...so says Rolling Stone magazine

Louis CK is the funniest person in the world today, according to a new list compiled by Rolling Stone magazine.

The stand-up – who is playing two London dates in March – topped a rundown of the top 50 comics ahead of Stephen Colbert at No 2.

The magazine said: ‘Louis C.K. is the Great American Comedian: our chubby, schlubby, ginger-haired conscience, id, and jester-in-chief. He's a poet of existential malaise, but his signature standup bit, "Everything is Amazing and Nobody's Happy," extols the beauty of life and the magic of modern technology.’

Only three Brits made the list, which focussed almost exclusively on comedians known to Americans. Ricky Gervais was at 16, John Oliver at 26, and Daniel Kitson, who had a sold-out off-Broadway run last year, at 46.

The magazine avoided the criticism of making the list male-dominated, as four of the top ten are female: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Lena Durham and Kirsten Wiig.

In their introduction, the journalists who compiled the list said: ‘In making this list, we took the "now" part seriously, and focused on comedians' recent work.’

The top ten is:

1. Louis CK
2. Stephen Colbert
3. Tina Fey
4. Jon Stewart
5. Trey Parker and Matt Stone
6. Amy Poehler
7. Chris Rock
8. Lena Dunham
9. Bill Hader
10. Kirsten Wiig.

Published: 25 Jan 2013