I'm wondering if there have ever been any British comedians who have succesfully made the leap from television to film? By which I mean comedians whose work on film is as impressive as the stuff they did on television?

Off the top of my head it seems that most fail. Whether it be Morcambe and Wise, Steve Coogan or Cannon and Ball, there best work seems to be on the small screen. And although Simon Pegg has made a couple of corking films with Edgar Right, I can't help but feel his best stuff is Spaced and Big Train (and Hippies).

Dudley Moore.

Emma Thompson
Mini Driver (Used to appear on Coogans things)
Hugh Laurie

Catherine Zeta Jones.

Not sure she's quite a comedian though.

(Although...)

John Cleese
Rowan Atkinson

Sacha Baron Cohen?

Quote: Jason Kindred @ September 6, 2007, 2:44 PM

I think all the names mentioned pretty much prove my point. Rowan Atkinson's best work was definitely TV. And John Cleese, aside from the Python films and Fish Called Wander, has also done his best work on telly. I'm sure these people have made a nice living appearing in bland or outright bad movies, but the work that defines them is still small screen.

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I always enjoy Clockwise.

Yeah it's good.

"I don't know what I am?"

Lee Evans and Ricky Gervais.

Somebody mentioned Hugh Laurie earlier, and, if you count House, he has managed to transcend British television and do something else. And I guess Eddie Izzard, with this series he's done with Minnie Driver, has done a similar thing. Americans seem to have a far easier time transferring to the big screen and maintaining a creditable career. I'd put down Bill Murray as the most succesful of these.