'Absolutely delightful nonsense' | Time-travelling comedy magicians Morgan and West pick their Perfect Playlist

'Absolutely delightful nonsense'

Time-travelling comedy magicians Morgan and West pick their Perfect Playlist

Being the 19th Century's greatest practitioners of prestidigitation we have surprisingly late 20th/early 21st Century taste in comedy. So here's our Perfect Playlist: six bits of televisual mirth and merriment that we simply couldn't do without. They're in no particular order, that is to say the order they're written has no meaning other than we wrote them this way.

The Simpsons: You Only Move Twice

It's pretty much a fact that The Simpsons was the best in the mid-90s and in our opinion there is no better episode than You Only Move Twice. A brilliantly tight plot with lovely James Bond pastiches and the best visual gag in cartoon form – nothing like Hank Scorpio offering sugar, and then cream, from his pockets.

Oh, and it was only 2014 when visiting America on Superbowl Sunday did we get the Denver Broncos gag.

Eddie Izzard: Glorious

We love Eddie Izzard for his activism, his charity work, and of course for his amazing comedy. We could have listed six of his live tours here and been satisfied with our picks but if we have to narrow it down then it's Glorious for us.

Full of the classic lines we all know and love to quote the one that comes up most often in the Morgan & West Mobile (2005 Vauxhall Vivaro) is the encore about computers. That or Death Star Canteen from Circle.

The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear

Leslie Nielsen, a serious actor who discovered a new calling in deadpan comic timing. Give him a good script and he would do amazing things with it. It was a tough choice between this, Airplane, and Dracula: Dead And Loving It – but for sheer laughs per second Naked Gun 2½ wins out.

Every scene is crammed with visual gags, bags of craziness and downright nonsense all held together by Lieutenant Frank Drebbin, a fish out of water perfectly portrayed by Nielsen. Why is it so good? I can sum it up in three words – Quentin Hapsburg.

Toast of London

Yes, I can hear you Clem Fandango. Need I say more?

A modern classic. So bizarre while managing to keep everything working together to make absolutely delightful nonsense. And who can resist a series that brings back John Nettles and Paul Darrow?

Spaced

All of the pop culture references here speak to our teenage selves and we love adore the show for it. Once again regularly quoted in the van the best thing about the show for us is Marsha and Brian's relationship… of sorts. Guest appearances galore from British comedy greats and at the core of it all a heart of gold. Lovely wholesome viewing.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Although many would argue that Life of Brian is the pinnacle of Python, a special place is reserved in our hearts for the Holy Grail. In particular the scene with the Black Knight had Mr Morgan in stitches as a child (yes, he knows he shouldn't have seen it until the age of 15 but here we are) and we love how deeply unsatisfying the ending is.

• Morgan and West are on a UK tour, including dates at Wilton's Music Hall in London on April 24 to 28. Dates.

Published: 4 Apr 2018

Live comedy picks

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