Simon Amstell was a huge inspiration (when I became shift supervisor at Tie Rack)

Paul Campbell picks his comedy favourites

Paul Campbell is at the Edinburgh Fringe with his debut show, The Lost Tapes of Somerfield, all about the defunct supermarket chain. Here he picks his favourite comedy moments.

Victoria Wood

She’s my absolute comedy inspiration and I could easily have had all six choices be a Victoria Wood creation.

When I started comedy and would find myself going on in the fourth hour of some horrendous open mic night I’d listen to Victoria Wood at the earliest possible opportunity afterwards to restore my faith in comedy.

There seems to be an infinite list of her talents and abilities with the songs, sketches, stand up and sitcoms. I think my favourite thing about her is how her use of language reflects how people speak but at a genius level of hilarious lyricism no one else would be capable of ever capturing.

Despite the fandom she has, I still feel she isn’t fully recognised for her brilliance and, in particular, I think if Dinnerladies had been shot on film rather than in front of a studio audience it would be higher rated than pretty much any other sitcom.

As Time Goes By

This may not be the wisest thing to say as a comedian, but some of my favourite pieces of comedy don't make me laugh that much. As Time Goes By is my ultimate comfort watch, the comedy equivalent of Battenberg at your nan's house.

As a kid I was obsessed with these gentle feelgood comedies, with So Haunt Me and May To December being my other two favourites. When I revisited As Time Goes By as an adult I found it to be such beautiful escapism that I went through a two-year period where I watched it every night before bed with a glass of milk.

I think the acting talent of Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer is what elevates it above the rest of those types of shows. I do think the first two series in particular are genuinely funny and very moving, but like all the great 1990s sitcom couples like Ross and Rachel and Daphne and Niles, when Lionel and Jean finally got together their show lost some of its comedic tension though it didn't diminish the absolute joy of the next seven series.

The Larry Grayson Show opening monologues

I find it a huge injustice that Larry Grayson is rarely spoken about in the same breath as his contemporaries Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson and Morecambe and Wise. He's mainly associated with using a lot of innuendos and the catchphrase 'shut that door' but for me his real genius lay in the bits he said before the big punchlines where he focuses exclusively on the mundanity of his life.

In an era that pre-dated observational comedy when the vast majority of TV comedian's material consisted of stock jokes, I find it remarkable that he was opening a Saturday-night primetime show doing stand up that consisted of Alan Bennett-esque vignettes about soaking his feet in a basin of hot water, cleaning his front step and playing chess.

He creates a very vivid world with a cast of characters including Everard, Slack Alice, Apricot Lil and Non-Stick Nora, who he introduces as if he expects the audience to know them personally and he’s easily one of the biggest inspirations for how I've tried to develop my own comedy.

He got a lot of his material listening to his aunts speak, and him essentially using the voice of an elderly lady from Nuneaton in the 1950s further adds to his uniqueness.

Coronation Street: Pilot episode scene with Ena Sharples

In my slightly biased opinion, Coronation Street has provided some of the greatest comedy characters and moments in television history. I’d go so far as to say quite a few of its characters could easily lead their own sitcoms and it’s a real shame there’s only ever been one Corrie sitcom spin-off. I think because, as a soap, it has no real pressure to be funny, the humour comes very organically from really well-drawn characters rather than punchlines or set pieces.

The scene that makes me laugh the most is from the very first episode, when the formidable Ena Sharples pops into the Corner Shop to interrogate the new owner, Flora Lindley. I love the backstory that Violet Carson, who played Ena, was so unbearably like her character that she almost didn’t get cast. Her timing in this scene is perfect: every line comes at breakneck speed, and the whole exchange is slightly exhausting to watch but in the best possible way. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was a major influence on Leonard Rossiter.

To me, the dialogue is perfect with every line being hugely quotable but I think my favourite moment is when Ena casually asks Flora where's she's being buried.

Simon Amstell: Do Nothing

I feel like most of my favourite comedy is essentially northerners talking about biscuits but Simon Amstell has somehow become a hugely influential figure in my life.

As a student I was obsessed with his unlikely stint as a presenter on Popworld where he'd prick the pomposity of the music stars of the day like an indie sleaze Paxman. Seeing him thrive in a job he clearly wasn't suited for was a huge inspiration for me when I became shift supervisor at Tie Rack, but it was his special Do Nothing that was the sole inspiration for me wanting to do stand-up.

It was the first piece of confessional stand-up that really resonated with me because of how relatable his specific feelings of inadequacy were. I think loads of comedians, myself included, have started out with sets that are a very pale imitation of this special, but I don't think anyone has ever better explained this type of romantic awkwardness.

To me, the title joke about how his way of trying to start a relationship with someone he's attracted to is to do nothing and hope to see them again soon is the perfect stand-up bit.

Joe Pera Talks With You: Joe Pera Reads You the Church Announcements

With a persona as awkward, anorak-ish, and out of touch with society as Joe Pera’s, it would seem inevitable he'd verge on being tragicomic. Yet somehow, he's one of the happiest, most self-assured comedy creations ever.

In my favourite episode Joe hears The Who song Baba O’Riley for the first time—and spends the next three days listening to it on a loop and earnestly recommending a band called The Who to everyone he meets. Him dancing around the house in between ringing in requests to local radio stations is hilarious and I find it impossible not to get swept up in his joy.