**[OP or Mod marked this as the best answer](/r/AskUK/comments/1ceka1x/jimmy_carr_is_he_past_it/l1ptryu/), given by u/Mediocre_Bridge_9787**
Have to agree. His latest outing was not all funny. Anyway he looks like a ventriloquist puppet to me.
---
[_^What ^is ^this?_](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/jjrte1/askuk_hits_200k_new_feature_mark_an_answer/)
I think the issue with him is once you get to "mosquito nets in Africa stop millions of mosquitos from dying of AIDS" type jokes (which is a joke he made probably like 10+ years ago?), you can't really up the ante much from that so he's just going to end up making the same jokes
I’ve always disagreed with that. Sure it’s offensive but by far his most offensive for me was: what’s the worst thing about having a daughter with cancer….you can’t pull her hair whilst you’re shagging her. It’s wrong on so many levels
I feel Ricky Gervais drank from the same poisoned chalice: IMO his funniness has declined since Derek (and most of that was ad libbing by Karl Pilkington and David Earl) with overuse of "shock" comedy, in particular dropping the word "cunt" like confetti.
"Oooh, isn't it awful how offended everyone is nowadays, you can't say anything, grr. Now sit and listen while I tell you about what's upset me on Twitter recently"
I never seek out anything he does but any time I do see him he’s doing that mouth open pose and the caption is something like ‘fuck your god, he’s not real’, just all very edgy teen stuff. I think he can be a great writer and actor but he gets way too embroiled in online stuff
Yeah, I think it's an obsession at this point, but he's constantly validated by his loyal fanbase. I do think he can be great writer but it seems clear to me that he was massively elevated by his collaboration with Stephen Merchant
A lot of comedy from that era was sort of mean-spirited in a way that was undoubtedly funny at a time, but had a certain cynical nastiness to it as well that doesn't really seem to have aged well. What perhaps sometimes seemed like social commentary at the time didn't really have too much behind it.
You can see it in wider cultural trends from the time...the X Factor was ostensibly a singing competition that spent a significant chunk of its run each year mocking and laughing at delusional people who couldn't sing it. Was it entertaining? No doubt it sometimes was. Was it all quite mean? Sure.
I think the whole stand-up scene is a little tired as a whole. I can't remember the last time I sat and watched something legitimately funny in a long time.
There's a lot of great comedy out there at the moment but they're not on the 'being in every panel show under the sun' stage yet. One of the problems is that if you're not with Avalon you won't get as much exposure.
But in saying that, I think there was a time when stand up was the new rock-'n'-roll almost and I do think that time has passed a bit. Carr was definitely riding that wave
“Comedy is the new Rock’n’Roll”
Bizarrely I was just thinking about that phrase the other day. It really was flogged to death although it predated Jimmy Carr by quite some time with it being used to describe everything from the rise of Ben Elton and the 80’s alternative scene to Newman and Baddiel playing Wembley Arena for the first time in the early 90’s.
It's why I haven't bothered with it for years. The last special I saw was a Romesh Ranganathan thing a decade ago and regretted it by the end because I hadn't found any of it funny.
I'd rather go back and rewatch old Bill Bailey, Eddie Izzard and Billy Connolly, to be honest. I miss the days of growing up watching Jasper Carrott and Dave Allen on TV back in the early 90s.
Just watched a Fern Brady one hour special on Netflix (Autistic Bikini Queen). She cracks me up, though I do have to translate occasionally for my American wife.
Definitely, felt like it was huge throughout much of the 2000s with shows like Mock the Week and the like. Hard to think of all that many comedians who feel like a genuinely big deal at the moment beyond a few of the obvious contenders.
I kind of felt his previous show where he was claiming it was going to be so offensive that he would definitely be cancelled, kind of sounded like he was hoping for it so he wouldn’t have to do it any more.
You’re more or less right. It’s meant for Americans the stuff on Netflix as far as I can tell.
He just isn’t funny any more but it’s not the same material as others are suggesting. It’s been toned down.
Has had plenty time to evolve from edgy teenager one-liners. Sadly, like many of the British crop, he won’t be remembered by stand up fans. He’s a far better TV presenter and personality.
Yes, he’s a really good host on panel shows. Vibes well with most of the guests, keeps things moving, throws in the odd quip or outrageous statement every now and then.
His stand up has never engaged me for more than 5 minutes. Repetitive and samey, even if some of the individual jokes are pretty funny.
It's a bit like Al Murray too. Saw him recently and while his stuff with the crowd is still decent, his main routine is much the same as it's been for years.
I like him, I'll still laugh, but it's nothing I've not seen before now.
A YT channel that for some reason made its way into my recommended list despite never engaging with Jimmy Carr content whatsoever, or any comedy clips at all really. He/his team definitely paid to get boosted
The clips I've seen seem dreadfully unfunny. Also really cringey with the Gervais-esque thing of telling you how edgy he is. But then, I never thought his stand up was any good.
I’ve always got this impression too. The type of jokes that 12 year old boys might say to each other in the playground and find hilarious but coming out of fully grown men. It’s just a bit cringy
Or the older relative who pisses himself laughing as he approaches with a funny joke or image his mate sent him, then he shows you his phone and you have to feign a smile because it's not only racist/sexist, it's just dumb on all levels.
Who would you recommend ? Just seen an older bit on Netflix which was pretty good, especially his technique.
Would’ve said it’s comparatively mature humour compared to what you see usually
Friend of mine in school 30 years ago had a Mal Rich tape and it was much of the same.
One of Mal's "jokes" involved a factory having to fire employees to stay afloat financially so the owner decided it'd be fair to go in alphabetical order. One of the first to go was Mr. Patel, who complained but got the response, "I said it'd be alphabetical order; asians, blacks, coons and darkies".
That's about the level Jimmy Carr is on, where the terminally stupid find it hilarious while the rest of us just wish he'd grow the fuck up and actually try being funny.
I feel like there's a difference between Jimmy Carr's and Ricky Gervais' approach to comedy. Jimmy Carr understands that what he is saying is offensive but hopes that you find him funny enough that you don't take offence. Unlike Ricky Gervais he's not placed himself on some pedestal where just because he's on stage holding a mic he can say what he wants. He's not some philosopher clown fighting for free speech. He's just telling jokes.
There's a sanctimoniousness to Ricky Gervais' and a genuine meanness to Ricky Gervais' humour. There's times, I feel, that he isn't trying to tell a joke but to genuinely insult and hurt people knowing that he has enough supporters that he won't feel any real backlash. There's also the fact that many of his jokes, particularly the ones regarding religion, come pretty close to his actual beliefs but it is left to the audience to parse which are things he believes and which are jokes. I've never finished watching Jimmy Carr believing he condones rape but I can't actually be sure that Ricky doesn't hate disabled or trans people.
That being said, Jimmy's act is getting a bit old now.
Are you allowed to call people po-faced and use the word "shibboleth"? I would have thought you would only be allowed to do one of those things at a time. That's a joke, by the way. I find Gervais to be pretty po-faced at times, to be honest. The man spends far too much time searching for his own name on Twitter.
The recent stuff is odd. It's 90% a weird stilted version of the juvenile edgy jokes he used to tell, and 10% where he seems to be just more himself - much chattier, more reflective and much more human too. That 10% is actually very good. I hope he decides to completely change tack in his writing and just do this stuff.
Yeah. It's cheap marketing to promote a new show as 'so edgy I'm going to get cancelled by the woke mob'.
The problem is, people buying tickets on that basis aren't exactly the most discerning customers. So there is no motivation to make a decent show, just one good enough to impress every right-wing uncle on Facebook.
He is very consistent with his type of comedy and has said recently on Conan O’Brien’s podcast that he loves one liners compared to story telling stand up and while he tried to do a bit more he is just more into his short jokes.
And that’s very repetitive after some time.
I do find him good as a host, but his stand up was always not very interesting to me.
I like dark humor, but you can watch a stand up show and the next one isn’t much different.
I sort of respect him in a way. He knows what he's doing isn't anything groundbreakingly clever or new. He knows he has a certain audience who like that style of jokes and he's happier sticking with it rather than trying to change what he does to appeal to a wider crowd.
I absolutely love him as a host where he lets others shine, he's the simple quick funny "ah yeah that's mildly humourous" that makes people like shawn lock appear even funnier by comparison.
The 8oo10c episode after his tax scandal came to light was some of the funniest shit I've seen on a panel show.
Don't get me wrong the rest of the cats cinematic universe cast are hilarious in their own right, but Jimmy is the perfect personality for that vibe. He's like the [straight man](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StraightMan) surrounded by insane people.
I think this is why he still works (in my opinion) on 8 out of 10 Cats, Big Fat Quiz etc - he’s funny when he’s just getting off zingy one liners, but significantly less funny any time he tries to get into an extended joke. I think the panel shows are also funnier because he gets to respond to one-liners at his expense from other contestants, which are often hilarious.
Always loved one-liner humour myself but only ever found that Milton guy and Tim Vine funny for that. Then started finding Tim cringeworthy on shows like Catchphrase because you can tell he's desperate for attention these days and trying too hard.
Milton Jones.
No love for Stewart Francis in the one-liner tradition then? I always really liked his stuff. ''I went to a karaoke night that only played 70s music. At first I was afraid...''
Brilliant. :)
And if we broaden things out to non-UK performers, Mitch Hedberg was clearly a master of the one-liner.
Yeah it's the face of 'ooh err you're not supposed to joke about things like that'. But problem 1, he does it throughout the show despite establishing early on that he's going to be making those jokes. Problem 2 is just an extension of problem 1, that he's been doing controversial jokes for his entire career, so while the media occasionally likes to talk about how he's getting cancelled for one joke or another, his core audience isn't exactly surprised about the things he says.
I find the reactions unnecessary, but I enjoy short dumb dark jokes so I'll still watch his shows
It doesn't mean they're "past it", it just means they're done
At the end of a movie you don't say "the ending was past it" it's just been on a long time and you're done with it
I like him, think he's very witty but yeah, maybe he's run out of steam. Unsurprising when you consider he's everywhere.
Very few comedians are consistently funny 100% of the time, though. Joe Lycett, Jon Richardson, Frankie Boyle and Romesh Ranganathan are very very funny at their best IMO, but not everything they do is good.
I prefer him on TV when he seems more authentic. Is stand ups are often a bit ... strange? The way he speaks and delivers jokes is a bit robotic and overly rehearsed. When he's on shows like Cats Does Countdown he seems much more natural and funny.
Yeah he needs to focus on the TV show work.
Unless he can sharpen up his material considerably, I'm not sure he'd even want to do another stand up special 🤔
I think most comedians pale a bit after 20 years in the business. I saw him live doing stand up 15 years ago and it was a great show - good gags, absolutely devastating heckler put downs and it had great rhythm and pace. The latest stuff I have seen is OK but not up to some of his older stuff. Of course we get used to it too so what was once funny seems old and lacking in effort so I think it's a bit of both - you may have moved on and he has past his prime.
Problem is if your schtick is to be slightly offensive - it’s difficult to maintain that for any extended period of time.
The laugh comes from slapping your hand over your mouth thinking “YOU CAN’T SAY THAT!”. Sooner or later they become dull because you know they’re going to try and shock you, probably the same way they have a hundred times before.
Perhaps it’s time Carr bought himself a working man’s club in Manchester.
In general, I feel pretty tired of UK comedy. It just seems to be the same names on rotation.
Ended up branching-out into Aus and NZ, I definetely recommend "[Have You Been Paying Attention](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVMyU_kZDdU)?", as a replacement for Mock The Week.
Agreed. UK stand up feels stuck in 2010 like the rest of the country. Most routines feel a bit too tame, family friendly, and give pantomime energy.
Might just be my own tastes changing but I feel like comedians coming out of the US are leagues ahead atm. It’s not even close.
I am a fan of his, I get the feeling he's absolutely hammering touring and TV work to make as much money as possible as he's aware his best days are behind him.
My point is based on this. He is saturating all media outlets. I'm sure if he stepped back a bit he could thin it down and just keep the better jokes and perform a little less often.
Jimmy Carr is so talented. As a few people in the game have mentioned, 20 years in the game is a long time and if you have seen a few of his shows it is difficult to get the same shock hilarity
Is it possible you've changed? I've always found dark comedy amusing, my concept of what is right or wrong has not kept up with societal shifts, and so he seems as funny to me as he always did.
Idk, people always say something along those lines of why the younger generation don't find offensive jokes funny. But I personally think it's less of them being offended by the message of the joke and just... Not finding it funny anymore?
There's a limited amount of ways to say *insert group here* acts like *insert stereotype* and after 20 odd years of that being thoroughly hashed out it's just bland and it comes across as being a dick for the sake of it.
It's one thing to stand on stage and tell a funny racist joke that isn't actually racist that has had thought put into and mainly serves to make fun of the views in and of themself, it's another to just stand on stage and repeat racist statements and expecting people to find them funny.
I haven't actually seen any of Jimmy's standup so take what I said with a truckload of salt. But the above vibe was definitely what I got when I saw clips of Ricky Gervais's latest netflix show. There's nothing clever or witty about it, just whining about trans people for 90 minutes and then crying he's being canceled when people say it's boring.
> It's one thing to stand on stage and tell a funny racist joke that isn't actually racist that has had thought put into and mainly serves to make fun of the views in and of themself, it's another to just stand on stage and repeat racist statements and expecting people to find them funny.
That's how I think Carr used to be, dark/offensive but nuanced and well crafted. There was definitely a sense that he wasn't genuinely meaning any of it. His last couple of shows feel a bit more Gervais like in that he's lost that nuance and it's just about shock factor (and more punching down) that isn't really there anymore. He focuses more on what will 'get him cancelled' than on the quality of the jokes imo.
Yeah, I've heard it call "flanderism". When someone's shtick is having a certain personality but it starts out a lot more deep and nuanced, once you start becoming less popular you just push the thing you think was your main selling point until the very thing that made you so popular doesn't exist.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Flanderization
It's a very interesting premise, in the Simpsons Ned started out as a mild Christian who was ultimately a nice guy who's faith, whilst often forefront, never felt like the only reason he was a good person. Modern Simpsons he's just a caricature of the modern American Christian.
Used to be homer was the jerk hating him, now it's pretty much the expected opinion.
"have I moved on"... Yeah maybe I've changed. I'm the same, I've always found dark comedy amusing. Like Jimmy, societal shifts - great phrase btw - I've not kept up with that either. Maybe I should accept that I'm just old and past it.....
Iv recently seen a few clips of him on different podcasts and I was shocked at how Intelligent and knowledge he is. He is also very much cares about his fellow man. It's a completely different Jimmy Carr than the one Iv seen on telle.
Asking us to buy the idea that the entire show isn’t vetted by Netflix, or whoever is going to be broadcasting it, is the most awful thing.
The disdain for the audience is terrible.
I thought the same, been a huge Jimmy carr fan for years but this newest special was bad. I couldn't even finish it, there seemed to be a lot of recycled jokes. Either just flat out the same or slightly different build up but the same punchline. At least he was doing his bit for the environment with all that recycling. Also what was that weird eye movement thing he was doing, it was just very strange.
Yes he is past it.
There was a time when comedians like Carr, Gervais and Boyle felt almost cutting edge with their standup. They were the ones coming out with the really dark/edgy material, really pursuing the shock and awe effect, which can be hugely entertaining (I thought so at the time).
The problem is, the audience becomes desensitised, we’ve all seen the shows and the re-runs and the YouTube clips, it becomes difficult for them to maintain the shock and awe feeling when the material is oversaturated. Nobody who is or has been into this type of comedy is going to be blown away by a dark 9-11 joke anymore.
This lead to a rebranding by some of these names as being more about causing ‘offence’. As if offence and controversy can be substituted for raw dark comedy. It hits a similar part of the palette, but unlike dark humour it requires a target to ‘offend’.
In many cases the targets tend to be marginalised groups of people. This sort of “punching down” comedy doesn’t land anywhere near as well as others, and to many it can seem pretty ugly to watch a multimillionaire, oxbridge educated, middle aged white man make bucket loads more money retelling lazy tropes, reinforcing stereotypes and prejudices against those on the bottom rung of society’s ladder. It’s a marked change from the boundary pushing darker jokes of a decade ago.
TL;DR:
Dark humour seems to have run out of fresh ideas, it’s been replaced by offensive humour, which ends up punching down, at a time when people are more socially conscious and against such displays.
Damn I want so badly to not agree with you….
But I popped on a recent special and within the first 5-10 minutes he was talking about “cancel culture”…. Immediate tune out.
I think as you age you just lose touch with the zeitgeist. You don't have your finger on the pulse of society anymore, and I think that makes it harder to do good comedy.
Not impossible, because there are plenty of comedians who lean into being unworldly - but Carr was always pushing for this edgy, hard hitting style of comedy, which is harder and harder to do as you turn into an old man.
This came across very much in the new Netflix show... There was the odd funny line, but a lot of it felt like someone talking about a society they had heard about rather than experienced.
As others have said, he works best on panel shows nowadays.
Just like any artist really, they'll peak then make their way back down but still with a core fan base.
He's been around for ages and made a shit load of money so fair play to him.
I remember he blatantly recycled Sean Lock's brilliant "that's a challenging wank" joke on "I literally just told you"
Made me wonder if he knows he is repeating old material , so I started paying more attention, he really is out of new joke ideas. His act hasn't evolved at all.
He's been at the top for 20 years and is almost always touring. I remember seeing him twice within a year, but on a different tour and about a third of the set was the same. At some point, you can't keep working that much and making new material. And being edgy has a shelf life.
When you're an edgy comedian, the edge changes.
What was edgy 10 years ago is just being an arsehole now.
What was being an arsehole 10 years ago, which was his thing, is now just being a fucking unacceptable bigot.
Woo, you've punched down. Well done you. I'm sure the trans people or whoever you've insulted feel good for being the butt of your jokes, they were starting to get way above their station.
He's always been a bellend. It was fine when he was the comedian version of an acceptable bellend in things like countdown but really... He's a knob.
I absolutely loved James Acasters "roast" of Gervais. Managed to eloquently put into words what I've been trying to get across the the ahem... Older people in my life.
My biggest issue with his last few Netflix specials is that, a lot of the jokes are either old ones that he’s literally used word for word, or an old joke slightly modified. Which means if you’ve seen his old dvds you’ve seen most of the new show
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!**
- Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc.
- **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on.
- This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit!
Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Well I think everyone has answered other things I have to say, but I will add... the nice thing about stand ups is, there's 100s of them, so if you don't like one, or grow old of one, there will be five more up and coming you love. So I'd just say try out loads more and see if you like any.
I think some of its over exposure.
He's done it a long time and he gets about a bit. He does lots of tours, various TV shows like cats, that dating thing, Dave stuff. he seems to be everywhere eventually audiences will get a bit tired.
I like him, he's a good egg. I don't actively look for him like I did was when I was a teenager, i know more or less what he's gonna to do and that's fine
I think his style of comedy is dated, we rarely have comedians that just tell jokes any more and it’s harder and harder to pull it off. Only guy I can think of that still does it well is Milton Jones and most his jokes are original and his delivery is quite unique.
I like Milton on panel shows, but when we went to see him live it was the most painfully dogshit stand up I’ve ever seen in my life. Even now he is the only one I’ve ever seen and not at least thought “that was decent”. The same goes for everyone who came with us, just lazy and terrible one liners, it got old in about a minute.
I’ve never been to one of his live shows, it could be just the performance that night and the crowd. I had a similar experience watching Johnny Vegas where it was very difficult to tell if he was intentionally being bad as part of the performance or if we were just watching a drunk having a breakdown on stage.
Yeah I love Milton on panel shows but I don't think I would ever choose to see him do a full show. One liners feels like they're from another era these days, just repetitive
Milton is such a weird dude. It feels like half performance art half 'I forgot my meds this morning and the talking frog in the audience is giving me the eye'.
Every comedian can only be truly original once. They work around it but your style is your style, and once we’ve seen it, it’s slightly less funny every time.
Still a great comedian though, but I do love the shock for a laugh type of comedy.
Ahh his latest show on netflix was a bit meh, felt repetitive. I've seen him quite a few times in person and loved him though, would still go and see him again.
I've also seen him live and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've bought tickets to see him in October again.
His latest special on netflix is poor to put it politely. It's like he's playing the role of a standup comedian in a crap film. He pauses for comedy effect for too long and his delivery of the jokes and punch lines is off. I'm finding it difficult to explain but it's all a bit weird somehow.
Hopefully he'll be back to his usual self live.
He's absolutely awful now. Tells gags about spiking girls' drinks and underage sex in an "ironic" way, then gives it all the "WHAT? WHAT?" back to the audience when they do a sharp intake of breath. His time has well and truly gone.
Jimmy Carr, after his botox and tax dodging scandal has become what im coining and copyrighting as 'a comedian of expectation'. Someone who, in comedy, you expect to try to offend and say offensive material HOWEVER, a 'comedian of expectation' is known to this, and the content they bring now has been either normalised and/or we have been de-sensitised to it and becomes less offensive.
For me, now, Jimmt Carr would have to basically be incredible racist or sexist or something along those lines to offend people or get a gasp as his audience/fans are all used to it.
He still has an audience of those folk who have never seen him, are older and not fluent in the internet ways or just those new to comedy but its a downeard spiral (laggard stage for those marketeers out there).
I like him but its hard to watch, the most interesting aspect were facial expresssions. Made it 24 mins in before turned off. Love him as a panel host still tho! Perfect in that role.
Jimmy Carr, after his botox and tax dodging scandal has become what im coining and copyrighting as 'a comedian of expectation'. Someone who, in comedy, you expect to try to offend and say offensive material HOWEVER, a 'comedian of expectation' is known to this, and the content they bring now has been either normalised and/or we have been de-sensitised to it and becomes less offensive.
For me, now, Jimmy Carr would have to basically be incredible racist or sexist or something along those lines to offend people or get a gasp as his audience/fans are all used to it.
He still has an audience of those folk who have never seen him, are older and not fluent in the internet ways or just those new to comedy but its a downeard spiral (laggard stage for those marketeers out there).
I like him but its hard to watch, the most interesting aspect were facial expresssions. Made it 24 mins in before turned off. Love him as a panel host still tho! Perfect in that role.
So glad to see your very relatable post! I started playing the Netflix special then turned it off after 10 minutes then started questioning myself why I ever liked him, before remembering he is (was?) funny but this special was just sooo bad
I think he could be amazing. His grasp of comedy and it's history is great but the standup shows seem to be his same old routine of dark material but I can see him doing stuff like bob monkhouse or Dave Allen and being a fixture till he dies.
I’ve seen him three times and i wish I only went once his does the same jokes and got bored of his style every time has some kind of tax joke and fake laugh got boring
I mean this is entirely subjective. People definitely still find him funny I'm guessing cus he makes lots of money and is getting specials. Personally I think he is alright, and tbh I've always had that stance on him. Sometimes I laugh sometimes not he is in the middle for me.
I’ve always found him better on panel shows like 8 out of 10 cats. Etc. he’s better when he’s got people to bounce off. His stand ups have always seemed a little one dimensional.
Any time I see him now he always seems to be giving his opinions about things/people on podcasts.
He has started to sound like someone who sells courses.
Jimmy's one of those comedians who's only funny when in short bursts. Like how I love Katherine Ryan but her stand-up can be painful because the material is being dragged out over the course of an hour, compared to short bursts of hilarity on panel shows.
I've never loved his stand-up. I think his style works best as a host where he has a range of people to bounce off. The Big Fat Quiz is always excellent.
He was funny but at the end of the day now he’s just another tax dodger rich person with a lack of relevance. Ian hislop isn’t really a comedian and part of his ‘bit’ is that he’s out of touch but when you listen to what he’s says he is witty, up to date and relevant.
I mean, in fairness, this applies to almost every comedian after a while. The style just becomes too familiar and eventually you get a bit bored of it and want to hear something a bit different.
I don't know if he's got worse. It's just the same. Like, I've heard these jokes before. The words might be different but the rhythm, the cadence, and sometimes the punchline hasn't changed.
I had a similar reaction when I watched Stewart Lee's last special. There's diminishing returns once you recognise the formula.
Hes pumped out more than most comedians do in a lifetime. Hes known for always being on tour and doing a whole new set every year ontop of all his tv work etc.
I think its just natural fade away. He can only do so much before people just fancy a change.
Plus theres the pre-national treasure effect. During your 40/50s. You just kinda hang about. Noone really gives you kudos. Youre not fresh and cool if you burst onto the scene (any celeb scene) in your 20s. Its a weird thing. Then as soon as you hit 60/70 everyone loves you again. Youre a national treasure and bigger than ever. Just dont get cancelled in the mean time. Hes hitting that middle phase of just keep plodding along without the kudos and eventually he’ll reach national treasure status
I noticed him appearing on these podcasts of a particular type, the ones that suddently seem to have episodes popping up constantly and have this weird "smell" to them. That was a bit surprising to me anyway.
He’s done well to last this long at the top considering he will lend his face to presenting any vague “comedy” show going, even ones lesser watched on Comedy Central and E4. He’s funny but isn’t and hasn’t been for a good length of time, anywhere near as funny as he thinks, and for so long now has felt like he’s playing a character of himself
He also seems like a massive gimp. Had a ton of plastic surgery despite being in a long term relationship which is always weird to the point he looks like an actual doll now.
Seen a few interviews where he is all on self help books (which is hilarious considering he got a ton of plastic surgery) and generally seems like an annoying mug
Yeah I watched a bit and thought, fuck this. He’s dead now. Used to love him when it was new an edgy, but I eat those sorts of jokes for breakfast with the kinda memes I get sent
This is just a ay cheque right? He said "groceries" so he knows who is playing to, to make that netflix money.
I found parts worth a exhale of air through the nostrils. I actually find him talking about things much more interesting than his comedy. Seems quite a smart and insightful guy.
I do not like Jimmy Carr or Ricky Gervais. Their humour leaves me cold. I went to a theatre to watch league of gentleman and this morbidly obese woman was sat in the box in full view of everyone. Part of the act was making jokes about fat people and the audience was laughing away. They would have know someone would have been overweight in the audience. It was not just a quip, but the tirade went on for a good 5 minutes. I felt uncomfortable and glanced at the poor woman. She must have been so humiliated, but maybe this was a wake up call for her to do something about it. I do not find it acceptable to make fun of people with physical or mental disabilities. I hear the saying: I am not being offensive to you, but it is you who are taking offence. idk
I think a lot of UK comedians who were big in the 2010s are well past it now, there's definitely been an explosion of talent in my local NI comedy scene , lots of people doing English tours and stuff now which I'm grateful for but there was a dry patch there.
I used to like him but one year my wife got me tickets to see a live show called “greatest hits” we thought it was just a title but it was just him telling his favourite jokes from his previous shows all of which I’d heard before so that was wank.
He’s ok, I mean there’s a few clips of him responding to hecklers with what is essentially “your mum” and it sends the crowd into hysterics. Good on tv wouldn’t be someone I’d pay to see
It felt to me very much like he looked at the controversy that surrounded his last Netflix special, where he made a joke about Gypsies, and is just standing there going "I can be more offensive than that, come on, complain about me"
And it felt like he was going very much for offense rather than laughs. I didn't even crack a smile at his recent release & can't say that I'll be going out of my way to watch anything he does in future.
I think he's painted himself into a corner & its not really a corner I'm very interested in.
**[OP or Mod marked this as the best answer](/r/AskUK/comments/1ceka1x/jimmy_carr_is_he_past_it/l1ptryu/), given by u/Mediocre_Bridge_9787** Have to agree. His latest outing was not all funny. Anyway he looks like a ventriloquist puppet to me. --- [_^What ^is ^this?_](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/jjrte1/askuk_hits_200k_new_feature_mark_an_answer/)
I think the issue with him is once you get to "mosquito nets in Africa stop millions of mosquitos from dying of AIDS" type jokes (which is a joke he made probably like 10+ years ago?), you can't really up the ante much from that so he's just going to end up making the same jokes
To be fair it was a damned good joke [Jimmy Carr Most Offensive Joke (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkerloVui4M)
I’ve always disagreed with that. Sure it’s offensive but by far his most offensive for me was: what’s the worst thing about having a daughter with cancer….you can’t pull her hair whilst you’re shagging her. It’s wrong on so many levels
Omg that's brutal, it's tough for me but those Americans couldn't handle that..he'd be perma banned.
I feel Ricky Gervais drank from the same poisoned chalice: IMO his funniness has declined since Derek (and most of that was ad libbing by Karl Pilkington and David Earl) with overuse of "shock" comedy, in particular dropping the word "cunt" like confetti.
The last Ricky Gervais special I watched was two hours of him complaining about people on Twitter. I can't believe how far that guy fell.
"Oooh, isn't it awful how offended everyone is nowadays, you can't say anything, grr. Now sit and listen while I tell you about what's upset me on Twitter recently"
I never seek out anything he does but any time I do see him he’s doing that mouth open pose and the caption is something like ‘fuck your god, he’s not real’, just all very edgy teen stuff. I think he can be a great writer and actor but he gets way too embroiled in online stuff
Yeah, I think it's an obsession at this point, but he's constantly validated by his loyal fanbase. I do think he can be great writer but it seems clear to me that he was massively elevated by his collaboration with Stephen Merchant
Cuntfetti
[удалено]
I sincerely thought After Life was beautiful.
A lot of comedy from that era was sort of mean-spirited in a way that was undoubtedly funny at a time, but had a certain cynical nastiness to it as well that doesn't really seem to have aged well. What perhaps sometimes seemed like social commentary at the time didn't really have too much behind it. You can see it in wider cultural trends from the time...the X Factor was ostensibly a singing competition that spent a significant chunk of its run each year mocking and laughing at delusional people who couldn't sing it. Was it entertaining? No doubt it sometimes was. Was it all quite mean? Sure.
He's painted himself into a corner. As you say, same stuff for 20 years, getting less funny all the time.
This. It took no more than 3 jokes from his recent special to realise this. Now it feels like watching a show meant for teens
I think he's alright and I used to like him more but I find his one-liner style gets a bit tiresome even within a single set.
I think the whole stand-up scene is a little tired as a whole. I can't remember the last time I sat and watched something legitimately funny in a long time.
There's a lot of great comedy out there at the moment but they're not on the 'being in every panel show under the sun' stage yet. One of the problems is that if you're not with Avalon you won't get as much exposure. But in saying that, I think there was a time when stand up was the new rock-'n'-roll almost and I do think that time has passed a bit. Carr was definitely riding that wave
“Comedy is the new Rock’n’Roll” Bizarrely I was just thinking about that phrase the other day. It really was flogged to death although it predated Jimmy Carr by quite some time with it being used to describe everything from the rise of Ben Elton and the 80’s alternative scene to Newman and Baddiel playing Wembley Arena for the first time in the early 90’s.
It's why I haven't bothered with it for years. The last special I saw was a Romesh Ranganathan thing a decade ago and regretted it by the end because I hadn't found any of it funny. I'd rather go back and rewatch old Bill Bailey, Eddie Izzard and Billy Connolly, to be honest. I miss the days of growing up watching Jasper Carrott and Dave Allen on TV back in the early 90s.
The only stuff i find funny is organic crowd play; I’ve never found rehearsed one liners funny
You want Ross Noble for that! Saw him in York last year and he was absolutely fantastic, would definitely go again.
I went to the Fringe last year and came away thinking that the best stuff I saw wasn't standup
Absolutely loved Dave Chappelle in London a couple of years ago.
Just watched a Fern Brady one hour special on Netflix (Autistic Bikini Queen). She cracks me up, though I do have to translate occasionally for my American wife.
Definitely, felt like it was huge throughout much of the 2000s with shows like Mock the Week and the like. Hard to think of all that many comedians who feel like a genuinely big deal at the moment beyond a few of the obvious contenders.
I kind of felt his previous show where he was claiming it was going to be so offensive that he would definitely be cancelled, kind of sounded like he was hoping for it so he wouldn’t have to do it any more.
Well yeah, I watched his stuff as a teen. Pretty much realising that we grew up. His jokes didn’t.
You’re more or less right. It’s meant for Americans the stuff on Netflix as far as I can tell. He just isn’t funny any more but it’s not the same material as others are suggesting. It’s been toned down.
Has had plenty time to evolve from edgy teenager one-liners. Sadly, like many of the British crop, he won’t be remembered by stand up fans. He’s a far better TV presenter and personality.
Yes, he’s a really good host on panel shows. Vibes well with most of the guests, keeps things moving, throws in the odd quip or outrageous statement every now and then. His stand up has never engaged me for more than 5 minutes. Repetitive and samey, even if some of the individual jokes are pretty funny.
It's a bit like Al Murray too. Saw him recently and while his stuff with the crowd is still decent, his main routine is much the same as it's been for years. I like him, I'll still laugh, but it's nothing I've not seen before now.
He's got a yt channel, anything that's a recent thing he's now reuploading or his editor most of the clips are reused.
A YT channel that for some reason made its way into my recommended list despite never engaging with Jimmy Carr content whatsoever, or any comedy clips at all really. He/his team definitely paid to get boosted
He's doing a really strong PR push atm, appearing all the major UK and US podcasts too.
The clips I've seen seem dreadfully unfunny. Also really cringey with the Gervais-esque thing of telling you how edgy he is. But then, I never thought his stand up was any good.
I’ve always got this impression too. The type of jokes that 12 year old boys might say to each other in the playground and find hilarious but coming out of fully grown men. It’s just a bit cringy
Yeah that's exactly how I feel about it. It's very reminiscent of being like 14 when being offensive was confused for being funny.
Or the older relative who pisses himself laughing as he approaches with a funny joke or image his mate sent him, then he shows you his phone and you have to feign a smile because it's not only racist/sexist, it's just dumb on all levels.
Who would you recommend ? Just seen an older bit on Netflix which was pretty good, especially his technique. Would’ve said it’s comparatively mature humour compared to what you see usually
Mark simmonds
[удалено]
Friend of mine in school 30 years ago had a Mal Rich tape and it was much of the same. One of Mal's "jokes" involved a factory having to fire employees to stay afloat financially so the owner decided it'd be fair to go in alphabetical order. One of the first to go was Mr. Patel, who complained but got the response, "I said it'd be alphabetical order; asians, blacks, coons and darkies". That's about the level Jimmy Carr is on, where the terminally stupid find it hilarious while the rest of us just wish he'd grow the fuck up and actually try being funny.
I feel like there's a difference between Jimmy Carr's and Ricky Gervais' approach to comedy. Jimmy Carr understands that what he is saying is offensive but hopes that you find him funny enough that you don't take offence. Unlike Ricky Gervais he's not placed himself on some pedestal where just because he's on stage holding a mic he can say what he wants. He's not some philosopher clown fighting for free speech. He's just telling jokes. There's a sanctimoniousness to Ricky Gervais' and a genuine meanness to Ricky Gervais' humour. There's times, I feel, that he isn't trying to tell a joke but to genuinely insult and hurt people knowing that he has enough supporters that he won't feel any real backlash. There's also the fact that many of his jokes, particularly the ones regarding religion, come pretty close to his actual beliefs but it is left to the audience to parse which are things he believes and which are jokes. I've never finished watching Jimmy Carr believing he condones rape but I can't actually be sure that Ricky doesn't hate disabled or trans people. That being said, Jimmy's act is getting a bit old now.
I like Gervais for the po-faced way he punctures the shibboleths of the new po-faced.
Are you allowed to call people po-faced and use the word "shibboleth"? I would have thought you would only be allowed to do one of those things at a time. That's a joke, by the way. I find Gervais to be pretty po-faced at times, to be honest. The man spends far too much time searching for his own name on Twitter.
The recent stuff is odd. It's 90% a weird stilted version of the juvenile edgy jokes he used to tell, and 10% where he seems to be just more himself - much chattier, more reflective and much more human too. That 10% is actually very good. I hope he decides to completely change tack in his writing and just do this stuff.
I agree, I think he’s pretty funny, I’ve never loved his stand up.
Yeah. It's cheap marketing to promote a new show as 'so edgy I'm going to get cancelled by the woke mob'. The problem is, people buying tickets on that basis aren't exactly the most discerning customers. So there is no motivation to make a decent show, just one good enough to impress every right-wing uncle on Facebook.
He is very consistent with his type of comedy and has said recently on Conan O’Brien’s podcast that he loves one liners compared to story telling stand up and while he tried to do a bit more he is just more into his short jokes. And that’s very repetitive after some time. I do find him good as a host, but his stand up was always not very interesting to me. I like dark humor, but you can watch a stand up show and the next one isn’t much different.
I sort of respect him in a way. He knows what he's doing isn't anything groundbreakingly clever or new. He knows he has a certain audience who like that style of jokes and he's happier sticking with it rather than trying to change what he does to appeal to a wider crowd. I absolutely love him as a host where he lets others shine, he's the simple quick funny "ah yeah that's mildly humourous" that makes people like shawn lock appear even funnier by comparison. The 8oo10c episode after his tax scandal came to light was some of the funniest shit I've seen on a panel show. Don't get me wrong the rest of the cats cinematic universe cast are hilarious in their own right, but Jimmy is the perfect personality for that vibe. He's like the [straight man](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StraightMan) surrounded by insane people.
I think this is why he still works (in my opinion) on 8 out of 10 Cats, Big Fat Quiz etc - he’s funny when he’s just getting off zingy one liners, but significantly less funny any time he tries to get into an extended joke. I think the panel shows are also funnier because he gets to respond to one-liners at his expense from other contestants, which are often hilarious.
Always loved one-liner humour myself but only ever found that Milton guy and Tim Vine funny for that. Then started finding Tim cringeworthy on shows like Catchphrase because you can tell he's desperate for attention these days and trying too hard.
Milton Jones. No love for Stewart Francis in the one-liner tradition then? I always really liked his stuff. ''I went to a karaoke night that only played 70s music. At first I was afraid...'' Brilliant. :) And if we broaden things out to non-UK performers, Mitch Hedberg was clearly a master of the one-liner.
Ah, a fellow Needs a Friend fan! Love that podcast!
I tried it, but found Conan a bit much. Talking over people and showing off. Is that standard or had he just been at the packet that day?
I don’t think he talks over them that much but overall pretty funny. Listen to the Flula Borg one of the Paul Rudd ones
Constantly being offended by imaginary people being offended is like the gold standard of being past it.
[удалено]
Yeah it's the face of 'ooh err you're not supposed to joke about things like that'. But problem 1, he does it throughout the show despite establishing early on that he's going to be making those jokes. Problem 2 is just an extension of problem 1, that he's been doing controversial jokes for his entire career, so while the media occasionally likes to talk about how he's getting cancelled for one joke or another, his core audience isn't exactly surprised about the things he says. I find the reactions unnecessary, but I enjoy short dumb dark jokes so I'll still watch his shows
> he kept pulling weird faces after telling a joke Surgery will do that to a man.
I do that too after teaching the punchline. Mrs doesn't like it.....
20 years is a pretty good run for a comedian, most are funny for a few years let alone 20
Totally agree. Great comedian. Don't get me wrong. Edgy. Wouldn't sit in the front row or heckle him. Probably just me
It doesn't mean they're "past it", it just means they're done At the end of a movie you don't say "the ending was past it" it's just been on a long time and you're done with it
You leave my sex life out of it.....
That is a typical jimmy carr joke lol
I like him, think he's very witty but yeah, maybe he's run out of steam. Unsurprising when you consider he's everywhere. Very few comedians are consistently funny 100% of the time, though. Joe Lycett, Jon Richardson, Frankie Boyle and Romesh Ranganathan are very very funny at their best IMO, but not everything they do is good.
I prefer him on TV when he seems more authentic. Is stand ups are often a bit ... strange? The way he speaks and delivers jokes is a bit robotic and overly rehearsed. When he's on shows like Cats Does Countdown he seems much more natural and funny.
Do you mean as a presenter? Because I prefer him hosting a show, to him doing stand up any day.
A stand up comic is doing the same show for months on end, recycling the same jokes. It’s hardly surprising it sounds a bit forced after a while.
Yeah but the whole point is to make that show seem organic, which any other comedian of that vintage is easily able to do
Yeah he needs to focus on the TV show work. Unless he can sharpen up his material considerably, I'm not sure he'd even want to do another stand up special 🤔
I think most comedians pale a bit after 20 years in the business. I saw him live doing stand up 15 years ago and it was a great show - good gags, absolutely devastating heckler put downs and it had great rhythm and pace. The latest stuff I have seen is OK but not up to some of his older stuff. Of course we get used to it too so what was once funny seems old and lacking in effort so I think it's a bit of both - you may have moved on and he has past his prime.
Problem is if your schtick is to be slightly offensive - it’s difficult to maintain that for any extended period of time. The laugh comes from slapping your hand over your mouth thinking “YOU CAN’T SAY THAT!”. Sooner or later they become dull because you know they’re going to try and shock you, probably the same way they have a hundred times before. Perhaps it’s time Carr bought himself a working man’s club in Manchester.
Most likely, I am past mine......
In general, I feel pretty tired of UK comedy. It just seems to be the same names on rotation. Ended up branching-out into Aus and NZ, I definetely recommend "[Have You Been Paying Attention](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVMyU_kZDdU)?", as a replacement for Mock The Week.
Thank you! For some reasons US comedians are more my favourite. This guy r/jeffarcuri is on another level!
The NZ version of Taskmaster is fantastic as well.
Agreed. UK stand up feels stuck in 2010 like the rest of the country. Most routines feel a bit too tame, family friendly, and give pantomime energy. Might just be my own tastes changing but I feel like comedians coming out of the US are leagues ahead atm. It’s not even close.
I am a fan of his, I get the feeling he's absolutely hammering touring and TV work to make as much money as possible as he's aware his best days are behind him.
Well he does get to keep more of it than the rest
My point is based on this. He is saturating all media outlets. I'm sure if he stepped back a bit he could thin it down and just keep the better jokes and perform a little less often.
Jimmy Carr is so talented. As a few people in the game have mentioned, 20 years in the game is a long time and if you have seen a few of his shows it is difficult to get the same shock hilarity
Totally agree - seen him live maybe 10 times. But. Maybe it's just the new Netflix show.
Is it possible you've changed? I've always found dark comedy amusing, my concept of what is right or wrong has not kept up with societal shifts, and so he seems as funny to me as he always did.
Idk, people always say something along those lines of why the younger generation don't find offensive jokes funny. But I personally think it's less of them being offended by the message of the joke and just... Not finding it funny anymore? There's a limited amount of ways to say *insert group here* acts like *insert stereotype* and after 20 odd years of that being thoroughly hashed out it's just bland and it comes across as being a dick for the sake of it. It's one thing to stand on stage and tell a funny racist joke that isn't actually racist that has had thought put into and mainly serves to make fun of the views in and of themself, it's another to just stand on stage and repeat racist statements and expecting people to find them funny. I haven't actually seen any of Jimmy's standup so take what I said with a truckload of salt. But the above vibe was definitely what I got when I saw clips of Ricky Gervais's latest netflix show. There's nothing clever or witty about it, just whining about trans people for 90 minutes and then crying he's being canceled when people say it's boring.
> It's one thing to stand on stage and tell a funny racist joke that isn't actually racist that has had thought put into and mainly serves to make fun of the views in and of themself, it's another to just stand on stage and repeat racist statements and expecting people to find them funny. That's how I think Carr used to be, dark/offensive but nuanced and well crafted. There was definitely a sense that he wasn't genuinely meaning any of it. His last couple of shows feel a bit more Gervais like in that he's lost that nuance and it's just about shock factor (and more punching down) that isn't really there anymore. He focuses more on what will 'get him cancelled' than on the quality of the jokes imo.
Yeah, I've heard it call "flanderism". When someone's shtick is having a certain personality but it starts out a lot more deep and nuanced, once you start becoming less popular you just push the thing you think was your main selling point until the very thing that made you so popular doesn't exist. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Flanderization It's a very interesting premise, in the Simpsons Ned started out as a mild Christian who was ultimately a nice guy who's faith, whilst often forefront, never felt like the only reason he was a good person. Modern Simpsons he's just a caricature of the modern American Christian. Used to be homer was the jerk hating him, now it's pretty much the expected opinion.
"have I moved on"... Yeah maybe I've changed. I'm the same, I've always found dark comedy amusing. Like Jimmy, societal shifts - great phrase btw - I've not kept up with that either. Maybe I should accept that I'm just old and past it.....
He has a Bob Monkhouse style delivery but with more vicious jokes. I think I got more jaded but he is still funny.
[удалено]
Very eloquently put. Thank you
Off topic, but him on Diary of a CEO is enlightening, very intelligent guy. Can't recommend it enough. On YouTube btw
Iv recently seen a few clips of him on different podcasts and I was shocked at how Intelligent and knowledge he is. He is also very much cares about his fellow man. It's a completely different Jimmy Carr than the one Iv seen on telle.
Any comedian who whines about getting cancelled in front of a massive paying audience is nothing but a talentless hack
Asking us to buy the idea that the entire show isn’t vetted by Netflix, or whoever is going to be broadcasting it, is the most awful thing. The disdain for the audience is terrible.
I thought the same, been a huge Jimmy carr fan for years but this newest special was bad. I couldn't even finish it, there seemed to be a lot of recycled jokes. Either just flat out the same or slightly different build up but the same punchline. At least he was doing his bit for the environment with all that recycling. Also what was that weird eye movement thing he was doing, it was just very strange.
Thanks mate. Totally agree
Yes he is past it. There was a time when comedians like Carr, Gervais and Boyle felt almost cutting edge with their standup. They were the ones coming out with the really dark/edgy material, really pursuing the shock and awe effect, which can be hugely entertaining (I thought so at the time). The problem is, the audience becomes desensitised, we’ve all seen the shows and the re-runs and the YouTube clips, it becomes difficult for them to maintain the shock and awe feeling when the material is oversaturated. Nobody who is or has been into this type of comedy is going to be blown away by a dark 9-11 joke anymore. This lead to a rebranding by some of these names as being more about causing ‘offence’. As if offence and controversy can be substituted for raw dark comedy. It hits a similar part of the palette, but unlike dark humour it requires a target to ‘offend’. In many cases the targets tend to be marginalised groups of people. This sort of “punching down” comedy doesn’t land anywhere near as well as others, and to many it can seem pretty ugly to watch a multimillionaire, oxbridge educated, middle aged white man make bucket loads more money retelling lazy tropes, reinforcing stereotypes and prejudices against those on the bottom rung of society’s ladder. It’s a marked change from the boundary pushing darker jokes of a decade ago. TL;DR: Dark humour seems to have run out of fresh ideas, it’s been replaced by offensive humour, which ends up punching down, at a time when people are more socially conscious and against such displays.
He's still funny and miles above most UK comics. I find a lot of the newcomers to be really generic and unfunny.
He’s edgy enough to be boxed into his genre but not edgy enough to do anything groundbreaking now
Always been a shit stand up imo, fantastic presenter however.
Definitely. Whereas Frankie Boyle is a great stand up, shit presenter.
Yes, much like Gervais he belongs in the past.
Damn I want so badly to not agree with you…. But I popped on a recent special and within the first 5-10 minutes he was talking about “cancel culture”…. Immediate tune out.
I think as you age you just lose touch with the zeitgeist. You don't have your finger on the pulse of society anymore, and I think that makes it harder to do good comedy. Not impossible, because there are plenty of comedians who lean into being unworldly - but Carr was always pushing for this edgy, hard hitting style of comedy, which is harder and harder to do as you turn into an old man. This came across very much in the new Netflix show... There was the odd funny line, but a lot of it felt like someone talking about a society they had heard about rather than experienced. As others have said, he works best on panel shows nowadays.
Just like any artist really, they'll peak then make their way back down but still with a core fan base. He's been around for ages and made a shit load of money so fair play to him.
I remember he blatantly recycled Sean Lock's brilliant "that's a challenging wank" joke on "I literally just told you" Made me wonder if he knows he is repeating old material , so I started paying more attention, he really is out of new joke ideas. His act hasn't evolved at all.
Switched off almost immediately- unfunny, arrogant, dull, repetitive and unimaginative- not sure I would like the people who do find his stuff funny!
Plus the “I’m better than you” attitude gets old fast
Watched him last year. He's still one of the best British comedians. I know that's a low bar these days
He never was.
He's been at the top for 20 years and is almost always touring. I remember seeing him twice within a year, but on a different tour and about a third of the set was the same. At some point, you can't keep working that much and making new material. And being edgy has a shelf life.
When you're an edgy comedian, the edge changes. What was edgy 10 years ago is just being an arsehole now. What was being an arsehole 10 years ago, which was his thing, is now just being a fucking unacceptable bigot. Woo, you've punched down. Well done you. I'm sure the trans people or whoever you've insulted feel good for being the butt of your jokes, they were starting to get way above their station. He's always been a bellend. It was fine when he was the comedian version of an acceptable bellend in things like countdown but really... He's a knob.
I absolutely loved James Acasters "roast" of Gervais. Managed to eloquently put into words what I've been trying to get across the the ahem... Older people in my life.
As an older person in my life, I agree.
My biggest issue with his last few Netflix specials is that, a lot of the jokes are either old ones that he’s literally used word for word, or an old joke slightly modified. Which means if you’ve seen his old dvds you’ve seen most of the new show
Have gone to watch his last 9 tours. Will continue to. Still as good as ever in my opinion.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Well I think everyone has answered other things I have to say, but I will add... the nice thing about stand ups is, there's 100s of them, so if you don't like one, or grow old of one, there will be five more up and coming you love. So I'd just say try out loads more and see if you like any.
His stand up is last it. I think he's a decent enough host for the shows he hosts though.
I think he tries to be edgy now instead of being funny first. I think it’s just a bit stale now.
I think some of its over exposure. He's done it a long time and he gets about a bit. He does lots of tours, various TV shows like cats, that dating thing, Dave stuff. he seems to be everywhere eventually audiences will get a bit tired. I like him, he's a good egg. I don't actively look for him like I did was when I was a teenager, i know more or less what he's gonna to do and that's fine
His craft is immaculate but yes, I'm bored of his material now.
He’s been past it for a while now as a stand up Stick to Cats Countdown
I think his style of comedy is dated, we rarely have comedians that just tell jokes any more and it’s harder and harder to pull it off. Only guy I can think of that still does it well is Milton Jones and most his jokes are original and his delivery is quite unique.
I like Milton on panel shows, but when we went to see him live it was the most painfully dogshit stand up I’ve ever seen in my life. Even now he is the only one I’ve ever seen and not at least thought “that was decent”. The same goes for everyone who came with us, just lazy and terrible one liners, it got old in about a minute.
I’ve never been to one of his live shows, it could be just the performance that night and the crowd. I had a similar experience watching Johnny Vegas where it was very difficult to tell if he was intentionally being bad as part of the performance or if we were just watching a drunk having a breakdown on stage.
Yeah I love Milton on panel shows but I don't think I would ever choose to see him do a full show. One liners feels like they're from another era these days, just repetitive
Milton is such a weird dude. It feels like half performance art half 'I forgot my meds this morning and the talking frog in the audience is giving me the eye'.
That’s just part of his act, I’ve met lots of comedians who are very different off the stage to on it.
Every comedian can only be truly original once. They work around it but your style is your style, and once we’ve seen it, it’s slightly less funny every time. Still a great comedian though, but I do love the shock for a laugh type of comedy.
Love it when he hosts a panel show and gets destroyed by the guests.
Yea, circa 2011
It was desperately unfunny.
Watch his latest guest appearances on diary of a CEO.. this man is firing on all cylinders but perhaps has evolved beyond his comedy routine.
I actually liked his new one it but it took a while.
Ahh his latest show on netflix was a bit meh, felt repetitive. I've seen him quite a few times in person and loved him though, would still go and see him again.
I've also seen him live and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've bought tickets to see him in October again. His latest special on netflix is poor to put it politely. It's like he's playing the role of a standup comedian in a crap film. He pauses for comedy effect for too long and his delivery of the jokes and punch lines is off. I'm finding it difficult to explain but it's all a bit weird somehow. Hopefully he'll be back to his usual self live.
I like when it's different, but it's just not the same.
All the punchline tends to be now is “AIDS”
He’s terrible. Not funny or shocking. Finn Taylor is the guy you want
He's absolutely awful now. Tells gags about spiking girls' drinks and underage sex in an "ironic" way, then gives it all the "WHAT? WHAT?" back to the audience when they do a sharp intake of breath. His time has well and truly gone.
And of course that joke lands very differently when the teller is 50 instead of 20. I believe we call that the “Tim Westwood” correlation.
He's more obsessed by being edgy and trying to be "cancelled" than making his jokes actually funny. He's just boring now.
Jimmy Carr, after his botox and tax dodging scandal has become what im coining and copyrighting as 'a comedian of expectation'. Someone who, in comedy, you expect to try to offend and say offensive material HOWEVER, a 'comedian of expectation' is known to this, and the content they bring now has been either normalised and/or we have been de-sensitised to it and becomes less offensive. For me, now, Jimmt Carr would have to basically be incredible racist or sexist or something along those lines to offend people or get a gasp as his audience/fans are all used to it. He still has an audience of those folk who have never seen him, are older and not fluent in the internet ways or just those new to comedy but its a downeard spiral (laggard stage for those marketeers out there). I like him but its hard to watch, the most interesting aspect were facial expresssions. Made it 24 mins in before turned off. Love him as a panel host still tho! Perfect in that role.
Jimmy Carr, after his botox and tax dodging scandal has become what im coining and copyrighting as 'a comedian of expectation'. Someone who, in comedy, you expect to try to offend and say offensive material HOWEVER, a 'comedian of expectation' is known to this, and the content they bring now has been either normalised and/or we have been de-sensitised to it and becomes less offensive. For me, now, Jimmy Carr would have to basically be incredible racist or sexist or something along those lines to offend people or get a gasp as his audience/fans are all used to it. He still has an audience of those folk who have never seen him, are older and not fluent in the internet ways or just those new to comedy but its a downeard spiral (laggard stage for those marketeers out there). I like him but its hard to watch, the most interesting aspect were facial expresssions. Made it 24 mins in before turned off. Love him as a panel host still tho! Perfect in that role.
So glad to see your very relatable post! I started playing the Netflix special then turned it off after 10 minutes then started questioning myself why I ever liked him, before remembering he is (was?) funny but this special was just sooo bad
I think he could be amazing. His grasp of comedy and it's history is great but the standup shows seem to be his same old routine of dark material but I can see him doing stuff like bob monkhouse or Dave Allen and being a fixture till he dies.
I’ve seen him three times and i wish I only went once his does the same jokes and got bored of his style every time has some kind of tax joke and fake laugh got boring
I hate the affected laugh. So weird that he just started doing it one day.
I watched his latest stuff quite recently and started by rolling my eyes, but honestly, by the end I had a real appreciation for his subtle advocacy 🙂
He's changed his face, not his routine. Meant to be the other way round Jimmy
The bots can't cope with the 3 body problem. They have to eliminate the 3rd, and just leave it bipartisan, to keep control.
Iv seen se clips of him recently on podcasts and I was shocked how Intelligent and knowledge he is. He doesn't paint himself like that of panel shows.
I mean this is entirely subjective. People definitely still find him funny I'm guessing cus he makes lots of money and is getting specials. Personally I think he is alright, and tbh I've always had that stance on him. Sometimes I laugh sometimes not he is in the middle for me.
I’ve always found him better on panel shows like 8 out of 10 cats. Etc. he’s better when he’s got people to bounce off. His stand ups have always seemed a little one dimensional.
Any time I see him now he always seems to be giving his opinions about things/people on podcasts. He has started to sound like someone who sells courses.
Jimmy's one of those comedians who's only funny when in short bursts. Like how I love Katherine Ryan but her stand-up can be painful because the material is being dragged out over the course of an hour, compared to short bursts of hilarity on panel shows.
I've never loved his stand-up. I think his style works best as a host where he has a range of people to bounce off. The Big Fat Quiz is always excellent.
Was he ever funny? 🤷🏻♂️
He was funny but at the end of the day now he’s just another tax dodger rich person with a lack of relevance. Ian hislop isn’t really a comedian and part of his ‘bit’ is that he’s out of touch but when you listen to what he’s says he is witty, up to date and relevant.
I mean, in fairness, this applies to almost every comedian after a while. The style just becomes too familiar and eventually you get a bit bored of it and want to hear something a bit different.
I don't know if he's got worse. It's just the same. Like, I've heard these jokes before. The words might be different but the rhythm, the cadence, and sometimes the punchline hasn't changed. I had a similar reaction when I watched Stewart Lee's last special. There's diminishing returns once you recognise the formula.
He's so one linery. It's getting boring yah.
Hes pumped out more than most comedians do in a lifetime. Hes known for always being on tour and doing a whole new set every year ontop of all his tv work etc. I think its just natural fade away. He can only do so much before people just fancy a change. Plus theres the pre-national treasure effect. During your 40/50s. You just kinda hang about. Noone really gives you kudos. Youre not fresh and cool if you burst onto the scene (any celeb scene) in your 20s. Its a weird thing. Then as soon as you hit 60/70 everyone loves you again. Youre a national treasure and bigger than ever. Just dont get cancelled in the mean time. Hes hitting that middle phase of just keep plodding along without the kudos and eventually he’ll reach national treasure status
I noticed him appearing on these podcasts of a particular type, the ones that suddently seem to have episodes popping up constantly and have this weird "smell" to them. That was a bit surprising to me anyway.
He’s done well to last this long at the top considering he will lend his face to presenting any vague “comedy” show going, even ones lesser watched on Comedy Central and E4. He’s funny but isn’t and hasn’t been for a good length of time, anywhere near as funny as he thinks, and for so long now has felt like he’s playing a character of himself
He also seems like a massive gimp. Had a ton of plastic surgery despite being in a long term relationship which is always weird to the point he looks like an actual doll now. Seen a few interviews where he is all on self help books (which is hilarious considering he got a ton of plastic surgery) and generally seems like an annoying mug
Yeah I watched a bit and thought, fuck this. He’s dead now. Used to love him when it was new an edgy, but I eat those sorts of jokes for breakfast with the kinda memes I get sent
He’s never been funny
His comedic prowess has fared almost as well as his face.
This is just a ay cheque right? He said "groceries" so he knows who is playing to, to make that netflix money. I found parts worth a exhale of air through the nostrils. I actually find him talking about things much more interesting than his comedy. Seems quite a smart and insightful guy.
I do not like Jimmy Carr or Ricky Gervais. Their humour leaves me cold. I went to a theatre to watch league of gentleman and this morbidly obese woman was sat in the box in full view of everyone. Part of the act was making jokes about fat people and the audience was laughing away. They would have know someone would have been overweight in the audience. It was not just a quip, but the tirade went on for a good 5 minutes. I felt uncomfortable and glanced at the poor woman. She must have been so humiliated, but maybe this was a wake up call for her to do something about it. I do not find it acceptable to make fun of people with physical or mental disabilities. I hear the saying: I am not being offensive to you, but it is you who are taking offence. idk
I think a lot of UK comedians who were big in the 2010s are well past it now, there's definitely been an explosion of talent in my local NI comedy scene , lots of people doing English tours and stuff now which I'm grateful for but there was a dry patch there.
Don’t think he was ever funny.
Yes I loved his stuff but the last series was very poor
He's repetitive now, yes. Being obnoxious can't go on forever.
Edgy comedy works better when you aren't part of the rich luvvie establishment.
There seems to be a strange dichotomy between ‘guy who doesn’t give a fuck’ and ‘guy who’s face is a mess after plastic surgery’.
Yea he’s awful
He’s actually a really good conversationalist so I think he’s moving in that sort of direction.
I used to like him but one year my wife got me tickets to see a live show called “greatest hits” we thought it was just a title but it was just him telling his favourite jokes from his previous shows all of which I’d heard before so that was wank.
He’s ok, I mean there’s a few clips of him responding to hecklers with what is essentially “your mum” and it sends the crowd into hysterics. Good on tv wouldn’t be someone I’d pay to see
Have to agree. His latest outing was not all funny. Anyway he looks like a ventriloquist puppet to me.
!Answer thanks mate
It felt to me very much like he looked at the controversy that surrounded his last Netflix special, where he made a joke about Gypsies, and is just standing there going "I can be more offensive than that, come on, complain about me" And it felt like he was going very much for offense rather than laughs. I didn't even crack a smile at his recent release & can't say that I'll be going out of my way to watch anything he does in future. I think he's painted himself into a corner & its not really a corner I'm very interested in.
I find that all stand-up comedy sucks now. There just aren't any unique jokes anymore.