributor@reddit
A lot of Billy’s material was secondhand from people he worked with, so once he got famous and moved on it’s easy to understand how his material would suffer as a result.
Bigger comedians still tour, but I think they have shifted to podcasts more than TV. It’s much easier to get your own audience and plug your stuff on podcasts than it is on panel shows etc, and typically you’ll only get on those or Live at the Apollo if you have built your following via the podcast/social media combo.
Nish786@reddit
So many comedians don’t age well. Some are consistent, but most I’ve seen more than once aren’t as funny when they’ve been around for a few years.
Delicious-Pop-7019@reddit
I don't think so. I would say most of them get better, but also it's subjective. The same way someone might love a band's new album but other people don't.
I think some comedians don't adapt or progress their material as well as others, so what once seemed fresh and really funny starts to sound a bit predictable or outdated/stale.
I don't think it has anything to do with status or losing touch though, there are plenty of situations and experiences that every person can relate to no matter how famous they are.
For example, maybe they tell some story about being nervous about going on a TV show. Most people can't relate to that specifically, but we've dealt with being nervous about an upcomming event so it's relatable on a human level.
RealRelative9835@reddit
I can imagine it may become more difficult for the most successful to relate, keep generating new material. However, think the skill of standup tends to increase over time like managing crowd, timing.
Don't think it's unique to comedy or success on new material though - look at how many TV series peak in the first series.
Opposite_Radio9388@reddit
"Overtime" is work that you do beyond your contracted hours. The title makes it sound like you're wondering whether British comedians get fewer extra hours doing stand up than other types of comedy 😆
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