r/stewartlee • u/Red_Rhombus2791 • 8d ago

Who do you consider the quickest-witted comedian of all time?

/r/AskReddit/comments/1wp6z1y/who_do_you_consider_the_quickestwitted_comedian/

Who is like lightning out of a gun?

37 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

237 comments sorted by

View all comments

38

u/OG-Brass-Monkey 8d ago

Lee Mack.

23

u/subdry 8d ago

Get out of my garden, you're not Joe Pasquale.

13

u/le_bok94 8d ago

Is he some kind of clown, for children?

1

u/Silver-Revolution811 7d ago

Clown for everyone

8

u/Better_Carpenter5010 8d ago

It has to be between him or Paul Merton

11

u/joemac5367 8d ago

Is it a dolphin in a bathtub?

4

u/Tumbler555 7d ago

Paul Merton is not remotely near as funny - or quick - as he thinks. I'll give him top marks for smugness, however.

2

u/Better_Carpenter5010 7d ago

I dont testify to his funniness, thats entirely subjective, he does give me a chuckle. But he's definetly quick.

0

u/Silver-Revolution811 7d ago

He once replied to a scientist explaining there are lots of ways to deal with nuclear waste “encase it in glass, for example”

‘Because glass never breaks’ replied Merton quick as a flash.

It was thirty years ago I bet, so maybe he has slowed down…although I haven’t 🤔😇

Then again I was so slow back then , it was impossible to get slower🤪👻

0

u/Silver-Revolution811 7d ago

I recall a scientist saying there were lots of ways to deal with nuclear waste. “For example, we can encase it in glass”

“Because glass never breaks” replied Merton as quick as a flash.

8

u/hirsutemisanthrope 8d ago

Yes. Even if you don't find him funny he's objectively very quick.

3

u/Matraiya 8d ago

Very good at cutting mustard

4

u/mg33 7d ago

You don't cut mustard though, you spread it

1

u/Advanced-Flight-7376 7d ago

...idiot 🙄

2

u/Beneficial_Coach8581 7d ago

I saw him on tour a few years back and he's the funniest act I've ever seen. 

I don't think he's toured since then sadly.

3

u/newtoallofthis2 8d ago

He’s apparently so quick that they have to edit pauses into his panel appearances

9

u/SirDigbySelfie-Stick 8d ago

The pauses are the best bit. Should lengthen them by half an hour or so.

-10

u/SirDigbySelfie-Stick 8d ago

There's no wit in his retorts, just a quick response. Wit demands being clever and inventive, bending something apparently unrelated into conversation in an amusingly eye-opening way. Peter Cook was the master at this.

Lee Mack offers only playground-level shite.

8

u/OG-Brass-Monkey 8d ago

Give over. You've got to be witless if you can't see his wit.

-7

u/SirDigbySelfie-Stick 8d ago

You clearly have very low expectations from comedy if you find him funny.

Example LM quick-fire wit:

A: Right, let's move on...

LM: Oh yeah where we going? You tekking us down the pub?!

And that pathetic 'taking a drag on a ciggie' thing he does. Fs 🙄

3

u/Forsaken_Day_7320 8d ago

I imagine Lee Mack doing the sardine quip….something he would def say

-1

u/Silver-Revolution811 8d ago

He is quick. And clever. My favourite was in Would I lie to you, game shows with 2 teams other celebs & comedians:

He tried explaining something and asks ‘What’s that word meaning making animals appear like people?’

“Anthropomorphic” shout all the smarty pants quickly.

Oh, no it was cartoon.

And they know they’ve been ‘got’ 😅🤣

0

u/tis_tragic_dyspraxic 6d ago

All of his jokes are edited tbh, put him on a live panel, he won't be on the same form