Most unconvincing comedy performers

[biggytitbo]

People always used to say there was no real straight man in Morecombe and wise because Ernie was just as absurd and funny as Eric and I think that's mostly true. But jesus most of the ones that followed, the 'straight' man was fucking rubbish. Eddie large may not be a comic genius but he had his moments and was a more than decent performer in his day. But Syd was absolute devoid of any talent at all and you could say the same of Tommy Cannon. Even if Norman Pace is an incredibly nice man, he brought virtually nothing to Hale and Pace, 99% of their funniest moments coming from Gareths natural funny bones than anything else.

[olliebean]

Watching Cannon and Ball in that Vegas thing recently reminded me just how nasty Tommy was to Bobby (in the act, not in real life). Not even jokey mean, just outright mean.

[Hecate]

You're not going to do anything silly, are you?

[checkoutgirl]

Armando's a fantastic comedy performer! He delivers dozens of perfectly-intoned lines in every episode of TAIS.

"Come on Bergkamp, you've got twenty-two legs, use them!"

Yeah and also the Great Adult. Vah-voo-vah. Mad that a couple of posts in and people have picked a pretty good comedy performer.

[checkoutgirl]

Plus Chloe Annet was worse.

Chloe is a great one for this thread. She hasn't a comedic bone in her body and was absolutely awful in Red Dwarf. I suppose she might have had a chance if the scripts were better but I assume we'll never know now.

[Clownbaby]

I feel the same about Chris O'Dowd. I re-watched The IT Crowd recently and really disliked his performance. Is he supposed to be the everyman character? A nerd like Moss? The wisecracking one? The dopey one? You can partly blame the writing but I don't think he ever had a handle on the character.

I don't think anyone really had a handle on their characters, even ma boy Chris Morris, cause the whole show is a bit half-arsed. I find Chris O'Dowd a bit hard to read in everything he's in, he's like a weird hybrid of smug, cuddly and sarcastic. I don't know how to feel about him.

[Former]

Fuck you all, Grogan was a proper pop star before Red Dwarf and sexy and stuff. Chloe Annet was shit in RD - maybe not her her fault  -  but she was also shit in the David Wicks off Eastenders time/crime/whine thing, but David Wicks was at least obliquely funny.

Crime Traveller suffered from such appallingly clunky dialogue it made everyone look like a terrible actor. Even Sue Johnston.

This tends to happen when directors insist on sticking rigidly to the script and don't allow actors the freedom to paraphrase/rewrite to ensure the lines flow more naturally in line with the way they're playing the character. (Or when actors themselves lack the confidence to change things around, try different deliveries etc.)

Actors for whom no two takes are the same can be frustrating to work with, but somewhere along the way they'll strike a rich seam of convincing genius. I suspect Chloe Annet is right at the opposite end of this spectrum.

[paruses]

I don't think anyone really had a handle on their characters, even ma boy Chris Morris, cause the whole show is a bit half-arsed. I find Chris O'Dowd a bit hard to read in everything he's in, he's like a weird hybrid of smug, cuddly and sarcastic. I don't know how to feel about him.

Agreed.

I saw him on Graeme Norton the other night. Not sure how recent is was as I was channel hopping and don't watch it anyway. He was on With Amy Whatsit and Jeremy Thingy from Arrivals so is likely a year old or so. He seemed affable enough and Jeremy seemed to genuinely find him  hilarious while Amy had a more dead-eyed celeb laughter look. When they cut to the clip of the Christopher Guest film he's in (Mascots) I was baffled by his performance - the accent was all over the place for a start and then he did this weird face at the end of his vox-pops which seemed unlike any Guest film I've seen. It is on Netflix so I might have a watch this evening.

[St_Eddie]

Agreed.

I saw him on Graeme Norton the other night. Not sure how recent is was as I was channel hopping and don't watch it anyway. He was on With Amy Whatsit and Jeremy Thingy from Arrivals so is likely a year old or so. He seemed affable enough and Jeremy seemed to genuinely find him  hilarious while Amy had a more dead-eyed celeb laughter look. When they cut to the clip of the Christopher Guest film he's in (Mascots) I was baffled by his performance - the accent was all over the place for a start and then he did this weird face at the end of his vox-pops which seemed unlike any Guest film I've seen. It is on Netflix so I might have a watch this evening.

My review of Mascots; I watched it last year and remember absolutely nothing about it.

[bgmnts]

Aa absolutely brilliant as Thick of It is, with so many brilliant comedy performances, there is something about Will Smith that just doesn't sit right with me.

[paruses]

Aa absolutely brilliant as Thick of It is, with so many brilliant comedy performances, there is something about Will Smith that just doesn't sit right with me.

Is he the guy who has the I-Love-Bergerac schtick? If so I loved hearing him on Loose Ends once when Ned Sherrin was still presenting it / alive. He was doing something about being cool and although Will Self can be an absolute twat I loved his interruptions and puncturing of the whole lazy cosy middle class laugh-fest. I doubt there's an archive of these things but would love to hear it again.

I read Will Smith's thriller set on Jersey and rather enjoyed it. Interesting ending.

[Trojan_Jockey]

Its rather a specific one, but I nominate Roy Holder, who plays Timothy Lumsden's friend Frank, in Sorry! It just seems like he is shouting every line. There some real grotesque characters and tragic humour in Sorry! but this guy can't deliver a funny line to save his life. Yes, too specific, I know.

[Clownbaby]

I really don't enjoy Aziz Ansari's face. Very beady eyes, not a lot of expression. Just finally started giving Parks and Recreation a go and does it become more than just The Office US' less funny sister?

[neveragain]

All the yokels in Green Green Grass
Cafe patrons in Count Arthur Strong

But it helps when the characters are well-written.

[wosl]

A number of Croft/Perry sit-com actor stalwarts.  We've had Don Estelle already, but you can add Felix Bowness, Bill Pertwee (both wooden and like rabbits in headlights if they have to deliver more than a single line, or engage in a sustained bit of back-and-forth) and Jack Haig (samey characterisation; perpetually looks and acts startled).

[neveragain]

I'm not having Don Estelle, his Roundabout Zookeeper was a triumph.

[New Jack]

I really don't enjoy Aziz Ansari's face. Very beady eyes, not a lot of expression. Just finally started giving Parks and Recreation a go and does it become more than just The Office US' less funny sister?

It gets better but if you're inclined to view it that way, your perceptions aren't going to be madly shattered or owt.

[Rolf Lundgren]

The entire cast of As Time Goes By, Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer aside.

[Trojan_Jockey]

Cafe patrons in Count Arthur Strong

But it helps when the characters are well-written.

Ah yes, I forgot about Rory Kinnear.

[Suky]

I don't think anyone really had a handle on their characters, even ma boy Chris Morris, cause the whole show is a bit half-arsed. I find Chris O'Dowd a bit hard to read in everything he's in, he's like a weird hybrid of smug, cuddly and sarcastic. I don't know how to feel about him.

He put me off Get Shorty initially, or his character did, but once I'd adjusted he's really good - so is the show. Second series soon.

[Trojan_Jockey]

Would I be a cunt if I said Buster Merryfield?

[lankyguy95]

He's responsible for this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIMv8ZyfnJ8

So yes you are.

[non capisco]

^ Fantastic!

Also - https://youtu.be/9TJgAbVQ7FE?t=1m2s
(Apologies for the quality)

And of course - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVF-btOKE2k&frags=pl%2Cwn

He wasn't a patch on Lennard Pierce but Buster definitely had his moments.

[Trojan_Jockey]

Not bad, but for me he hams it up too much, Leonard Pierce was brilliantly understated whereas Buster always seems a bit vaudeville to me. A posh bloke doing an impression of a cockney urchin.

Actually, I might withdraw my nomination of Buster Merryfield and go with Matt Dawson from A Question of Sport instead.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Merryfield wasn't a posh bloke, he was a working-class fella from Battersea. Granted, in real life he affected a well-spoken brogue, as actors of that generation tended to do, but it's not as if his performance as Albert was a posh actor's idea of what a working-class man might sound like.

Pearce was amazing, I agree, and a much funnier, subtler foil for Jason and Lyndhurst, but Merryfield's slightly broader performance was always entertaining.

[Rolf Lundgren]

Actually, I might withdraw my nomination of Buster Merryfield and go with Matt Dawson from A Question of Sport instead.

That's much better. Can you believe he's been strangling the atmosphere out of that show for 14 years?! Tuffers does all the heavy lifting.

[Jockice]

He's responsible for this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIMv8ZyfnJ8

So yes you are.

I'd totally forgotten about that bit. Absolutely brilliant.

And lest we forget about this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HDCe4E-lA4

[EOLAN]

That's much better. Can you believe he's been strangling the atmosphere out of that show for 14 years?! Tuffers does all the heavy lifting.

Were Beefy and Beaumont all that funny? They were who I grew up with and had a very cosy feel, and then when Parrott and McCoist took over it felt all kinds of wrong. They seemed to be actually trying hard to be funny while Beefy/Beamount appeared to just be there natural selves.
Dawson certainly seems to be trying hard while Tuffers is lot better and just appears (or is) more natural if a bit offbeat.

Although if Dawson is thrown in as a comedy performer; I probably give Victoria Coren-Mitchell as my unconvincing performer.
(PS: Can't believe anyone would suggest Iannucci as a poor performer. A great creator/director/writer but I just so love anything with him actually performing in it even more so. Even his brief silent cameo in The Day Today where a  police offers tells him to turn around is one of my favourite highlights from the show.)