Bo Burnham's Inside is one of the most impressive pieces of comedy I've ever seen

As she heads to the Edinburgh Fringe, musical comedian Amelia Hamilton picks her Perfect Playlist

Looking at this list, there is a theme. I've always been drawn to comedy that does more than one thing at once. Comedy that is funny, obviously, but also musical, emotional, theatrical or quietly thought-provoking. The work I've loved most has never been content with just landing a punchline. It makes you laugh, then rewards you for paying closer attention. These are the shows, films, songs and performers that shaped not only my sense of humour, but the kind of comedian I wanted to become.

Inside: Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham is my single biggest influence and Inside is one of the most impressive pieces of comedy I've ever seen. What I love about his work is that it demands something from its audience. You have to meet it halfway. The experience changes depending on what you're bringing to it and what you're willing to unpack. That's why I keep returning to it. Every viewing seems to reveal something new.

The first time I watched Inside, I was mesmerised by the production. It showed me how a comedy special could be a genuine piece of filmmaking. Then I found myself returning to the songs and discovering new jokes hidden inside the lyrics. Then new metaphors. Then entirely new interpretations of things I'd already heard.

It's something I aspire to in my own work: comedy that works on multiple levels. Ideally someone can enjoy it for the joke, then upon closer inspection recognise the other things you’ve buried.

The Headset Set: Radio 4

When my sister and I were growing up, our mum would download the Radio 4 Comedy of the Week onto our iPods. Most of them went slightly over my head. Then along came The Headset Set, a sitcom set in a call centre, and suddenly we were hooked.

We listened to it over and over again. To this day, my sister and I still quote lines from it at each other. ‘Take the ring road’ remains a phrase with absolutely no context to anyone else and enormous significance to us.

More than anything, I would love to find an episode of The Headset Set. I've scoured the internet and I cannot find it anywhere. If anyone can find it please let me know.

[Editor’s note: It is available as an audiobook on Google Play]

Wild’n Out

I love Wild 'n Out. For those philistines not aware it is essentially a comedy rap improv show. Think Whose Line Is It Anyway?, but instead of the anchor being strait-laced Clive Anderson you have the ex husband of Maria Carey, rapper Nick Cannon.

I was obsessed with it. I'd pause the show and imagine I was on it. I’d practise my Wildstyle rap at the end. My favourite person on the show is Justina Valentine. She is an incredible freestyle rapper and I adore her. Google her now. I mean it. She's impossibly quick, so smart, so funny and her flow is unmatched.

The Guilty Feminist

Long before podcasts became the cultural behemoths they are now, The Guilty Feminist was out there carving a path. What Deborah Frances-White created felt genuinely unique: a space where important conversations and big ideas could sit comfortably alongside genuinely funny comedy. It never felt like you had to choose between being thoughtful and being entertaining.

I went to a live recording a few years ago and the audience was full of smart, funny women who cared deeply about the same things I cared about. It felt energising and reassuring.

The podcast has also introduced me to countless comedians, writers and performers whose work I might never have discovered otherwise. More than anything, though, it showed me that comedy can be a place for connection as much as laughter. It is a Side Quest of mine to try and be on the podcast one day.

Little Miss Sunshine

My dad was a teacher and, for a while, he taught film studies. Every year he'd bring home the films on the syllabus and we'd watch them together. My dad would pause the films and give us lessons, asking us questions. Why had they shot it like that? What did that colour mean? What was the director trying to tell us?

One of those films was Little Miss Sunshine, and it remains my favourite film to this day. It's funny, heartbreaking and hopeful. What I love most is how it is many things at once. It's silly and profound. It has physical comedy alongside emotional heft.

It was another example of how comedy doesn't have to choose between making people laugh and making them feel something. When I'm driving to a gig, I'll sometimes put the soundtrack on. It makes me exhale very deeply.

Tim Minchin: Prejudice

My first introduction to Tim Minchin was when he hosted the Comedy Proms. Up until then, I'd never really seen anyone use music in comedy in quite that way. It was so smart and so funny.

The first song I saw was Prejudice (a big hit with my ginger sister). What struck me wasn't just how funny it was, but how brilliantly constructed it was. Tim Minchin could build an argument, hide jokes inside it and then pay everything off with a chorus you'd find yourself singing for weeks afterwards.

His influence is all over my work. He showed me that comedy songs could be more than novelty. They could have ideas, structure and genuine craft behind them.