The funniest standup I’ve ever seen …
John Mulaney’s Kid Gorgeous made me howl. It’s on Netflix and the whole family loved it. His “There’s a horse loose in a hospital” routine about the Trump administration would be a perfect piece of standup performed by anyone, but he does it with the grace of Gene Kelly.
The funniest sketch I’ve ever seen …
You can’t beat Two Soups [by Victoria Wood] can you? “One soup … and … another … soup.”
The funniest TV show I’ve ever seen …
Parks and Rec. I could write books about why I think it’s so great. I feel about Leslie Knope the way she feels about Ann Perkins: “Oh, Ann, you beautiful, rule-breaking moth … You poetic, noble land-mermaid.”
The funniest film I’ve ever seen …
My favourite comedy films are those where they cast very funny actors and let them improvise, so all those early Christopher Guest films: A Mighty Wind and This Is Spinal Tap, especially.
The funniest person I know …
I know it’s unforgivable to say your husband, but in my case [Marcus Brigstocke] it is true. We spend hours bouncing off each other, doing voices and characters, and I hope we’re still doing that till we’re old and incontinent.
The funniest heckle I’ve ever had …
“You’re not Sara Pascoe.” It’s funny cos it’s true.
The funniest item of clothing I’ve ever owned …
Some ill-fitting Spanx that push my thigh fat down to my knees so I look like a broken sausage.
The funniest hairstyle I’ve ever had …
When I was 19 I cut my own fringe and, in keeping with the times, I over-straightened it until it poked out horizontally from the top of my head like the peak of a baseball cap.
The funniest dream I’ve ever had …
None. I have very, very boring dreams. I often dream about things like buying milk, living in my house, or sensible trousers.
The funniest thing that shouldn’t be funny …
People walking into things while staring at their phone. Ideally another person, or an old-fashioned lamp-post.
The funniest word …
Plinth.
Rachel Parris’s radio special Austensibly Feminist airs on Radio 4 on 14 February and is then available on BBC Sounds
