Who makes you laugh?
Seeing as some people are great at writing comedy but shit at stand-up (Ricky Gervais) and some are great as TV hosts but shit at stand-up (Bill Maher, Jonathan Ross), try and explain why.
Standups
Bill Hicks - The archetype of beauty and ugliness fused
Sean Lock - "The middle-class bloke on the building site" as he calls himself
Chris Rock - I dont know what its like being a black american, but hes way better than Obama.
Jerry Sadowitz - A Scottish Charles Manson with better card tricks than David Blaine and venom coming from both nostrils.
Writing
Ricky Gervais - The office is so good that when they made an American version it was still funny.
Stewart Lee - Who wrote Jerry Springer the opera, but mostly for Lee and Herring on British TV in the 1990s on which he was the principle.
Armando Iannuci/Chris Morris - Brass Eye, The Day Today. Everyone says how Chris Morris is a genius (rightly) but overlooks the subversively charming nature of Armando Iannuci. Check his "Time Trumpet" on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U12aygMK1lc
Bill Maher - a great host who can be mad at Iraq and the Republicans yet make everybody laugh.