As he prepares to return to the Edinburgh Fringe with his new show, Bath Mat, Phil Elis picks his Perfect Playlist of comedy favourites.

Kevin Turvey: The Man Behind the Green Door

This was hands-down the video I watched the most growing up. It’s a mockumentary about Rik Mayall’s alter ego, investigative reporter Kevin Turvey. It’s just one of the funniest, most inventive, and strangely comforting (for me) things I’ve ever watched. 

I first came across Kevin Turvey in the early days of my obsession with Rik Mayall via a cassette tape of all the five-minute segments he did in the TV series A Kick Up The Eighties. They were the funniest, most surreal, and ridiculous observations of a man who would obsess over explaining every minute detail of a story no matter how bland or banal. 

The one-off TV special expanded his world by adding the brilliant Robbie Coltrane as an army deserter who was living in his house, his mum played by Gwyneth Guthrie and his mate Keith Marshall played by Ade Edmondson. 

You honestly have to seek it out, it’s got so many stand-out moments and I’ll never forget Robbie Coltrane sharing his feelings with, ‘You know what I miss most about being in the army?’ ‘What?’ ‘Sitting in my own mess.’

Vic and Bob’s Catterick

I remember being so excited to watch this when it came out. I was working at an airbags factory at the time and would rush back on my break to watch it again before heading back in. I couldn’t watch it live as it was only available if you had a digi-box so a friend’s parents would tape the show for me and I’d drive over the next day to pick it up. 

I love everything Vic and Bob have done together (and apart) and to me all their genius came together so perfectly to make the maddest, funniest ‘sitcom’ I’ve ever seen. 

Incredible support cast involving your friend and mine, the super-talented and wonderful Reece Shearsmith, Mark Benton and Morwenna Banks. If you want to watch something that’s unique, unpredictable and wonderfully mad, I couldn’t recommend it enough. 

Norm MacDonald: Me Doing Stand-Up

I loved Norm since I first saw his sitcom The Norm Show on TV. He seemed so different from other comedians in sitcoms, almost anti-acting and mocking the absurdity of the whole situation… comedy. 

As I got older I discovered him again with his stand-up special Me Doing Stand-Up and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a comedy special as funny before or since. 

I can pretty much quote every routine word-for-word because I’ve seen it so many times and it still makes me laugh as much as it did when I first saw it. You really should download it or watch it where you can because you’ll see a man with the funniest bones almost hiding the craftsmanship that went into each routine. 

I then became addicted to his YouTube show but when Netflix bought the rights they sadly left YouTube. I hope they release them all one day because watching Norm just do what he wanted on screen was a treat. Another sorely missed legend.

Steve Martin: The Man With Two Brains

Before I talk about this I’d like to give a shoutout to his incredible book (get the audiobook) Pure Drivel. A collection of all his articles from the New Yorker and other short stories. It’s unsurpassable. 

Anyway, back to my actual choice. 

My dad first taped this for me and my brother to watch when I was a kid and we all sat down to watch it, loved it and wondered why Dad fast-forwarded a few bits frantically. Later on, I also noticed all the wonderful jokes I hadn’t got as a younger man. ‘Oh that’s why he cracked a pane in the window when he stood too close to it’ being just one. 

Steve Martin, whose body of work is something to behold, is at his manic best here. The script never lets up and the way it looks and the simple but inspired storyline all collide to make a truly memorable film with so many quotes. ‘Get that cat out of here’, ‘into the mud scum queen!’ It’s fun, funny and another film that I watch on regular rotation.

Steve Coogan: Saxondale

Alan Partridge (as Coogan himself often says) is his most famous character and one that remained as hilarious and relevant as when we first met him. 

However, one of my favourite creations of his was the show Saxondale, where he plays an ex-roadie who now runs his own pest control business and has anger management issues. 

Ruth Jones delivers an incredible performance as his supportive life-partner and the always brilliant Morwenna Banks is a treat as the catty person who hands out the work to Tommy. The character and performance of Tommy Saxondale is just astounding, it has subtlety. From the slight twitch that starts when his anger levels are rising to the shift in body language as he tries to suppress his annoyance at someone or something. 

It’s a bit of a lost gem this one, and you really must seek it out if you haven’t already. 

The League of Gentleman’s Apocalypse

My love for the League of Gentleman is no secret and having the pleasure of working with Reece Shearsmith and being able to chat with him and Steve Pemberton is something I have to remind myself that 20-year-old Phil would have never imagined. 

I loved all the shows and series three was my go-to watch in my early twenties. Never before has a show had so many unique, grotesque, loveable and memorable characters with so many set pieces and moments that stick in the brain forever. 

So when the film came out, I couldn’t imagine how it would all translate to the big screen. The way they did it was inspired. It starts with a beautifully shot and creepy set up that’s very cinematic (and funny), glides into a collection of sketches similar to the opening of the first two series of the TV show before becoming a wonderfully creative, really quite moving at times meta approach to answering the question ‘what happens to these characters when they’re not being written about anymore?’

The town of Royston Vasey is being destroyed by an apocalypse of biblical proportions because the writers have moved on to new projects. So they go out to the real world to get the writers to create a film to keep them alive. I mean, I’m explaining it really badly but there’s so many interesting things going on here, the jokes come thick and fast and there’s some incredibly big laughs and moments to be enjoyed. 

My favourite part is when all the characters try to convince the writers that it could work as a film and draw on all the tropes of past sitcoms that have attempted to move to film. Pauline offering ‘what if we all go on holiday to Spain? Imagine this lot checking in!’ I think it’s an incredibly funny, thoughtful and hugely satisfying British comedy film that should go up there with some of the best.  

I just realised I’ve run out of choices, but I need to give a big shout out to the one and only Caroline Aherne so I’m going to keep going...

Caroline Aherne: The Royle Family

The fact that this may never have succeeded if Caroline Aherne hadn’t been brave enough to stick by her guns and demand it had no laughter track or studio audience is a testament to her vision and genius. 

I don’t think she gets the credit she deserves for changing the face of TV comedy to what it is now. Without her we wouldn’t have shows like The Office or any single-camera sitcom both here and beyond. 

It’s the show I’ve connected with the most on a personal level and for it to have so many grounded, yet unique characters makes the world so big, despite rarely leaving the living room. It reminds me of so many family moments with its ups and downs. With each character mocking each other so often and naturally while still radiating love and affection. It delivered big laugh after big laugh without ever feeling the need to go big in delivery and could suddenly slap you in the face with a scene that could melt your heart and have you sobbing. 

This show was consistently brilliant and Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash created something that will always remain special to so many people for a very long time. 

• Phil Elis: Bath Mat is on at Monkey Barrel Comedy at 13:55 from August 3