Sketch duo Egg – aka Anna Leong Brophy and Emily Lloyd-Saini – choose their comedy favourites 

Sketch comedy duo Egg – aka Anna Leong Brophy and Emily Lloyd-Saini – are performing their new show  Absolutely Fine at 4.50pm at Pleasance Courtyard Beside at the Edinburgh Fringe. Here they share their Perfect Playlist of comedy favourites

Josie Long - Cara Josephine, 2014

Josie Long is an absolute queen of comedy, and her positivity, sense of silliness and her curiosity about herself and the world has been a touchstone for us.

It was while watching this show that we both realised we had the same sense of humour. Sitting in an Edinburgh audience clutching our plastic pint glasses and laughing our asses off for way too long at some very throwaway joke about toast, we caught eyes and fell in love, so for that reason this show is very important to both of us. It was our comedy meet cute and we’re very grateful to Josie for it!

Green Wing

What sketch comedian doesn’t love a surreal sketch show masquerading as a sitcom - and packed with British comedy royalty to boot?

The character comedy in Green Wing, particularly from Michelle Gomez and Mark Heap, is second to none. Sue White giving birth to Mac’s lion cub, Sue White with giant arms talking about God - actually, literally anything Sue White related – and you have us.

Brilliant writing, finely observed characters, and going full blown weird and wonderful at any opportunity? We hope we’re ticking some of those boxes. 

Smack The Pony - The Perfect Man

TV in the 1990s and early Noughties loved to portray women as set dressing, sex objects or bitches (when they allowed women on the telly at all, amirite gals?)

Smack The Pony felt like such a breath of fresh air to wee Anna and Emily - a bunch of women being bold, strange, quirky - and crucially, protagonists in their own world. There are so many favourites, but The Perfect Man has it all - the weird tension STP was so good at, brilliant characterisation by Sally Philips, and a deceptively simple premise - with a glorious twist of a punch at the end. Understated comedy magic. 

Shooting Stars

This felt like the most fun you could have on TV ever.  Anarchic, off the wall and  just plain silly. There’s always room for more silliness on TV, in our humble opinion.

Vic and Bob are consummate Lokis, always pushing the madness one step further, and the opportunity they gave Matt Lucas to experiment as George Dawes was beautiful chaos. It combined slapstick with surreal comedy and threw in a good dose of anarchy, but you always felt safe with them because they were just having so much fun. Just joyful to watch.

Has anything this good in terms of game show been made since? Eranu. 

Liar Liar

The truth will set you freeee! This vintage Jim Carey that has invaded our minds and now lives there, rent free.

Despite this not even being our fave Jim Carey movie (how to choose, how to choose!), you better believe we can pretty much quote along to the whole film. Do we have to bite our tongues to not reply ‘Short, shrivelled, and always to the left’ any time anyone asks how it’s hanging? Yes. Do we always succeed? Absolutely not.

Broad City

Oh my DAYS this show was incredible.

So much heart, and such a wonderful tribute to female friendship and navigating adulthood as women who still feel like kids but who society expects to have their shit together (strong relate).

Ilana and Abby are absolute masters of their craft and their ownership of this show just shines through and is beautiful to witness. Broad City was a game changer for us in terms of realising and committing to the idea that what we write has to be in our voice and interest us, not just the people we’re trying to pitch it to (and that our voice might be quite weird).

Also, we love that DIY web series ‘we’ll just make it our goddamn selves’ punk spirit, baby.

• Egg: Absolutely Fine is on at 4.50pm at Pleasance Courtyard Beside from Mon 14th to Sun 27th August

Published: 18 Aug 2023