Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

I dearly miss the brutal truth regards the US presidential race right now. No modern journalism bites like The Good Doctor did at The Swine in the Capitol and the 'scum sucking beasts' trying to get in! What would The Good Doctor tells us about Mitt Romney? I shudder and giggle. I'm not talking about the Johnny Depp bumbling buffoon Thompson either, I am talking the  brutal social political commentator with the savage wit. Long live the memory of the original gonzo prime minister of fun!  
     

W. C. Fields

Often overlooked for Chaplin, Lloyd and Keaton, Fields is my sneaky favourite. He also crossed into talkies better. His 'open the door for the blind man' and drunken pool routines are just two you should look up for subtlety and skill and hilarity.

Lenny Bruce

Early Lenny Bruce before heroin and the system defeated him. His rave about censorship still inspires me today. When I first started as a solo comedian Lenny was my biggest influence and I made a pact not to get his comedyalbums so I would not copy his style.

Doug Stanhope

An angel sent by God to speak the ugly truth to the misinformed and stupid. Doug nearly fills the hole for me left by the good Hunter S! Listen to anything he says and weep…

Chris Morris

The funniest and bravest modern Brit. Comedy for me comes from everything Chris Morris takes on: Brass Eye, Nathan Bailey – I am blown away by its mocking of the media classes. A favourite is the Brass Eye sketch where Noel Edmonds is under siege with hostages is genius. Didn't Noel wave a severed head at some point? Hilarious!

Monty Pythons' Flying Circus

No matter how sad, I must admit to Python being my main inspiration in my formative years At 15, 16, 17 the Pythons showed another way to me to be funny. I hated jokes! My fascist policemen father told the same million jokes. I hate jokes! But I love laughing. Python's existential absurdist non-jokes paved the way for my humour. The games of football between the German and Greek philosophers and the Bournemouthh Gynecologists vs the Watford Long John Silver Impersonators are my kind of joke!
Bournemouth Gynaecologists vs the Watford Long John Silver Impersonators: