The Funniest British and Irish Comedians of all Time

Voting Rules
Vote up the funniest comedians who are citizens of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern and Southern Ireland.

The funniest British and Irish comedians of all time are a geographically-restricted subset of the funniest people of all time, and some of these funny people from across the pond can make you fall out of your chair laughing. Many of these comedians from the UK and Ireland have appeared in the funniest movies ever as well as some of the funniest TV shows of all time. These hilarious entertainers represent comedians from the UK, and they are all here together in this list of the funniest people from Britain and Ireland.

There's a lot that goes into deciding who the best comedians from Ireland and Britain are: do they have a funny stand-up act, a great special, a memorable character, and/or a generally funny public persona? Do they appear in any of the best British sitcoms? Being funny is serious business, and so is deciding who the most hilarious British and Irish comedians truly are. The funniest comedians can be English comedians from previous years, like the 70s or 80s, or current day. John Cleese is certainly a contender for best British comics. He's known for his work with the Monty Python films. 

Other funny British actors include Ricky Gervais of The Office, Simon Pegg of Shaun of the Dead, and Eric Idle of Monty Python. There are a lot of famous British comedians on this list that you will recognize, like Peter Cook and Sacha Baron Cohen. There are also slapstick comedians from the UK, like Charlie Chaplin. 

Who are the funniest comedians from the UK and Ireland? What comedians are from Ireland and Great Britain - and are English comedians funnier than their colleagues from Scotland and Wales? Are British and Irish comedians funnier? This list of the funniest comedians from Britain and Ireland should answer some of these questions and, at least, point you towards some of the funniest people ever to come from a pair of smallish islands.

Vote up who you believe to be the 100 greatest British comedians. Then check back to see if your favorites of the best British comics reached the top of the list! 

Photo: Bruce Baker / flickr / CC-BY 2.0
Ranked by
  • Greg Davies
    1

    Greg Davies

    05-14-1968
    2,674 votes
    • Birthplace: St Asaph, United Kingdom
    Gregory Daniel Davies (born 14 May 1968) is a British stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his roles as Greg in We Are Klang, Mr. Gilbert in The Inbetweeners, Ken Thompson in Cuckoo, as ...more
  • Sean Lock
    2
    04-22-1963
    4,773 votes
    • Birthplace: Chertsey, United Kingdom
    Sean Lock (22 April 1963 – 16 August 2021) was an English comedian and actor. He began his comedy career as a stand-up comedian, won the British Comedy Award in 2000 in the category of Best Live ...more
  • Billy Connolly
    3
    11-24-1942
    5,810 votes
    • Birthplace: Anderston, Scotland
    Sir William Connolly, (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish stand-up comedian, musician, presenter, actor and artist. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname "The ...more
  • Rowan Atkinson
    4
    01-06-1955
    6,630 votes
    • Birthplace: Consett, United Kingdom
    Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born January 6, 1955), CBE is an English actor, comedian, and screenwriter best known for his work on the sitcoms Mr. Bean and Blackadder. Atkinson first came to prominence ...more
  • Tommy Cooper
    5
    03-19-1921
    3,131 votes
    • Birthplace: Caerphilly, United Kingdom
    Thomas Frederick Cooper (19 March 1921 – 15 April 1984) was a British prop comedian and magician. He habitually wore a red fez, and his appearance was large and lumbering, at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) ...more
  • Ronnie Barker
    6
    09-25-1929
    3,771 votes
    • Birthplace: Bedford, United Kingdom
    Ronald William George Barker, (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as Porridge, The Two ...more