Am I without humour if I can't see why a lot of 'new' comedy is funny?

I like situation comedy such as 'Open all Hours' (the original one with Ronnie Barker) and 'Only Fools and Horses'.
We went to see Ken Dodd a couple of years before he died and his wit was much slower but still hilarious. Bob Monkhouse was another who could hold a live audience captivated.

I don't think it's necessarily an age thing. I've always loved comedians who many on here seem to find offensive - swearing and what others describe as 'crude' humour doesn't bother me in the slightest. The late Bill Hicks was a comedy genius. During lockdown, I've also discovered Hannah Gadsby and Urzila Carlsson, both of whom are very funny indeed, but I suspect would be frowned upon by many on here. Oh, and I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than be forced to watch Mrs Brown's Boys!

I second that. Where is her second series?

No, not a fan of Sarah Milligan but French, Saunders, Lumley, Miranda (and their brilliantly gormless sidekicks) are much, much cleverer. No foul language, only the mildest of sleaze or double entendre, just wonderful observation of the human condition.

My favourites are Michael Mcintyre, Ricky Gervais and Russel
Brandt they all make me laugh, plus the 80's ladies of course.
I find the 'comedians' on Live at the Apollo mostly quite dreadfull and offensive , nothing but swearing, genital jokes and now the new brand of racist jokes which come from the people who have had to live with them as if that excuses them from making them, thus turning the tables .

I much prefer many of the current comedians (Russell Howard, Sarah Millican, Chris Ramsey, Michael Macintyre etc). I used to hate folks like Roy Chubby Brown and the worst show I ever went to was Mike Reid who was so vile we all just say and squirmed and couldn't wait for his set to finish. Went to see Billy Connelly and the whole show was about the c&£t word which I hate but it was hilarious. I think it's just depends on how the words are used. I often now use the f word it is so expressive but do think of my mum who would give you a slap if you said so much as damn within earshot. Both the C and F words have been around for 100's of years and their history is fascinating. I hate to hear then used ad every other word but now and again I don't find offensive.

I find Mrs Brown's Boys irritating. I may be a grumpy olf woman, but this seems like playground humour to me.

I don’t like swearing in place of humour either, smacks of laziness to me. That’s the one thing I disliked about the otherwise brilliant Billy Connelly.
These days I like Jason Manford, the Welsh guy who does the Work Experience shows, and the black comedian Mo something who also pops up on Celebrity Gogglebox.
I don’t find women funny very often although I did once see Victoria Wood live and she was very funny. Adored Acorn Antiques, but the whole cast were hilarious on that.
Also like Lee Mack but the repeats if Not Going Out are wearing a bit thin.
I loved THe Office in a very cringeworthy way and to a lesser extent Extras but haven’t watched his other stuff.
I like Joe Lycett too but have only seen him on the Sewing Bee and Grayson Perry’s Art Show.

I forgot to mention the very un PC Richard Pryor who I used to find very funny. And Freddie Starr.

I think part of it is because they can all raise a laugh without
saying a word. It’s their facial expressions

Don't forget Ernie! The fastest milkman in the West!
Brilliant!

I don't mind swearing at all from my favourite two comediens - Billy Connolly and Janey Godley - because they're not crude, smutty, sexually-oriented swearers, they just both come from a culture which uses cuss words very frequently. (I could embarrass a sailor myself with my own language!)

What they both have in common is an absolutely amazing insight into human foibles and the ability to make us laugh at our own absurdities.

Janey Godley - who unapologetically swears a LOT - regularly makes lots of Scots laugh with her "take-offs" of Nicola Sturgeon which she does to make people who wouldn't pay attention to Nicola as she's a politician, still take in the messages Nicola is giving in a way they can understand.

I absolutely loathe crude, unkind "humour" - it makes me cringe.

If you don't mind swearing, here are a couple of examples of Janey at work:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXxV1xvTtaQ

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0HmDA9qYtg

I have always loved Billy Connelly and his great observational humour. I now love Motherland, also so very well observed, and WIA for the same reason. Can't tolerated McIntyre or Millican, just don't find them funny. Growing up I enjoyed the Marx Brothers and Tommy Cooper.

Radio 4 " comedy" is the worst. Apart from I'm Sorry l haven't a Clue. Many years ago we went to the Hay festival, the only tickets left were for Ken Dodd. We went thinking we could nip off to the pub if he got too corny. He was hilarious, we ached with laughing. He went on for hours . Just when we thought the show was at an end he said it was half time. You just don't get live humour like that anymore. Although if anyone hasn't seen one of Gervais Phinns stand up tours you are in for a treat.

I like Ricky Gervais. Can’t stand Mrs. Brown’s boys, just embarrassingly crude. I also liked The Windsor’s,especially Princess Anne and Charles though they are a bit mean to Camilla. The new wave of comedians I don’t find funny in any way but it is probably a generational thing. They just seem overly fake to me.

Dick Emery and Benny Hill were vile, crude and unfunny. No natural wit at all.
Agree with 'Would I lie to you' - fast wit.

Love Kevin Bridges.

Comedy is definitely something personal isn't it? I've seen many great and well known stand ups aswell as unknown ones (on the TV anyway).
I've been disappointed by big names and laughed my socks off at less well known acts.
Swearing doesn't bother me at all if the joke/story is funny to me. According to my friends I have a dry sense of humour. I have been known to laugh at something in a movie theater that no one else is laughing at ?
(Better than talking through films....)
Its wonderful we all enjoy different things, it keeps actors and comedians in work all over the world!

David Mitchell, Romesh Ranganathan, Mickey Flanagan, all brilliant. We also like HIGNFY and Mock the Week. Can't stand Not Going Out though. I find it far too contrived. DH likes it though.

We saw Ken Dodd at Dudley Town Hall years ago. as others have said, no swearing, no smut and had everyone was rolling with laughter till well after midnight. You could tell he was enjoying himself and the audience did too.

Dave Allen was the one to make me laugh he was just so naturally funny about everyday things.
Teaching a child to tell the time was a classic

Two things that I would turn off are Mrs Brown’s Boys and anything with Keith Lemon in - horrible ,unkind man.

Father Ted was very funny but Mrs Browns Boys i just dont get.

I cannot stand Sarah Millican.

Also, Miranda Hart. All that falling over business she does.
It just isn’t funny.

I much preferred her as an actress in Call The Midwife.
I agree, the old comedies were the best.

MerylStreep

Jennifer Saunders doesn’t think Absolutely Fabulous would be acceptable now.

metro.co.uk/2021/06/16/jennifer-saunders-on-whether-absolutely-fabulous-could-be-made-today-14780052/

The majority of comedy from 20+ years ago wouldn't be made today for fear of upsetting the very delicate sensibilities it's fashionable purport to have! I like to watch Last of the Summer Wine, a bit of homesickness for the hills, but I doubt even that would make the cut although as a lot of the 'aggression' is aimed at the men, maybe it will.
The modern 'comedian' I loathe is that Canadian woman with the screechy voice, Katherine something or other, yes love, you have a vagina, we all know that, talk about something else sometime.

Iwtwab12bow

Radio 4 " comedy" is the worst. Apart from I'm Sorry l haven't a Clue. Many years ago we went to the Hay festival, the only tickets left were for Ken Dodd. We went thinking we could nip off to the pub if he got too corny. He was hilarious, we ached with laughing. He went on for hours . Just when we thought the show was at an end he said it was half time. You just don't get live humour like that anymore. Although if anyone hasn't seen one of Gervais Phinns stand up tours you are in for a treat.

My brother has a similar experience, they went on the wrong night and saw Bob Monkhouse instead of whoever they were supposed to see, apparently he was excellent, joke after joke.

We saw Victoria Wood in the very early days of her career, we drove from the NW, to Leeds then down to Felixstowe and we were still talking about it at 5am!

I can't say I like any of todays stand up comedians.
I'm a great fan of Peter Kay but he's not on tv anymore. I liked him in Phoenix Nights and Car share.
Victoria Wood was brilliant. I've got lots of her dvd's and Peter Kay's. A few weeks ago I watched a re-run of Dinner Ladies and found them just as funny as when I first watched them.
Lee Mack I like and Tim Vine who are both quick witted.
Never liked Billy Connelly or Dave Allen.
Loved Les Dawson especially the Cissie and Ada bits and when he played the piano out of tune.
I used to like Michael Barrymore. Ken Dodd and as already been mentioned, Joan Rivers.
You can't beat the 1970's - 80's comedy programmes.

Don't find todays standup comedians funny. I liked Dave Allen and thought Ken Dodd fantastic and he had a lovely voice. There do not seem to be shows like The two Ronnies and Monty Python or Not the Nine o Clock News these days. I do like I'm sorry I Haven't a Clue on the radio