Who would you say is the best, most reliable and popular, regular sitcom actor out there? (from past & present)

Robert Mitchell/David Webb

I know they have 1 sitcom, but I need Peep Show like water and air!

Depending on what you mean by 'persistently', Messrs Jason and Barker are way ahead of any field you care to mention.. but then I'm of 'a certain age'...

...Hancock comes in third followed at some distance by Atkinson.

The rest are also-rans, sharing a few honourable mentions among them.

Actually that needs amending - some of the modern era wouldn't get an honourable mention from me if they waited till kingdom come. They just aren't - and could never be - funny. Something of a drawback for them.

One that springs to mind is David Kelly. He has had many roles over the years, a few that I can think of include O'Reilly the builder in Fawlty Towers and Albert in Robin's Nest. He has that cheeky Irish chappy persona about him that I always find amusing.

Def.

Robert Linsday

Largely agree with Jolanta on this one. Certainly not of any "certain age", but definitely of that "comedy inclination", to overuse "quotations". I wouldn't rate many current artists much, if at all. With the exception of Stephen Mangan perhaps, I honestly can't see any of our current crop (that I can think of right now) coming close to that kind of "legendary" type status. Whilst others are undoubtedly good, they're largely throwaway IMO.

I would place Leonard Rossiter alongside the names that Jolanta suggested.

Also, Geoffrey Palmer has been a stalwart and impressed in loads of sitcoms.

In recent years I would say that Coogan has been the best that I can immediately think of.

Julian Barratt.

Nicholas Lyndhurst

Quote: zooo @ April 21 2008, 3:57 PM BST

Julian Barratt.

View original

Having been in the barely-sitcom Mighty Boosh, and one series of the highly popular (!) Nathan Barley... Am I missing anything else?

Yes, Asylum.

But I've seen him in quite a lot of films, so I suppose I forget he's only been in three actual sitcoms.

Still, the title of the thread is slightly amiguous, if you really want it to be.
So he still counts!
(Even though it should be consistently.)

Asylum was so bad I couldn't even watch the first episode. And I've seen Come Back Mrs. Noah.

Yes but you have a famous blind spot when it comes to things what are as good as and what are a bit like Spaced. (Which Asylum is.)

But Spaced, whilst terminally unfunny, I actually managed to watch. Asylum I think I managed 5 minutes before I realised I didn't hate myself quite that much. Yet.

Stephen Mangan, Rasmus Hardiker (if he choose the right projects), and maybe just maybe Kevin Bishop, but all I've seen him do is sketch stuff. I can see all of them becoming names.

Past: Ronnie Barker, everything I've seen him has been good imo.