Lee McAndrew’s
Comedy Hall of Fame
In truth, any member of Monty Python would be an worthy addition to my comedy hall of fame, but Graham is the only person in all of comedy that deserves to be the first inductee.
He is without a doubt my favourite comedy performer and his style of humour has been a major influence on me. The master of pompous absurdity, he had a particular talent for playing ridiculous, condescending characters that looked down on and insulted anyone who didn’t buy into whatever ludicrous premise they were presenting.
As well as Graham being a talented comedy performer, he was also very accomplished at playing the straight lead role in both Life of Brian and The Holy Grail. Indeed, if throat cancer hadn’t claimed him prematurely and he had managed to stay on the wagon, I think his natural gravitas would has lended itself nicely to a career in the theatre.
As well as his on screen performances, he also deserves credit for his contributions towards the gay rights movement, which came at a time when society was far less tolerant towards homosexuality (although there is still room for improvement now).
Some people would argue that he was the least commerically and creatively successful out of the group when Monty Python finally went their seperate ways, and that may be true, but that should not detract from the many memorable comedy performances he gave the world.
… And I don’t care what anybody else says, Yellowbeard was a good movie!
