The funniest standup I’ve ever seen
A tie between two Australians: Tim Minchin’s Ready for This? and Hannah Gadsby’s coming-out story, which I saw in Edinburgh years ago. She’s a big deal now but back then there were only seven people in the audience. I roared alone in the dark and introduced myself at the end, explaining to her that we were friends now.
The funniest TV show I’ve ever seen
Fleabag. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a stone-cold comedy genius.
The funniest heckle I’ve ever had
“I can have multiple orgasms!” said multiple times, as if to prove her ability to do things in multiples.
The funniest film I’ve ever seen
No one knows this film in the UK but in the US and Australia there’s a cult classic called Better Off Dead in which the teenage John Cusack loses his girlfriend and ends up in a downhill skiing competition. If anyone’s ever skied past you shouting: “I want my two dollars!”, this movie is the reason.
The funniest hairstyle I’ve ever had
Right before I did a TEDx talk someone cut my hair above my chin and died it red. I wasn’t watching because I was texting. I looked like a squirrel blowing up a balloon.
The funniest number
Two. You laugh more freely and with less decorum with your partner or best mate than anywhere else in the world.
The funniest book I’ve ever read
Underfoot in Show Business by Helene Hanff, the memoirs of an unsuccessful young playwright living in New York City in the early 1940s determined to crash the theatre. It made me think that failing in showbusiness would be more fun than succeeding in actual business.
The funniest joke I’ve ever heard
The comedian Christian Talbot has a gag: 25 years on, rhythm is a choreographer. That’s a lovely one-liner, isn’t it?
The Guilty Feminist is live at Kings Place, N1, 17 September
