Schalk Bezuidenhout's comedy favourites

South African comedian Schalk Bezuidenhout shares his Perfect Playlist of comedy favourites.

Hot Rod (2007)

Andy Samberg is my spirit animal, plain and simple. I love the guy!

Hot Rod is, for me, the perfect example of a movie where half of the gags you would read on paper and go 'this would never work'… and yet, it works! It more than works. It slaps! (if I remember correctly there are literally a few slaps in the movie).

I still can’t say 'whiskey' without saying it in the way Andy Samberg says it in the movie.

Anchorman (2005)

Surely the most quotable comedy of all time. You could walk into any conversation and yell out: ‘A whale’s vagina!’ and everyone would know exactly what you’re talking about. 

From a comedy perspective, it also shows that, yes, write a script to keep the producers happy. But on the day, the script should fly out the window and the movie would probably be better for it. 

Most of those scenes and lines that we all still quote today were improvised. Do yourself a favour and search on YouTube for the deleted scenes… and you’ll see that the actors said a different line in every take, and then they just chose the favourite in the edit. That’s personally how I love working!

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

In this movie, you don’t like the characters… you love them. Like really really love them like a weird cousin you see once a year, but you would punch someone if they messed with them! 

There are many comedy shows that are funny, but not always that many that are funny with a lot of heart. And if you can combine those two things, you have something special.

The Inbetweeners (2008)

Never have I seen my high school self so clearly in a comedy. Were we disgusting? Yes! Did we care? No! Would it fly AT ALL today? Also no. But don’t get me wrong, I don’t love it because ‘woke culture ruined good comedy’. I don’t feel that at all. 

I love it, because even though it is un-PC, it is realistic and accurate. Teenage boys are pigs. And the only thing we could hope for, is that men leave that behind in high school. Many do. Many don’t. But at least one good thing came from the disgusting behaviour of young boys: The Inbetweeners.

Louis CK: Hilarious (2010)

 I still don’t know if you are able to separate a person from their art. I think not. Ignition Remix is still a banger, but I probably won’t dance to it if it came on in the club.

 When the whole Louis CK bomb exploded a few years ago my first thought was: damn, I really want to keep watching his comedy. As a comedian, I love the way his brain works. It’s so fresh and I don’t know another comedian that sees things the same way he does. 

I find his comedy hugely inspiring, even though my own style is very different. And also quite simply, I’ve never watched comedy specials on TV that has made me laugh out loud harder than his specials. 

So once again, can you separate a person from their art? When it comes to Louis CK, I certainly try very hard to.

Hotel (2016)

This is an Afrikaans comedy from South Africa that I star in. You might think it’s vein to take a comedy to a desert island that features ME! Maybe, but I am taking this one more for the memories.

It was my first big professional job after university. Most of the actors I met on that set are now very close friends of mine. The director ended up being one of the groomsmen at my wedding. And shooting five seasons of this show is some of the best times of my life. I also do actually think we all did a pretty good job. And we’ve got some awards to prove it.

• Schalk Bezuidenhout: Crowd Pleaser is on at Pleasance Dome at 5.30pm during the Edinburgh Fringe.

Published: 7 Aug 2024