Tall Scousers make us laugh – but diddy men don’t, study finds
- Statistician Dr Geoff Ellis studied what favourite comedians have in common
- He concluded that Liverpool was the funniest city in the whole of the UK
- To pinpoint the ‘funny gene’ he looked at siblings, age, height, star sign and more
It’s long been claimed that the key to comedy is timing. But it seems that being tall – and from Liverpool – helps, too.
A bid to pinpoint the ‘funny gene’ by analysing our favourite comedians found that city-dwellers of above-average height were most likely to make the grade.
Another key sign was being the youngest sibling from families with at least three children – suggesting their comedy chops were honed early on as they competed for attention. Examples include Ricky Gervais, Micky Flanagan and the late Victoria Wood – all of whom were the youngest of four.
Another key sign was being the youngest sibling from families with at least three children – suggesting their comedy chops were honed early on as they competed for attention. Examples include Ricky Gervais (pictured left), Micky Flanagan (pictured right) and the late Victoria Wood – all of whom were the youngest of four
The study of successful comics – commissioned, fittingly, by the Beano – was carried out by statistician Dr Geoff Ellis. His research, which examined the backgrounds and physical attributes of 50 leading British entertainers, found they were twice as likely to hail from the North. They were also likely to be taller – over 5ft 9in for male comedians, and 5ft 3in for women – and from cities rather than rural areas.
Leaving no stone unturned, Dr Ellis also examined astrology. Geminis were found to be the funniest, while those born under the signs of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are least likely to make us chuckle.
An additional study, also commissioned by the Beano, concluded that Liverpool is the funniest city in Britain. Pictured: Comedian John Bishop from Liverpool
An additional study, also commissioned by the Beano, concluded that Liverpool is the funniest city in Britain. Scousers received two-thirds of the vote, in a poll of 2,000 Britons, followed by Newcastle upon Tyne and Manchester.
Those from Oxford were deemed least likely to make us laugh.
A second poll, of 2,000 children aged between six and 13, suggested that naff ‘dad jokes’ still hold an enduring appeal. Just one in seven children said their mother was the funnier parent.