by Jimmy Nightingale

Created on: July 22, 2009   Last Updated: December 14, 2009

How does one "rate" comedians in terms of who is the funniest?

In short, you can't. What one person finds funny, another will find offensive. By way of example, as a young child, perhaps around 10-12 years old, my parents foolishly allowed me to watch "The Benny Hill Show". I loved it. The slapstick element appealed to my childish sense of amusement. Fast forward some 25 years and I chanced to watch a fragment of an episode on Pay TV. Not amusing in the slightest. A bit of life experience afforded me the perspective of seeing it as the same old recycled, sexist gags. It wasn't intelligent, didn't make you think. It plain out wasn't funny.

I'll try and be as objective as possible and my criteria for selecting the "funniest" is a combination of:

1. Natural ability - their humour must appear spontaneous and effortless;
2. Intelligence - humour that works on many levels or makes you think;
3. Versatility - they have to be more than a one trick pony; and
4. Status - regarded generally as being "funny" and acknowledged as such by their peers (and/or recognised by way of awards).

So, drum roll please, the funniest comedians of all time (in no particular order) are:

ROBIN WILLIAMS
Anyone who spent a fair chunk of their childhood in the 1970s will remember "Happy Days". It was popular enough to launch the careers of Ron Howard and Henry Winkler (although "Welcome Back Cotter" gave him the kick start) and it was here that we were introduced to Robin Williams in the character of the alien Mork. This minor role proved so popular with viewers that it led to the spin-off "Mork and Mindy" and,as they say, the rest is history.

Williams is a great improviser and his routines are characterised by his rapid fire delivery, frequent tangents and change of accents. No subject is sacred and, despite an extensive film career, he has continued to perform stand up. His work comes across as arguably the mosy spontaneous of any comedian in history and he never stops performing. Regardless of whether it is stand-up, film, appearing in interviews, hosting events or just out in public, Williams pace is frenetic and he is always funny.

As a film actor, he cut his teeth on comedic roles, starring in "Popeye", "The World According to Garp" (one of my favourite novels) and "Good Morning Vietnam", where he pretty much carried the film single-handedly and earned a deserved Golden Globe, as well as Best Actor nominations in the Academy and BAFTA Awards. He showed his Juilliard training in moving comfortably

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