Now here’s a funny thing... leading comedians are twice as likely to come from the North than anywhere else in the country.
And if they’re taller than average, a Gemini, the youngest in the family, and city-born, there’s more chance that they’ll be naturally funny.
An analysis of 50 of Britain’s top comedians looked at shared characteristics and traits.
Northerners who made the list included Sir Ken Dodd, Caroline Aherne, Peter Kay and Ross Noble.
Sarah Millican, Richard Ayoade and Noel Fielding are Geminis, said to be naturally funny.
Those born under Fire signs – Aries, Leo and Sagittarius – are the least likely to make us chuckle. And youngest children of at least three siblings are twice as likely to be funny than the older kids.
Victoria Wood, Ricky Gervais and Micky Flanagan are all the youngest of four.
Taller than average comics include Romesh Ranganathan and Catherine Tate, while Kathy Burke, Lenny Henry and Jack Whitehall come from an urban background.
And in a poll of 2,000 adults, 71% say northerners are funnier than southerners, and Scousers are the funniest of all, followed by Geordies and Mancunians.
Some 87% believe that people are naturally born with a “funny gene” – and more than half agree youngest children are more likely to be funnier than their older siblings.
The study was commissioned by the Beano comic, which is on the hunt for Britain’s funniest family in partnership with mental health charity YoungMinds.
Mike Stirling, Head of Beano Studios, said: “We’re on a mission to help keep the nation smiling with our hunt for Britain’s Funniest Family and can’t wait to see the comedy gold that all families across the UK can create together at home.”
- Beano’s Funniest Family is open for entries now, families can enter until 24 May at beano.com/funfam.
