The ultimate unsung hero of comedy

Rory Marshall picks his Perfect Playlist

Here is Rory Marshall’s!

The Compare The Market Meerkats

I always found it quite remarkable that the production managed to get this show commissioned, considering the unprecedentedly niche world of ‘comparison’ in comedy television had already been so beautifully exploited by the team behind Go Compare just months before.

Someone, somewhere took the risk of their lives in the name of ‘comparing things’ and on behalf of comedy fans around the world - thank you. Tastefully crafted Russian accents, animals in costumes, that catchphrase and of course a sensitive and stunning deep dive into the familiar world of comparing one thing to another.

Compare The Meerkat simultaneously warmed and broke our hearts. My only regret is that the episodes weren’t longer!

Churchill Dog

The pioneer of ‘dashboard comedy’ - a comedy set solely on the dashboard of a car. Back then it had never been done before and it begs the question ‘how was such a fruitful comedy environment not exploited sooner?’

As a comedy writer myself the dashboard comedy quite simply has it all - the slope for things to fall off, usually they are grey as they are inside a car (which is really funny) and they are often on the move so it means that things are way more likely to fall off.

Add yourself a wonderful talking dog character and you’ve got yourself one of the nation's favourite comedy TV shows. My only regret is that the episodes weren’t longer!

Pacman

I had always enjoyed silent movies but when I first watched Pacman I completely fell in love. The most charming character in the most charming story.

Chaplin and Keaton are favourites of my contemporaries but for me, ’man stands head and shoulders above the rest. A story with such relatable humour - the chase, eating the small balls, occasionally getting fruit and it paralysing the individuals that are chasing us and of course the silly sound that plays when we move. Pacman - possibly my favourite comedy of all time. My only regret is the episodes weren’t longer!

The Michelin Man

I often catch myself absolutely tearing my hair out in frustration when writing characters. Tangled up in nuance, back story, semantics, the ‘why?’.

Sometimes you have to take a step back, look in the mirror and say ‘you know what? What’s funny?’ and you know what’s funny? The Michelin Man. He’s big, he’s made completely of tires, he’s always smiling and waving - he’s perfect.

Stewart Lee told me that he wouldn’t be where he was now if it wasn't for the Michelin Man. To be completely frank, I don't think any of us would be where we are if it wasn’t for the Michelin Man. My only regret is the episodes weren’t longer!

The Paper Clip Office Assistant Avatar from Microsoft Word

As a character comedian I have my idols and none hold a more special place in my heart than the paper clip office assistant avatar from Microsoft Word. Just the most enchanting performance.

In the industry we still marvel at the transformation - from the most mundane piece of stationery to the world’s favourite comedy character, all within the constraints of a user assistance function on a piece of word processing software. My only regret is the episodes weren’t longer!

Zebra Crossings

I’ve always had a thing for unsung heroes, especially in the world of comedy and to me there is no hero more unsung than the zebra pedestrian crossing.

The average width stripe of a zebra is 4 cm – the average width of a stripe on a zebra crossing is 50cm. The stripes on a zebra crossing are 12.5 times the size of a regular zebra. That means that if we were to make an entire zebra out of the stripes on a zebra pedestrian crossing the zebra would be the same size as a house. Imagine the reality of meeting this thing. It would be unbelievable.

Every day we walk across these tiny cross sections of giant zebras like it’s nothing. The ultimate unsung hero of comedy, the ultimate comedy performance. My only regret is the episodes weren’t longer!

• Rory Marshall: Pathetic Little Characters is on at the Pleasance Courtyard at 6pm throughout the Edinburgh Fringe

Published: 18 Aug 2025