Instant Sunshine is a comedy musical cabaret group who sing to an acoustic guitar accompaniment. It was formed in 1966 by three doctors at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, Peter Christie, David Barlow and Alan Maryon-Davis. In 1972 they were joined by the journalist and double bass player Miles Kington. In 1998 Kington left the […]
Comic Songs (38)
The Two Ronnies is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from April 1971 to December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, serial stories and musical finales. The two Ronnies met in 1963 at the Buckstone Club in […]
Comic Songs (37)
Kit and The Widow were a British double act, performing humorous songs in the vein of Tom Lehrer or Flanders and Swann; they also cite Ana Russell as an influence. Kit Hesketh-Harvey (singer) and Richard Sisson (The Widow, pianist) performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and in West End theatres, and accepted private bookings. They have […]
Comic Songs (36)
Fascinating Aïda is a British comedy singing group and satirical cabaret act which was founded in March 1983 by Dillie Keane, along with Marilyn Cutts and Lizzie Richardson. The members have varied frequently, but the central two have been Adele Anderson – who joined the group in 1984 – and Keane. The trio started performing […]
Comic Songs (35)
Victoria Wood was an English comedian, actress, lyricist, singer, composer, pianist, screenwriter, producer and director. Wood wrote and starred in dozens of sketches, plays, musicals, films and sitcoms over several decades and her live comedy act was interspersed with her own compositions which she performed at the piano. Much of her humour was grounded in […]
Comic Songs (34)
Today our comedic journey arrives at the 1980’s. We begin with a selection of songs from invidual artists whose recordings found there way into popular culture. “Bucket Of Water Song” is the best-known number (and also their highest-charting single) by the The Four Bucketeers. They were an ad-hoc music/water-throwing group from the ITV children’s programme […]
Comic Songs (33)
Billy Connolly is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin (“the Big One”). Known for his idiosyncratic and often improvised observational comedy, frequently including strong language, Connolly has topped many UK polls as the greatest stand-up comedian […]
Comic Songs (32)
Richard Stilgoe is a British songwriter, lyricist and musician, and broadcaster who is best known for his humorous songs and frequent television appearances. His output includes collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Peter Skellern. He is also a keen puzzler who has hosted several quiz shows and written several books on the subject. In 1966 […]
Comic Songs (31)
The Wombles are fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures created by Elisabeth Beresford and originally appearing in a series of children’s novels from 1968. They live in burrows, where they aim to help the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in creative ways. Although Wombles supposedly live in every country in the world, Beresford’s stories are primarily […]
Comic Songs (30)
The Wurzels are an English Scrumpy and Western band from Somerset. The name of the band was dreamt up by founder Adge Cutler. It is short for mangelwurzel, a crop grown to feed livestock. They are known for using British West Country phrases “ooh arr!” and calling young people “young ‘uns” in songs. The Wurzels […]