Julian Clary
JAM Appearances: 40 including 39 as a panellist on radio in 1997-1998-2000-2001-2002-2003-2004-2005-2006-2007-2008-2009-2010-2011, and one on the 40th anniversary special in 2007.
How he did: Julian's camp style and ability to get innuendo into the most harmless of subjects makes him a natural for JAM. Camp has been a feature of the show throughout its history and Julian fits well. He is seldom lost for words, although his slowness on the buzzer makes him unlikely to be the winner very often. However he usually makes up for it by making the funniest and most outrageous remarks. A show with him has an edge because you never know what he will say next.
Who is he: Julian is one of Britain's best loved comedians with a long list of popular TV and stage shows to his credit. He perhaps popularised the high-camp outrageously gay style that other comedians such as Graham Norton have used. His Channel Four game show in the late 80s, Sticky Moments, was something of a breakthrough in its use of innuendo, and open pride in being gay, and since then he has had several other TV shows, including Terry And Julian and All Rise For Julian Clary. He was a regular on the game show It's Only TV But I Like It. He's turned to writing in recent years with a magazine column, a series of novels and his auto-biography.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39
Alun Cochrane
JAM Appearances: Five as a panellist on radio in 2007-2010-2011.
How he did: A bit stumbley and nervous but a few signs that he had a few good jokes to tell if he coulkd keep going.
Who is he: Alun is a stand-up comic and comedy compere. His TV credits include Harry Hill's TV Burp, Bremner Bird and Fortune, The Sketch Show, and Eight Out Of 10 Cats.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4 5
Denise Coffey
JAM Appearances: Six as a panellist on radio in 1970-1982.
How she did: Among a number of women performers in the late 60s and early 70s who had trouble getting a word in, Denise had a slightly baffled air to her performances, with just a touch of eccentricity. But no real competition for the regular motor mouths.
Who is she: Denise played a major part in TV sketch comedy in the 60s and 70s, most notably Don't Adjust Your Set. She continues to act and direct on the stage, including more dramatic roles, including the radio comedy series, Alison and Maude.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Charles Collingwood
JAM Appearances: 16 including 15 as a panellist on radio in 2001-2003-2004-2006-2008-2009-2010, and one as a guest subject setter on radio in 2003.
How he did: Charles had a pleasant style, and hit most of the right notes, in a vaguely Peter Jones-esque way.
Who is he: Charles is the star of the long running radio soapie The Archers. Apart from that he does speeches and some stage work, sometimes with his wife, Judy Bennett, also an Archers regular.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Peter Cook
JAM Appearances: Four, including three as a panellist on radio in 1979 and an appearance on the compilation radio programme Silver Minutes in 1992.
How he did: Cookie's delight in witty repartee and improvised nonsense made him a natural for the show and he could surely have appeared more often had he wanted to. His opening remarks in the first few seconds of his first appearance are surely the earliest funniest remarks of any debutant. Pure delight!
Who is he: Writing a paragraph on the remarkable career of Peter Cook is not an easy assignment but here goes. Perhaps the most important figure in British comedy in the past 40 years. Peter was a pioneer of satire on television, in print and on stage. His club, The Establishment, was the first to provide live comedy and satire. He was a founder, and for many years, owner and funder of the satirical newspaper Private Eye. On television he was a regular on That Was The Week That Was, the first satirical show in the early 60s, and moved on to Not Only But Also. On stage he began as a writer, writing material for Kenneth Williams, and moved on to performing his own work with partners Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller and Alan Bennett. His partnership with Moore was closest, he also collaborated with him on TV and on stage for 15 years. They also made films and records including the series of Derek and Clive records. In latter years boredom combined with a prodigious appetite for drink meant he was not as productive as in younger days but he continued to write for Private Eye and make occasional chat show appearances. He died young in 1995 but with a huge legacy left for us all to savour.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4
Bernard Cribbins
JAM Appearances: Two as a panellist on radio in 1978.
How he did: Amusingly, Bernard made a turn out of offering around mints at every opportunity, perhaps as a way of covering up for not being quick on the buzzer. But certainly capable of the amusing remark.
Who is he: Bernard is one of the UK's favourite comedy performers, perhaps being best known these days for his work on children's TV, such as The Wombles. But he has a long list of comedy films too, most notably in the Carry On movies.
Links to transcripts: 1 2
Barry Cryer
JAM Appearances: 26, including 21 as a panellist on radio in 1974-1975-1980-1981-1982-1983-1984-1985-1986-1989-2001, four as a panellist on television in 1999, and one in the radio compilation programme Silver Minutes in 1992.
How he did: Barry is certainly one of the funniest performers, having a speaking style well suited to JAM. A natural improviser, Barry is less capable as a challenger, often finishing last. Still he often had some of the funnier remarks, and was used regularly in the 80s. Barry was considered as the permanent replacement for Kenneth Williams following Kenneth's death. Barry was recalled for the TV series in 1999, where he was rather good, and appeared again on radio a couple of years later.
Who is he: Barry is one of the most prolific comedy writers in Britain, having written material for such great names as Morecambe and Wise, Frankie Howard, Kenny Everett, the Two Ronnies, Bruce Forsyth and Les Dawson. He is a key component of the long-running radio panel game, I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue and also chaired a comedy panel game on TV, Jokers Wild. Barry also does a lot of stage and stand-up work.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Jack Dee
JAM Appearances: Four as a panellist on radio in 2008-2009.
How he did: Deadpan and witty, with lots of funny things to say - a future star.
Who is he: He's a stand-up comedian, compere and actor who has been on TV presenting variety shows and acting for the better part of 20 years. His current vehicle is Lead Balloon, a sitcom written and performed by himself and based vaguely on his life. He also appears regularly on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4
Hugh Dennis
JAM Appearances: two as a panellist on radio in 1994-1995.
How he did: A sunny disposition combined with a jokey manner, Hugh did okay, but probably wasn't funny enough to get a recall.
Who is he: Hugh is one of the UK's more prolific sketch comedians with a run of TV shows including The Mary Whitehouse Experience, TV To Go, The Now Show and as a voice on Spitting Image. He was also a regular in My Hero and is remembered as a sidekick to Jasper Carrott and Steve Punt. His main TV gig these days is as a regular on Mock The Week.
Links to transcripts: 1 2
Blythe Duff
JAM Appearances: Two as a panellist on radio in 1998.
How she did: Charming and blessed with a wonderful laugh and a warm Scottish voice, Blythe had an ear for an anecdote, but probably didn't stand out enough to get a recall.
Who is she: Blythe is a regular on the stage in Scotland but is probably best known in Britain for her role in the long running police TV show Taggart.
Links to transcripts: 1 2
Jenny Eclair
JAM Appearances: 41 including 39 as a panellist on radio in 1994-1995-1999-2001-2002-2003-2005-2006-2007-2008-2009-2010-2011-2012, one as a guest subject show on the 35th anniversary special in 2003, and one on the 40th anniversary special in 2007.
How she did: Jenny's distinctive style of comedy brightens every show she appears in. Arguably the funniest woman ever to appear on JAM, Jenny has a wonderful voice, a jolly cackle and an lovely self-deprecating humour and homeliness that seems to suit JAM. She scraps for a point as if her life depends on it. Is surely now a permanent fixture on the show.
Who is she: One of the funniest stand-up comics in Britain, Jenny has a routine where she revels in smoking, drinking, swearing and her own inadequacies. She has a remarkable stage presence and has also done some TV and radio work including her own chat show. Is the only woman to win the prestigious Perrier award at the Edinburgh Festival and has recently begun a career as a novellist. She is a regular on the TV series Grumpy Old Women and recently took to the stage in a dramatic role in the Killing Of Sister George.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Kevin Eldon
JAM Appearances: Two as a panellist on radio in 2010.
How he did: Charming, funny and fluent, Kevin made the sort of impact that suggests he could well be back again.
Who is he: Kevin Eldon is an actor and comedian. His TV appearances include Brass Eye, 15 Storeys High, Black Books, I'm Alan Partridge, and Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
Links to transcripts: 1 2
Kenny Everett
JAM Appearances: Two including one as a panellist on radio in 1980, and one on the 40th anniversary special in 2007.
How he did: Very well. His campness and manic manner seemed to fit the show well, though perhaps one Kenneth Williams is enough.
Who is he: Kenny was an incredibly gifted radio and TV comedian who died young in 1995. He was the first TV comedian to use video and computer imagery. He created many memorable characters and was a top ranking radio host over about 20 years.
Links to transcripts: 1 2
Wilma Ewart
JAM Appearances: One as a panellist on radio in the very first show in 1967.
How she did: Not so great, she achieved little that was memorable, but left plenty of room for Clement and Derek to stand out.
Who is she: She is described in the biographies as "an American", past that Wilma has left little information behind her.
Links to transcripts: 1
Craig Ferguson
JAM Appearances: One as a panellist on radio in 1993.
How he did: He did very well and was competitive in the game. He had a pleasant manner but perhaps didn't take enough opportunities to amuse.
Who is he: Craig is a Scottish comedian who had success in Britain on various TV shows and then decided to chase the money in Hollywood. He had a regular role in The Drew Carey Show and did movies, before getting his own late night TV show, The Late Late Show making him one of the best known comedians in the US.
Links to transcripts: 1
Lynn Ferguson
JAM Appearances: One as a panellist on radio in 2008.
How she did: She was nice and strangely competitive, but perhaps not enough laughs to deserve regular call-backs.
Who is she: Lynn is a Scottish stand-up comedian and playwright, with a wonderful accent.
Links to transcripts: 1
Fenella Fielding
JAM Appearances: One as a panellist on radio in 1969.
How she did: Bizarrely. Fenella was perhaps the most hesitant, repetitious and deviant person ever to appear on JAM but laughed her way through the show with great success. Truly a unique personality who was a hell of a lot of fun.
Who is she: Referred to occasionally as the female Kenneth Williams, Fenella was Britain's leading exponent of female camp in the 50s and 60s. Her main career was on the stage where she used her unmistakeable voice and fluttering eyelashes to good effect. She worked with Kenneth on revue and also in a Carry On movie, Carry On Screaming. Her most recent acting was in a 2007 stage tour of The Vagina Monologues.
Links to transcripts: 1
John Fortune
JAM Appearances: Two as a panellist on television in 1994.
How he did: Urbane, he was terribly patronised by Nicholas for his general incompetence of the game but mildly amusing in a Peter Jones-esque way.
Who is he: John is a well known TV impressionist, part of a long partnership with John Bird and Rory Bremner. Has a background in British comedy going back to the 60s as one of Peter Cook's collaborators. His most recent week is in the radio series Ed Reardon's Week.
Links to transcripts: 1 2
William Franklyn
JAM Appearances: Four as a panellist on radio in 1984-1985-1986.
How he did: One of the mid 80s guests who did okay without being a stand-out. William or Bill as he was often called was fluent enough and stood up okay in the repartee stakes, but was not outstanding enough to warrant more than a couple of visits.
Who is he: An actor perhaps best known for his countless ads and voiceovers, Bill is the perennial bit-part player on heaps of films and TV shows. But he was also a regular in game shows down the years, most notably on Quote Unquote. He died in 2006.
Links to transcripts: 1 2 3 4
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